Tree Unit
I just wanted to take a moment to share our Tree Unit here - back in March we stepped into a world of leaves, roots, and muddy boots. Our homeschool days were full of books, little hands planting seeds, jars on windowsills, and the smell of rain-soaked soil. This was our Tree and Forest Unit Study—and it might just be one of my favorite ones we’ve ever done.
The heart of our unit was the children’s book Can You Hear the Trees Talking? by Peter Wohlleben. It's the perfect companion to his adult book The Hidden Life of Trees, which I read alongside. (Still swooning over that one—so much depth packed into those short chapters!) Matilda read the children’s version one chapter at a time, while I curled up with the grown-up version.
We explored photosynthesis with spinach leaves, baking soda, and sunlight—watching real bubbles of oxygen fizz to the surface like magic. We peered through a microscope at onion skin cells and gasped when we saw the tiny membranes and nuclei with our own eyes.
Madison, my two-year-old, helped plant seeds in eggshells. It was adorable chaos, and of course, most of them didn’t make it. But the giggles and dirt under tiny fingernails were worth every lost sprout.
We tried propagating plants in water (three took root!), planted garlic that grew taller than expected, and had a hilarious bean experiment that went all kinds of wrong. One bean grew roots out the top. The top! It was ridiculous and wonderful all at once.
And then the rain came.
In a stroke of pure magic, a mysterious pink, stretchy creature sprouted in our garden—a stinkhorn fungus! We were amazed, grossed out, and fascinated all at once. It felt like nature had sent us a secret, just for us, right on time.
Books were everywhere. From Elsa Beskow’s The Children of the Forest to Lost in the Woods, and even the sound-button filled World of Forests, our shelves overflowed. I found new favorites (Because of an Acorn, The Tree Lady) and revisited classics I’d forgotten. Some were poetic, some scientific, and a few somewhere in between.
Not every experiment worked. Not every book was a perfect fit. But everything we did added a new ring to the tree of our learning.
We ended our unit muddy, inspired, and a little bit in love with the quiet, resilient magic of trees.
I know this won’t be our last tree study. They have a way of calling us back.
If you're thinking of doing a forest or tree-themed unit, I hope this gives you a little spark to follow the leaves and see where they lead.
If you have any book or experiment recommendations, drop them in the comments—I’d love to grow this list! 🌱
Wishing you a cozy week full of wonder, read more and watch the video here:
💛
Maja
