Power of Plants: Trees

The branching pattern of trees was described in the Italian Renaissance by Leonardo da Vinci he stated that:

"All the branches of tree at every stage of its height when put together are equal in thickness to the trunk."

Earth has more than 60,000 known tree species. There are two types of trees. 

Deciduous trees are trees that lose their leaves in the winter months. Oak, Maple and Elm are all examples of this type of tree. (pictures by Stacey Diaz, Poepske State Park, Ellicott City, Maryland)

Coniferous trees are trees that produce cones as seeds, like Pine trees. These trees have needles instead of leaves and retain many of their needles during the winter. (picture by Stacey Diaz, Seminole Lake Park, Seminole Florida)

Trees are the largest plants in existence. While fungi and plants were once classified together, scientists now classify plants and fungi differently.

The largest tree (by volume) is the General Sherman, a Giant Sequoia, towering 275 feet (83.8m) tall with 52,000 cubic feet of wood.

At 380 feet tall, a Coast Redwood named Hyperion is the world's tallest tree. Its location is a secret, due to concerns over vandalism.

Some trees seem to have the ability to talk to each other by releasing certain chemicals.

From the outside the parts of a tree are its trunk, roots, branches, and leaves. At the very top is called the crown.

Beneath the soil, for most trees 90% of the roots are located in the top 12 to 18 inches of soil. You can see this when a large tree bows over in a storm. Very few trees form a true taproot. 

A living tree is 99% dead. The only live parts of a tree are the leaves, buds, root tips, and cambium, the thin green layer just under the bark, which transports food wood built up in previous years of a tree's life is composed of dead cells.

A "Tree Cookie" is a sliced branch. Dendrochronology is the dating and study of annual rings in trees only viewed from a slice.

From the outside in there are different sections with different purposes: 
Outer Bark - Protects trees from injuries, a Giant Sequoia can have a layer of bark two feet thick. 

Pholem Makes Food

Cambium - Builds the Cells

Xylem (Sapwood) - Carries sap from root to leaves.

Heartwood - Gives strength

Pith - Center

During the Facts + Crafts Livestream on Facebook & Instagram, using Tree Cookies (5 available with August 2020's At Home Play Pak: The Power of Plants!) label the parts inside the tree. String them together to reference and study. Differentiate for younger learners by drawing each part of a tree, adding color to the labelled part. 

Catch the other Livestream: Science Literacy Live where Ms. Stacey reads aloud The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. 

The Free Infographic is available at the bottom of the page.

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Thank you for reading this Science Lesson Blog written by certified educator of Philanthrolab Science Shop Ms. Stacey The Science Lady. With over 12 years of teaching experience and creative Science curriculum development, her mission is to inspire children to have a love of Science. She is the owner of Philanthrolab Science Shop. An online shop of 50+ Fun & Affordable Science Toys - ALL $10 or LESS! Featuring The At Home Play Pak, Satchel of Science, and The DIY Sci Kit!  

Do you have a Budding Botantist? The Power of Plants will be the theme covered all month long. Watch Livestreams and read Blogs to learn about the topics of parts of a plants, germination, plant adaptations, and pollination. Support these concepts with the Power of Plants At Home Play Pak, available now! 

The At Home Play Pak accompanies the concepts of the Livestreams.

If you found this Lesson Blog to be a great resource, filled with fun ideas and educational content that your young scientist would enjoy, please remember to watch the next Livestreams now every Tuesday & Thursday Facebook and Instagram 1:30 p.m. EST.

Philanthrolab Science Shop provides Virtual classes with a certified teacher! Classes are in session but you can drop in anytime or Schedule your own! Purchase a single class pass and receive a Zoom ID and one Science Toy that accompanies the Science concept! 

The upcoming scheduled class is "Geology Rocks!" on August 11th at 11 AM EST. You receive a Zoom Code for the class and a Magnetite Lodestone, a naturally magnetic rock! 

Follow this link to get further information and purchase. https://linktr.ee/Philanthrolab

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