In this activity, students will invent crazy plants as they put together new combinations of nouns, verbs, and adjectives. They will be amazed when you introduce real living plants that have adaptations as bizarre as the ones they have created. Then they will create their own alien plants. Students will recognize that invasive species are equipped with adaptations that give them competitive advantages over native species.

In this lesson, students record their observations and draw an adopted tree. Students will review what a tree needs to survive and then consider how their adopted tree's needs are met by the surrounding environment. Students then share information about their trees and create a class scrapbook.

In this lesson, students explore what the forest provides for its animal residents. Cooperatively, students create a forest ecosystem with their classmates. Then, they enter the forest as animals in search of food, water, shelter, and space.

In this lesson, students develop a definition for biodiversity. They analyze pictures of three ecosystems (forest, prairie, wetland) to determine their unique qualities and interconnections and then represent this on a Venn diagram. Finally, they use a jigsaw puzzle as a metaphor to illustrate why biodiversity is important.

In this lesson, students dig in and participate in each step of planting a tree. They learn about the things a tree needs to grow, research and choose the right tree for the right site, and plant a tree.

In this lesson, students compete for basic needs in an active game. Afterwards they observe and write about how trees compete with one another for their basic needs.

In this lesson, students learn about ecosystem functions and the types of organisms found in ecosystems. Students complete a diagram of photosynthesis and use calculations to follow the flow of energy through producers, consumers, and decomposers. Students read to learn about the cycling of matter and create their own diagrams of the processes.

In this lesson, students learn the importance of forest biodiversity. They discuss and define terms important to the study of biodiversity. They study maps that illustrate how climate and glacial history influence the range of different tree species in Wisconsin. Students discuss how levels of biodiversity differ from forest to forest by studying different forest biomes and different forest characteristics. Students then attempt to answer important questions about forest biodiversity by analyzing case studies of five trees found in Wisconsin. Students work in groups to create a poster about their tree case study and give a short presentation.

In this lesson, students are introduced to the idea that trees create their own food energy. By acting out the flow of energy, students learn about producers, consumers, decomposers, and how they interact. As a conclusion, students draw their own comic strip about the adventures of Zippy the Energy who lives in a forest.

In this lesson, students go on a scavenger hunt and play a game to learn about the flow of energy through a forest ecosystem.

In this lesson, students participate in activities that illustrate economic factors influencing the supply of and demand for forest products. Students first learn how veneer is produced and used. They create a circular flow market diagram, define economic terms, and interpret supply and demand graphs. Students work in small groups and use data tables and statistics to describe the general supply of and demand for forest resources in different regions of Wisconsin. They use graphs to further describe the supply and demand characteristics of the Midwest and United States. In summary, students compare and contrast the economies of different nations, analyze the relative cost of production in each, and work together to describe the economic relationship between Wisconsin’s forest resources and those of the rest of the world.

In this lesson, students learn about ecosystem functions and the natural processes that occur in forests. They read the essay “Odyssey” from Aldo Leopold’s A Sand County Almanac and discuss the concepts of change, interconnectivity, and sustainability. In small groups, students research a forest ecosystem and then work in a large group to create ecosystem food webs. Together, students use the knowledge they have gained to create a story that describes the journey of an atom through different forest ecosystems.

In this lesson, students learn about historical uses of forest resources. Students begin by recalling products of forest origin while playing Hot Pine Cone. Next, the class explores forest resources used to create products of the past, while relating them to present-day goods. To conclude, students examine real forest products and draw a picture of one they use every day.

In this activity, students will use a simple sampling method to determine if invasive species impact other plants and animals in the forest. This activity focuses on garlic mustard, but the same procedure can also be used with other invasive plants in different habitats. Note: This activity can also be simulated in the classroom with different kinds of leaves to represent different plants.

In this lesson, students will use a checklist to find out more about the plants they depend on for food and fibers. They will guess which plants originated in the United States and check their guesses by researching individual plants. Students will then recognize that people move valuable plants around the globe through trade.

In this lesson, students learn what it means to be a forest steward. Students suggest solutions to forest problems by using an I Spy-like picture. A board game illustrates various decisions people can make for forests. As a conclusion, students draw their impressions of what our forests will be like in the future based on stewardship decisions.

In this lesson, students participate in a group discussion that defines urban forest management and how different situations require different management. Students then learn about the impact of biodiversity on an urban forest using a map-reading and data-manipulation exercise. Students learn about potential management problems caused by invasive species and plot where exotic species come from on a world map. Finally, students present their opinions to the class in a group presentation, explaining if and how the problems of urban forests are problems in rural forests.

In this lesson, students learn what it means to value something. The class is also introduced to specific reasons we value forests by searching Tree Spy collages and looking at the number of products that originate in forests. The lesson concludes with the class singing a song about forest values.

In this lesson, students relate emotions to a variety of fire situations by gluing drawings that represent specific emotions on fire related pictures. Through group discussion, students identify safe and dangerous fire situations. Finally, students use drawings to identify responsible adults to talk to if they feel scared or recognize a dangerous fire condition.

In this lesson, students learn what forests were like before European settlement and discover how Native Americans altered forests to provide their basic needs. To accomplish this, students read a journal of an explorer, note specific details, and draw an illustration.