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KIDS Corner
Kids News
We’ve gathered numerous educational resources for kids, grades K-12, and their families.
Annual Forest Products Week Essay Contest
Did you know wood is the only natural resource on Earth that is renewable, recyclable and biodegradable? To celebrate Forest Products Week, the North Carolina Forestry Association along with its sponsors; N.C. Forest Service and the N.C. Sustainable Forestry Initiative, have hosted a statewide essay contest since 2017 to promote the 1,000 companies directly contributing to the North Carolina forest economy.
The 2020 essay winners have been announced.
Learn more about the Forest Products Week Essay Contest here.
Forestry Education Resources & Tree-Related Activities with Students
Quick Links
- Videos
- Forestry Resources
- Environmental Education and Wildlife
- Smokey Bear
- Educational Publications
- Games
- Tree of NC Coloring Pages
- Tree Growth Rings: Discover what tree grow rings are and how they can be used to determine a tree’s age and growing pattern in this twenty minute video
- Forest Soils Investigation: Explore the components which make up the soil profile, and the interrelationships between elements in the forest environment
- Bladen County Public Library Forestry interview video featuring Turnbull Creek Educational State Forest supervisor Carrie McCullen and Smokey Bear
- N.C. Forest Service YouTube video resources; Suitable for a range of ages including adults
- N.C. State Extension Forestry: Signs of Fall, PLT Activity #78; Suitable for a range of ages including adults
- Longleaf on the Short: series of 1 minute video clips about the Land of the Longleaf Pine
- A Tree's Dream: A remake of the film for the SC annual Wood Magic Forest Fair for fifth-graders; Created in collaboration with the S.C. Forestry Commission, Georgia Forestry Commission, N.C. Forestry Association and S.C. Forestry Association with Landale Corporation
- Forest Fast Breaks: 2 min video clips about Urban Forests, using Urban Wood and the benefits of Urban Forests
- Springtime Observations at Holmes Educational State Forest 3 minute video about cove ecosystem in Holmes Educational State Forest
- Trees Are Good: tree-related lesson plans, educational resources for adults and online activities; Suitable for all ages including adults
- Penn State: Forestry/Natural Resources Lesson Plans for grades 6 through 8
- NC Forestry Association: Teacher & student resources suitable for PreK-grade 12
- Project Learning Tree for parents and families: Free nature activities suitable for children ages 3-15
- 21 Tree Art Projects for Young Learners from Project Learning Tree
- Arbor Day Foundation: Suggestions for tree-related activities correlated to various school subjects; Suitable for a range of ages
- USDA Forest Service Kids: games, activities, coloring sheets, teacher and parent resources; suitable for a variety of ages
- Finding My Forest: lesson plans for educators correlated to National Standards for English Language Arts, Math, Social Studies, Music/Art; Grades 3-8
- TreesCharlotte: Activity sheets and curricula for elementary, middle and high schools
- Discover the Forest: activities for kids and can give people places to go
- Don’t Move Firewood interactive resources to "Protect the trees you love from tree-killing bugs"; Suitable for a range of ages including adults
- Report Invasive: Invasive Species Information from Perdue University for children and adults - including instructions to make your own Spotted Lanternfly Origami
- Pollinator Partnership: hosts annual Pollinator Week and has an entire curriculum for grades 3-6, plus tons of pollinator and flower-themed activities for children of all ages
- Project EduBat: lots of bat-themed activities and curriculum
- FSNatureLIVE: geared towards middle schoolers with science-based curricula and student-led videos on themes such as pollinators, bats, climate change, etc.
- NatureWatch: a collection of websites and social media resources where you can watch nature
- N.C. Environmental Education – search for resources, select Families for Audience Served and select Age Group(s)
- Natural Inquirer: a variety of science education materials for parents, educators and PreK through grade 12 students
- ASLA Designing our Future: Sustainable Landscapes: American Society of Landscape Architects provides links to urban forestry focused lesson plans, activities, games, and videos; Suitable for all ages including adults
- Nature Explore Family Resources: nature-inspired activities for families; resources also available in Spanish; Suitable for elementary aged children
- Into the Outdoors: outside-oriented, with some curricula for elementary, middle, and high school students
- Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network: "School's Out, Now What?" Activity Guides, Wildfire Education, and Go Bag Activities for the Whole Family (July 9, 2020)
- Smokey Bear for Kids: Wildfire prevention resources, games and activities suitable for a range of ages
- The Official Web Site of Smokey Bear
- Smokey Bear Coloring Page 1 (PDF)
- Smokey Bear Coloring Page 2 (PDF)
- Smokey Bear Coloring Page 3 (PDF)
- Smokey Bear Coloring Page 4 (PDF)
- Know Your Forest, Know Your Water (PDF)
- Fire Scientist Coloring Book from Natural Inquirer (PDF)
- Common Forest Trees of North Carolina Word Search (PDF)
- Forestry Interactive Crossword Puzzle
- Word Search (PDF)
- Change It! (PDF)
- Flowering Dogwood (PDF)
- Hardwood Tree Leaves (PDF)
- Hemlock Tree Branch (PDF)
- Maple Leaf (PDF)
- Fancy Oak Branch (PDF)
- Red Oak Leaf (PDF)
- Shortleaf Pine Branch (PDF)
- WhiteOak (PDF)
- Yellow-Poplar (PDF)