Rainforest Alliance

• Large butcher paper
• Crayons
• Finger paint
• Additional art materials

Make me a tree

1. Lay a large piece of butcher paper (about 6 feet long) on a flat surface.
2. Then ask a child to lie down in the middle of the paper with his or her legs together and arms spread out. Trace around the child. Do the same for the other children.
3. Then invite the children to turn the outlines of themselves into trees by making their feet “grow” into roots and by adding limbs, twigs, leaves and seeds.
4. Create a mural of your class’ forest and point out the different levels of the rainforest represented by the different heights of the trees.
5. Make smaller rainforest plants for the understory using a finger painting tree activity.
6. Sing a rainforest song together, such as the “Layers in the Forest” to the tune of “If you’re happy and you know it”:
   
   
   Layers in the Forest
   
   There are layers in the forest, yes indeed
   Yes indeed (kids love to shout this part!)
   There are layers in the forest, yes indeed
   Yes indeed
   Emergent, canopy and the understory
   There are layers in the forest.
   Yes indeed!
   The emergent's home to birds and butterflies
   Butterflies!
   The emergent's home to birds and butterflies
   Butterflies!
   The trees are so high that they almost touch the sky
   The emergent's home to birds and butterflies.
   Butterflies!
   The canopy is like a big umbrella
   Big Umbrella
   The canopy is like a big umbrella
   Big Umbrella
   Monkeys, sloths, orangutan
   Eat all the fruit they can
   The canopy is like a big umbrella
   Big Umbrella!
   The Understory's home to many snakes
   Many snakes!
   The understory's home to many snakes
   Many snakes!
   They eat cats and rats and bats
   And they like the gnats for snacks
   The understory's home to many snakes!
   Many Snakes!
   The Forest Floor is dim and dark and wet
   Dark and wet
   The forest floor is dim and dark and wet
   Dark and wet
   The ants go marching by as they watch the birds up high,
   The forest floor is dim and dark and wet.
   Dark and wet!

Add animals to your tree mural:

• Create rainforest snakes using old ties!
  
  Materials:
  • an old tie
  • craft stuffing or recycled clothing
  • a hot glue gun
  • red felt
  • googley eyes
  Directions:
  • Collect old ties.
  • Have the kids stuff the tie with craft stuffing or recycled cloths. Stuff from both ends and use a pencil or stick to help reach the middle.
  • Glue the small end closed.
  • Cut out tongues from the red felt.
  • Glue the tongues under the point on the big end of the tie.
  • Stuff some craft stuffing to fill up the snakes’ head and glue the wide end closed.
  • Glue on large googley eyes on the top of the snakes head (the top of the big area).

  ** If you want the snake to be bendable: take wire (possibly from a hanger) and fold over the ends with needle nose pliers so no sharp points can be felt. Then place it into the tie before stuffing with the craft stuffing.

• Create hopping tree frogs using recycled juice boxes:
  • Click here for instructions.
• Encourage children to color and cut out animals from the Rainforest Alliance coloring pages.
• To place the animals into your forest mural, ask your students:
  • How does this animal move?
  • What kind of food does this animal eat?
  • Where do you think this animal would find its food?
  • In which layer do you think this animal lives?
• Add animals to the right rainforest level on the class mural.
• Encourage children to draw rainforest products found in the mystery boxes and add them to the mural.
• Play “I Spy” with the mural.