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Weather Buddy Tree Tracker

Activity

Notice Seasonal Changes

Choose one tree around you to be your “weather buddy.” Visit it each week and observe how it changes. Is it growing new leaves? Losing them? Are any insects, birds, or other animals visiting it? What is the weather like? Write or draw your observations and try to guess how the weather affects the tree’s life over one year or 20 years.

Science Seed

Trees respond to weather and seasonal changes just like animals! Some trees keep their leaves year-round (evergreen), while other trees lose them in the fall and grow new ones in the spring (deciduous). Temperature, rainfall, and sunlight all affect how trees grow, flower, and support local wildlife. By watching one tree closely over time, ecologists can learn about bigger patterns in nature like climate, plant health, and the arrival of migrating animals. Keeping a weather tree journal is a fun way to build observation skills and connect with nature right outside your home or classroom.

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earn Badges

Badges can be earned through hands-on experiences within each of the 16 branches of science, or “Science Slices.” You can earn a badge in each branch of science by doing four activities in these categories. We also encourage participants to keep a Nature Journal to record their memories, and to express themselves creatively through writing or drawing after each activity. We recommend that each child (and parent if they’d like) write or draw in a journal after each activity, with expectations of your children that match their age (the goal is self-expression, not perfection).

Explore Anywhere PEEP

join Families in Nature

It is our vision to inspire all families to fall in love with nature and foster the next generation of conservationists. Becoming a member of Families in Nature will give your family the opportunity to have adventures in nature, experience field science, develop as youth conservation leaders, and make memories that will last a lifetime. Memberships are free for everyone.

Who are we?

Families in Nature works to create opportunities for nature connection with the purpose of sparking a deep love and desire to protect, conserve and restore the environment. Our mission is to connect children and their families to nature and to each other through time spent learning, playing, and volunteering outdoors. It is our vision to inspire ALL families to fall in love with nature and foster the next generation of conservationists.