Fall in the Forest– A Trip to the Minnesota Arboretum
By Mrs. Uzendoski
On October 3rd, Banaadir kindergartners went to the Minnesota Arboretum and learned why trees are our friends! Trees are homes to squirrels and birds such as owls and robins! Trees also give us shade on a hot summer day in Minnesota. They also help us another way—they give us paper! Because trees are so special, we need to take care of them.
The kindergarteners also learned how bugs, mushrooms and worms turn trees into soil! When a tree dies, sow bugs, millipedes and mushrooms change the old wood from the tree into soil. Worms eat dead leaves that turn into soil, too!
On their walk in the Arboretum forest, our kindergarten scientists saw bugs and worms up close. They also examined holes in logs that woodpeckers and bugs made, all helping to turn dead wood into dirt. The students found many beautiful acorns and discovered that they were seeds that would eventually grow into tall oak trees.
What an exhilarating trip for children living in the city to get to walk in a forest on a crisp October day!
