Make Art, Take Action!

Taking care of the environment takes care of all living things. However, our culture does not always support this fact. But you can still make a difference. In addition to the many ways you can make taking care of the earth a part of your daily life and encourage leaders to do the same, we encourage facilitating ways to educate youth about the importance of environmental protection and conservation. The future of all living things is in their hands. We must do our very best to provide every resource possible for them to honor and understand the union between humans and the natural environment.

For this activity, we are going to focus on the power and importance of trees! A great way to demonstrate honor and appreciation is through art. Make leaf series out of your favorite leaves with a powerful word about them beneath as a reminder to honor the earth daily.

Here are a few, among the many, reasons we need trees!

Trees produce the oxygen we need to breathe
Trees help prevent erosion
Trees help regulate temperature
Trees are great for climbing
Trees provide materials for many of our houses, tables, chairs, and more
Trees combat climate change as they absorb carbon dioxide
Trees clean the air by absorbing pollutants
Trees provide food for humans and animals
Trees mark the seasons as their leaves change
Trees are among the oldest living things in the world and hold a lot of wisdom for the world

Make art out of leaves to honor trees!

Materials:

Construction paper
Scotch Tape / Elmer’s Glue
Markers
Paints, stickers, and any other decorative material you desire!

1. Discover

Take a walk with your kid and have them pick out their favorite tree, it might be at the park, in your neighborhood, or even in your backyard! Be sure to bring a notebook. Take a moment to sit and reflect at the tree. – How does it make you feel? – How old do you think it is? Take a few moments to observe and sketch the tree. – What shape is the tree? – What do the branches look like? – What do you think the roots look like? – What do you think the inside looks like?

2. Educate

Go over the list of information about trees provided above. Add anything and everything you find important. You can start by asking kids what they know about trees and why they matter, and encourage and stimulate their thining and reasoning from there!

3. Reflect

After sharing with kids about the importance of trees, take some time to reflect. Ask kids to write a list of 5-10 words that represent what trees mean to them and why they matter.

4. Collect

Before you leave, gather some leaves for our art activity!

5. Create

Lay out your leaves and gather your favorite. Then pair each leaf with a word. Mount the leaves onto the paper using glue or tape and write the word below. (you can paint and decorate your paper before mounting if you like!)

6. Honor & Act

Hang this on your wall as a reminder to honor the earth daily.

If you want to get deeper and engage even more, here are a few other action steps you can take today!

1. Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

Simple changes to your daily life such carpooling, biking, buying in bulk, and many more support all living things on the earth. Start making change through your actions today!

2. Adopt a Tree

Symbolically adopt a tree in areas affected by illicit and unregulated gold mining in the Amazon. Our partners in Madre de Dios, Peru will nurture native tree species from seedlings to planting and monitor their growth.

3. Adopt and Acre

When you symbolically adopt an acre of the Peruvian Amazon through Acre Care, you’re helping us fight climate change, protect wildlife, and create sustainable livelihoods- all while ensuring the Lungs of the Earth stay standing.