2005 Year in Review

Extension "Talks" Trees

Source: Jane Scherer (217) 244-2849; News writer: Bob Sampson; phone: 217-244-0225; email: rsampson@uiuc.edu

University of Illinois Extension's latest offering to help children learn more about science and the environment has debuted on the Urban Programs Resources Network website. "Dr. Arbor Talks Trees" is located in the Schools Online section.

"Dr. Arbor Talks Trees" is located at: Dr. Arbor Talks Trees.

"This is the third in a series of pages designed to help school children learn about trees," explained Jane Scherer, U of I Extension urban programs specialist. " The first, 'Trees Are Terrific,' is geared toward kindergarten through second grade. The second, 'Exploring the Secret Life of Trees,' is for students in grades three through five. 'Dr. Abor' is for grades six through eight."

Like the other pages in the Schools Online section, "Dr. Arbor" has a teacher's guide to ease its adaptation to classroom use, Scherer noted.

Among the topics covered on the new page are tree anatomy, the inner workings of trees, the growth and development of trees, how to identify different trees, including an identification key, the history and uses of various state trees, and the date upon which Arbor Day is celebrated in different states.

"A fun section is 'Dr. Arbor's Lab,' " said Scherer. "It has sections on leaves and how they can be used to identify trees and how to collect and preserve leaves. Information is included on trees around the world and the students can send in pictures of their favorite tree, which are then posted on the site.

"One interesting and informative part of the 'lab' is 'Twigs Tell the Tale.' Students can learn not only the component parts of twigs but how to differentiate twigs and even identify trees by their twigs."

The subject matter specialists for the new page's development were Extension urban horticulturists Greg Stack, Ron Wolford, and Molly Hofer and Scherer oversaw the project.

"In April and May, the Urban Programs Resources Network recorded more than 10 million hits, five million in each month," she said. "A good part of those numbers were the various Schools Online pages which receive extensive use by educators in Illinois, the United States and around the world."

by  Editor, theCity1.com
June 23, 2005