Pine Forest

What You Need:

• Construction paper (blue and orange)
• Pipe cleaners (green)
• Cotton balls
• Glue stick, or white glue
• Scissors
• Pencil

What You Do:

1. Ask your child to draw a horizon line separating the land from the sky. The land in this case is snow and can be on rolling hills, a steep mountain or a flat plain.
2. Have him bend the pipe cleaners back and forth in a zigzag pattern so they look like pine trees. Start with small zigzags for the top of the tree and end with large ones for the base of the tree. He may have to twist two lengths of pipe cleaners together to get his tree large enough.
3. Repeat this process to create at least three trees. Glue the trees in place on top of the horizon line.
4. Encourage him to tear apart cotton balls and glue them under the trees to create a snow-covered landscape. He can even glue a few pieces of cotton in the trees to make it look as if snow has freshly fallen!
5. Have him cut out a winter sun for the sky from the orange construction paper and glue it in place.
6. Discuss the meaning of the word habitat with your child. Can he identify a few animals that might live in a pine forest? Here are a few vocabulary words you can introduce that will help him become more familiar with the forest habitat:

• Overstory- area containing the tallest trees. 
• Understory- area where the shorter trees and saplings reside 
• Shrub layer- layer formed by smaller plants and brush
• Herb layer- layer where grass and flowers grow
• Forest floor- the ground of the forest where leaves, twigs and even moss can be found 
• Coniferous tree- type of tree prominent in a pine forest that is best suited for cold weather and has tough leaves.