Educator Resources for Schoolyard Forests

Planning and Implementing Schoolyard Forests with Students

Students can be involved in all aspects of a schoolyard forest—from the initial research, design, and planting, to long-term stewardship and investigation. Schoolyard forests present a special opportunity for engaging students’ minds, hearts, and bodies and provide rich academic experiences across the curriculum. They also provide students regular access to a natural laboratory for developing their environmental and climate literacy.

A curated collection of standards-based lessons and activities for PreK-12 is provided below to support all phases of a schoolyard forest. The initial sections are for schools just getting started and the later sections for teachers interested in digging deeper into tree-related lessons.

We have showcased lessons that (1) are outdoor activities, (2) are engaging, (3) involve hands-on and kinesthetic learning, and (4) can generally be taught in one to two class periods. The lessons included were selected to be generally applicable to both young saplings as well as larger, established trees. The included lessons and activities were chosen from organizations and individuals that are established leaders in the field of outdoor education. These activities also support state-level content standards.

“When learners engage directly with nature, they all have access to learning, regardless of their prior knowledge or experiences. Centering learning on learners’ in-the-moment observations of nature builds an inclusive learning experience by focusing the conversation on an experience shared by every learner, as opposed to relying on learners’ prior knowledge or past experiences.”

— Beetles, Lawrence Hall of Science

Preparing for Planting

How Cool is Your Schoolyard?™
Engage students in learning about the need for shade as they investigate outdoor surface temperatures on hot days.

Tree Research with Students
Participate in tree selection and/or get to know trees already on campus.

Appreciating Trees
Get students excited about trees with a brainstorm and initial research on their diverse benefits.

Planting Trees and Workdays
Get tips on how to plant trees and prepare students for outdoor work days.

Engaging Students in Design
Include students in site mapping, shade cast studies, soil analysis, habitat evaluation, and community interviews.

After Planting

Start your students’ learning journey about trees on your schoolyard with the resources below. If you are looking for a deeper dive, scroll further for many more teaching resources!

Adopt a Tree - Short Lesson Collection
This short collection of outdoor lessons builds academic skills as well as student connections with trees. (see below for a longer collection)

© Ayesha Ercelawn, Green Schoolyards America

Signs and Displays
These tips on making interpretive signs will help you make the most of your forest.

Photo Monitoring
Set up permanent locations for photographing and recording changes to the forest.

Engaging Students in Stewardship

Engaging students in caring for trees helps students develop a sense of connection and a stewardship ethic for trees. The tips in Stewardship Tasks with Students can help make these tasks go smoothly.

Connecting Stewardship to Academics

Teachers can also connect lessons in science, math, and environmental literacy to stewardship tasks. These hands-on lessons can help turn abstract concepts into real and engaging activities for students. Lessons are organized by grade band and, within that, by stewardship task. For example, teachers undertaking regular watering with their class can look for related lessons under their Grade Level, and in sub category Watering.

Tree and Forest Lessons and Activities by Subject — In-Depth Collection

Trees on your school grounds present an incredible opportunity for hands-on learning by students in all academic disciplines. In this section, you will find a curated selection of lessons for preK-12 teachers in the subject areas of science, mathematics, language arts, social studies, visual and performing arts, social-emotional learning, and physical education. Environmental literacy is naturally embedded within all of these lessons.

Making the Case for schoolyard forests

The benefits of schoolyard forests to students are numerous — providing physical and mental health benefits as well as rich learning opportunities. Read more about these benefits in the resources provided below.

The Benefits of Schoolyard Forests
Schoolyard forests benefit physical and mental health, learning, the environment, and the community.

Standards Alignment
A matrix aligning outdoor lessons and activities to standards in Science, Mathematics, and English Language Arts.

Making the Academic Case for Schoolyard Forests (National)
An overview of how schoolyard forest systems can be used to implement content frameworks.

Making the Academic Case for Schoolyard Forests (California)
An overview of how schoolyard forest systems can be used to implement content frameworks.

Additional Resources

In this section, we provide additional resources for engaging students in schoolyard forests.

Citizen Science Opportunities
Collect data in the forest and its ecosystem and use it to connect with the broader scientific community.

Weather Considerations
Read about solutions to dealing with a variety of types of weather — cold, hot, or rainy.

Outdoor Classroom Culture and Management
Tips for making a classroom run smoothly outdoors.

Climate Change Resources for TK-12th Grade
A collection of resources from the California Environmental Literacy Initiative.

Tips for Creating a Positive Outdoor Experience for Students
Being outdoors in nature is not always familiar or easy for every student. Creating and maintaining a sense of security should be a priority and this article outlines some helpful tips for doing so.

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Schoolyard Forest System℠

The Schoolyard Forest System℠ Resource Library is a set of practical tools for schools and districts working to increase tree canopy on public school grounds to shade and protect PreK-12 students from extreme heat and rising temperatures due to climate change. Funding for the first phase of this initiative was provided by a grant administered by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) Urban and Community Forestry Program, and private philanthropy.