2008 Art Contest
Trees: Making a World of Difference
Imagine if you could fly above the treetops. Think of all the amazing things you might see. Mighty redwoods soaring high into the sky. Snow-covered pines and spruces with hard, needle-like leaves. Weeping willows with long, drooping branches. Trees that thrive in the dry, hot desert, like the Joshua Tree with its sharp, dagger-like leaves. And trees like the great kapok in the Amazon Rain Forest, which is home to colorful parrots and monkeys. These are just a few of the many trees that you might see.
But trees are much more than their beauty. We couldn't live without them! Each and every tree helps to create a healthy environment. Did you know? ...
- • All people and animals need oxygen. When trees breathe out, they release oxygen into the air, which we breathe in. One large tree can provide a day's worth of oxygen for up to four people.^
- • Carbon dioxide is an invisible gas in the air. Too much of it can cause the Earth to heat up. When trees breathe in, they absorb carbon dioxide. This reduces the amount of the gas in the air. One acre of forest can absorb up to 6 tons of carbon dioxide.^
- • Trees are important for recycling water. Their roots hold soil in place, so that it doesn't wash away during heavy rains. This allows the water to sink into the soil and be stored in the ground. The roots then lift water from the soil. The water is carried to each of the tree's leaves. Most of this water goes back into the air through a process called "transpiration." In one day, the same large tree may transpire several hundred gallons of water into the air. This cools as much air as six window-unit air conditioners.
- • Trees also keep us cool by providing shade. A neighborhood with well-shaded streets can be up to 6-10 degrees F cooler than neighborhoods without tree-lined streets.^
- • Trees provide protection and shelter for people, animals and other plants. (But you should never stand under a tree during a thunderstorm!)
- • Food for people and many animals comes from trees. Fruits and nuts come from trees. These include apples, oranges, pecans, walnuts and more. Chocolate, chewing gum and maple syrup also come from trees. Many animals eat parts of trees, including the leaves, bark, seeds, nuts and fruit.
- • Wood from trees is used to construct homes and other buildings. It can also be burned to make heat and power. The paper that you write and draw on comes from trees. There are even trees in the tropical rainforest that are used to make certain medicines.
- ^ Source: USDA Forest Service
And trees help us in many more ways!
Explore trees. Read stories and books. Search Web sites. Watch movies. Then draw a picture showing what you learned. You might show one or several kinds of trees, from one part of the world or different parts of the world. There's a whole world of trees to choose from. So get started and don't forget to enter your artwork into this year's contest!
Some questions to think about:
What are the different parts of a tree? What does each part do? Why are they important? How do they work together?
What kinds of trees grow in your area? What do these trees look like? Why do you think they look like that? How are these trees different from trees that grow in other parts of the world? How are they the same?
Pick a different part of the world. What trees grow there? What helps them to live in this place?
Do all trees look the same in the spring, summer, fall or winter? Why do some trees change? What do different trees look like during these seasons?
Why are trees important? How do trees help people and animals? How do trees help you?
- Download Entry Form (PDF)
- Download Announcement Flyer With Entry Form (PDF)
- Guidelines and Contest Rules
- Contest Prizes
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Partnership With KidsCom.com
- Resources for Children
- – Books
- – Websites
- For Parents, Teachers and Librarians
- – Lesson Plans & Activities
- – National Education Standards
Guidelines and Contest Rules
Guidelines
- • One entry per person; must be your original work (not a copy of published art/illustrations).
- • Should be creative, bold, and colorful.
- • Use pen, pencil, crayon, pastels, marking pens, and/or paint.
- • Artwork should be on white stock and not exceed 16" x 20". Artwork should not include a mat.
- • Sign your artwork in the lower right corner.
- • Provide a title on the entry form that describes the artwork: Do not put a title directly on the artwork. Do not use the contest title (Trees: Making a World of Difference) as your title.
- • Tape a completed entry form to the backside of the artwork.
Contest Rules
The contest is sponsored annually by the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES). This contest is limited to U.S. students in grades 2-4.
Entries must be received by IGES no later than October 24, 2008. See entry form for mailing address and instructions. Artwork will be judged by a panel including artists, scientists and IGES staff members. All artwork submitted becomes the property of IGES.
Verification of winning artists' grade levels will be required. Contest results will be posted on the IGES Web site (www.strategies.org) by November 3, 2008. The 1997–2007 winning entries can also be viewed at this site.
IGES conducts education, public policy, and research studies designed to improve understanding of and response to global environmental issues. IGES is a nonprofit (501c3) organization. For more information, see our Web site at: www.strategies.org
Contest Prizes
1st, 2nd and 3rd Place:
- • Artwork featured on IGES's Web site: http://www.strategies.org/ArtContest
- • Framed color certificates.
- • Visa gift card (1st place - $100, 2nd place - $75, and 3rd pace - $50).
- • The first-place artwork will be used as IGES's holiday e-card and will also be printed as notecards. Notecards will be provided to the winning student and his/her teacher.
- • IGES will retain the original artwork, but will provide 2 color prints: one for the student and one for their school.
Honorable Mentions
- • Color certificates
- • IGES will retain the original artwork, but will provide 2 color prints: one for the student and one for their school.
New for 2008! Certificates of Participation
- • Certificates of participation will be available online as PDF files for teachers or parents to download and print. IGES will email teachers and parents the URL and password for downloading the certificates.
IGES will only return artwork for non-winning entries if return packaging and postage are included with the submission. Those entries will be returned by Feb. 1, 2009. IGES assumes no responsibility for lost or damaged artwork.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Computer Art Acceptable?
In the past we have not included computer art in the contest. However, for the 2008 contest, we will accept artwork created using graphic arts tools (e.g., Microsoft Paint program) under the following conditions:
- • The artwork must be the student's original work (not using clip art, photography or scanned in art); and
- • The artwork is printed out and submitted as hard copy (please save the digital version -- for any winning entries/honorable mentions, we will want to get the computer file so that we can produce high-resolution prints).
What is the URL and password for the Web site to download certificates of participation for students?
We plan to email that information to teachers and parents the week of Oct. 27.
Partnership With KidsCom.com
Selected winning artwork will be displayed on KidsCom.com, an online fun and educational virtual world devoted in part to teaching kids ages 8-14 about global climate change, energy efficiency and renewable resources. KidsCom.com, a certified participant of the Children's Advertising Review Unit (CARU) Kid's Privacy Safe Harbor program, encourages kids to become ambassadors of change in the real world by implementing the lessons they learn in the virtual world.
Resources for Children
Books
For Younger Readers
Be a Friend to Trees
by Patricia Lauber; illustrated by Holly Keller
This book discusses the importance of trees as sources of food, oxygen, and other essential things. It is part of the "Let's Read and Find out Science" series.
The Great Kapok Tree: A Tale of the Amazon Rain Forest
by Lynn Cherry
This story is about a man who falls asleep while chopping down a kapok tree. The forest's inhabitants--snakes, butterflies, a jaguar, and finally a child--each whisper in his ear about the terrible consequences of living in "a world without trees" or beauty, and the interconnectedness of all living things.
A Tree is a Plant
by Clyde Robert Bulla; illustrated by Stacey Schuett
Depicts the life cycle of an apple tree, emphasizing the physical changes that occur in each season. It is part of the "Let's Read and Find out Science" series.
Walk in the Rainforest
by Kristin Joy Pratt
"Written and illustrated by a high school student, this environmental ABC presents ecological information for young audiences. Each letter features an animal or plant found in the rain forest with an explanatory paragraph. Interposing her factual material with warnings about endangered species, deforestation, and the harm coming to native peoples, Pratt presents her viewpoint without didacticism." From School Library Journal
For Grades 2-4
Re-Cycles
by Michael Elsohn Ross and Gustav Moore
The life cycle of a tree and a drop of water are used to explain the changes that the Earth's soil and water go through over time
For Grades K-3
For Older Readers
The Scoop on Soils
http://www.globe.gov/elementaryglobe
In "The Scoop on Soils," students learn about soil and the plants and animals that live in it. The book is part of Elementary GLOBE, a series of five storybooks designed to help K-4 teachers integrate Earth science into their curriculum as they teach students to read and write. Each book focuses on a different Earth science topic as the main characters -- Simon, Anita and Dennis -- explore the natural world. Three learning activities supplement the book: "Getting to Know Soil," "Soil Treasure Hunt," and "We All Need Soil!"
Life Cycle of a Tree
by Bobbie Kalman and Kathryn Smithyman illustrated by Barbara Bedell
Trees (Field Guides)
by Maria ngeles Julivert
This book has lots of information about different trees and observing them. It includes a section in the front on drawing different kinds of trees.
Web sites
Exploring the Secret Life of Trees
http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/trees2
Spanish version: http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/trees2_sp/index.html
A Walk in the Woods
http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/woods/
Spanish version: http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/woods_sp/index.html
For Parents, Teachers and Librarians
Lesson Plans/Activities
Have You Ever Met a Tree?
http://www.reachoutmichigan.org/funexperiments/agesubject/lessons/arb/meetatree.html
This lesson for grades K-3 is part of a project entitled "Classroom in the Arb" at the University of Michigan's Nichols Arboretum. Children observe trees, learn about the feature of different trees, and document their observations through drawings and rubbings.
Photosynthesis, Trees and the Greenhouse Effect
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/08/g68/brainpopphoto.html
In this lesson from National Geographic, students study photosynthesis and then transfer their understanding of this topic to a consideration of how trees can help reduce the negative impacts of the greenhouse effect.
Grades 3-5
Design a Regional Eco-Park
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/08/g35/tgecopark.html
In this lesson from National Geographic, students learn about the plants and animals that live in their local area. They will design "eco parks" containing local plants and animals. Students extend their research into the "real world" by doing some outdoors observations near school or their homes.
Grades 3-5
The Great Kapok Tree
This lesson plan goes with the children's book The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry. Visit the author's Website (http://www.lynnecherry.com/work13.htm) to find a lesson plan designed for teachers for The Great Kapok Tree. You can also download The Great Kapok Tree written as a play.
Project Learning Tree®
Project Learning Tree® is an award winning environmental education project designed for teachers and other educators, parent and community leaders working with PreK-12 students. For over 30 years PLT has "used the forest as 'window' to help young people learn about the world and their place within it." Learn more about PLT at: http://www.plt.org.
Following are activities from the PLT PreK-8 Environmental Education Activity Guide that have been modified for families. The following activities can be downloaded at: http://www.learnoutside.org/familyactivities.html.
- • Trees as Habitats
From their leafy branches to their tangled roots, trees provide a habitat for a host of plants and animals. In this activity, children will inventory the plants and animals that live in, on, and around trees and discover how plants and animals depend on trees in many ways. - • The Fallen Log
It's amazing how many things live in and on rotting logs. In this activity, kids become familiar with some of those organisms by observing fallen logs. They'll gain an understanding of how decomposition takes place and a better appreciation for microhabitats and communities. - • Looking at Leaves
In this activity, children will take a closer look at leaves and find out more about leaf characteristics and how leaves can be used to identify plants. - • Bursting Buds
In early spring, the tiny, bright green leaves of many trees burst forth. Where do the leaves come from? How do they form? In this activity, children will find the answers to these questions through observation and research - • Tree Cookies
One way to learn about tree growth is to look at annual rings. Tree rings show patterns of change in a tree's life as well as changes in the area where it grows. In this activity, you can trace environmental and historical changes using a cross section of a tree, or "tree cookie." - • Signs of Fall
In this activity, children look for signs of autumn. They observe the annual change of seasons, and investigate why leaves of deciduous trees change color in the fall.
Arbor Day Foundation
http://www.arborday.org/kids/
Check out the Arbor Day Foundation Website for resources for children, educators and parents.
Check out the U.S. Forest Service Web site -- http://www.fs.fed.us -- or your state forest service for educational resources and programs
National Education Standards
Geography Education Standards
Standard 8: "The characteristics and spatial distribution of ecosystems on Earth's surface"
Science Education Standards
Life Science: As a result of activities in grades K-4, all students should develop understanding of:
The Characteristics of Organisms
- • Organisms have basic needs. For example, animals need air, water, and food; plants require air, water, nutrients, and light. Organisms can survive only in environments in which their needs can be met. The world has many different environments, and distinct environments support the life of different types of organisms.
- • Each plant or animal has different structures that serve different functions in growth, survival, and reproduction. For example, humans have distinct body structures for walking, holding, seeing, and talking.
- • The behavior of individual organisms is influenced by internal cues (such as hunger) and by external cues (such as a change in the environment). Humans and other organisms have senses that help them detect internal and external cues.
Life Cycles of Organisms
- • Plants and animals have life cycles that include being born, developing into adults, reproducing, and eventually dying. The details of this life cycle are different for different organisms.
- • Plants and animals closely resemble their parents.
- • Many characteristics of an organism are inherited from the parents of the organism, but other characteristics result from an individual's interactions with the environment. Inherited characteristics include the color of flowers and the number of limbs of an animal. Other features, such as the ability to ride a bicycle, are learned through interactions with the environment and cannot be passed on to the next generation.
Organisms and Their Environments
- • All animals depend on plants. Some animals eat plants for food. Other animals eat animals that eat the plants.
- • An organism's patterns of behavior are related to the nature of that organism's environment, including the kinds and numbers of other organisms present, the availability of food and resources, and the physical characteristics of the environment. When the environment changes, some plants and animals survive and reproduce, and others die or move to new locations.
- • All organisms cause changes in the environment where they live. Some of these changes are detrimental to the organism or other organisms, whereas others are beneficial.
- • Humans depend on their natural and constructed environments. Humans change environments in ways that can be either beneficial or detrimental for themselves and other organisms.