Introduction:

What is more miraculous than the fact that the tallest oak tree grows from the smallest acorn or that an apple tree grows from the tiny seeds found within an apple? And what better way to demonstrate the awe and wonder of nature to your students than by growing a tree. While this sounds extremely complicated, it really is not.

Materials

• Seeds
• Saucer with water and nail file (for fruit trees)
• Apples and/or oranges (to serve as temporary pot)
• Potting Soil

1. Decide what kind of tree to grow. Select a type that you will be able to plant outdoors when you are finished. To start, ask students where trees come from. Have students look at trees outside and explain that these magnificent trees started as seeds. Show students several different types of seeds and discuss which trees they become.
    
2. If you decide to plant fruit seeds, soak the seeds overnight in a saucer of water. Use a nail file to scratch the seeds gently after soaking.
    
3. Cut apples in half and scoop out inside OR use half slices of orange peel.
    
4. Fill apple/orange peel halves and fill with potting soil.
    
5. Plant seeds a quarter of inch beneath the surface.
    
6. Be sure the soil is moist and place the potted seeds in a clear plastic bag. Spray some water around the inside of the bag and close tightly. Do not open.
    
7. Set aside time each day to observe what is happening.
   • Note when the first growth appears.
   • Keep a record of things that students say about the tree as it begins to grow.
   • Keep a photographic record of the growth of the tree throughout its life.
   • Have students make a tree journal complete with pictures and drawings of the tree. This journal can be maintained by students in future classes, who can add more pictures to the book.
      
8. Wait until plants are a few inches tall and transplant to a pot.
    
9. At the beginning of summer, see if you can repot the saplings outdoors. Start a Children’s Orchard and label trees as the "Member of the Class of 2000." Add to the orchard each year and before you know it, your JCC will have an actual orchard. Children will be able to return one day as adults and see "their" trees.