"April showers bring May flowers" that's the song the kids sing at this time of the year. With April, comes rain. Staying inside on rainy days can be tough on kids, especially when they are looking for something to do. When we were stuck inside recently, the girls and I created our very own tree matching game. What I love about this game is that there are multiple steps involved in making this game, it's educational and it's fun.
Researching Tree Species
I am always trying to teach my girls how to do online and in-library research. I think it is a critical learning skill to know how to locate information online, dissect the information and use the information found. These skills are the basic skills that will help kids excel at all levels of school and in life. So, the first step in making this game was researching and identifying 6 different trees that are native to our neighbourhood. We discovered an amazing resource document on the City of Toronto's website...a full listing of native trees. The girls chose 6 trees to research further.
Identifying Characteristics Trees
After creating a list of trees, the next step was finding out what the leaves look like. This lead the girls to Google's image search and a great library book "The Tree Book ~ For Kids and Their Grown-ups".
Creating the Memory Game
Now it's time for the fun. The girls cut 12 pieces of paper and drew half a leaf on each page. The memory game requires the player to find the matching halves of the leaves.
In the end the memory game itself is quite simple. The real fun is in the research. My girls learned all about trees in our neighbourhood and we have made plans to go out this spring and search for the trees we researched. It is always fun to go on a tree identification walk in the park. What trees grow where you live?
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