Attention Young Artists: Each year California kicks off Arbor Week with a poster contest. California Arbor Week is an annual celebration of trees that always falls on March 7 to 14. Across the State, communities honor trees.You can participate too by thinking about the importance of trees and creatively sharing your love and knowledge of them in a piece of art. Any California youth age 5-12 can submit a poster. The 2021 poster contest theme is Trees Invite Me Outside.
We are all sick of being stuck inside. Learning from home is safe, yet it is kind of boring, and being on computers all day gets old. Fortunately, there is a whole world outside your window! Can you see any trees from your window? Do birds and other wildlife live in your neighborhood? Do you know of a tree that produces fruit you like to eat? Does your family go to a park, so you can play, hike, or run under trees? Have you ever climbed a tree? Did you know that trees are great science teachers – where you can learn about big topics like photosynthesis, carbon sequestration, and nematodes. Can you believe that just touching a tree connects you to the natural world and can help reduce some of the stress you might feel? Have you ever noticed that after being outside, you feel calmer? We have learned that being around trees can help us concentrate, relax, and do better on schoolwork. Think about how trees invite YOU outside and what that means to you – and make that into a poster!
A committee will review all submitted posters and select the statewide finalists. Each winner will receive a cash prize ranging from $25 to $100 as well as a printed copy of their poster. The top winning posters are unveiled at the Arbor Week press conference and will then be on the California ReLeaf and California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) websites and shared via social media channels.
Grown-ups:
- For fun, tree-oriented science activities to do with kids, visit https://arborweek.org/for-educators/
- For more information about the benefits of trees, visit https://californiareleaf.org/whytrees/