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🌳 Trees!

Meet the giant living things in your backyard and forest, and learn the amazing science of how trees drink, make food, keep records, and even talk to each other.

lessons

~15 min

to learn

🔬 Science

subject

Ages 6–12

level

Start the course →

What you’ll learn

How a Tree DrinksUnderstand how trees pull water from their roots up to their highest leaves.Roots sip water from the soil and send it up tiny tubes inside the trunk. As leaves release water into the air through tiny holes, more water is pulled up to replace it. A big tree can drink hundreds of gallons a day.
Leaves: The Food FactoriesLearn how leaves use sunlight to make food and give us oxygen through photosynthesis.Leaves use sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide to make sugar in a process called photosynthesis. The green ingredient chlorophyll catches the sunlight. Trees release oxygen we breathe, and in autumn leaves lose their green and fall to save energy for winter.
Rings, Records, and GiantsDiscover how tree rings reveal age and weather, and meet record-breaking giant trees.Trees grow one new ring each year, so counting rings gives a tree's age while fat and skinny rings reveal past weather. The biggest tree is the giant sequoia General Sherman, the oldest are bristlecone pines over 4,000 years old, and the tallest are coast redwoods over 380 feet high.
Forests: Connected and AliveExplore the fungal network that connects trees and learn why forests matter for wildlife and Earth.Fungi grow thin threads that link tree roots into a hidden underground web called the wood wide web, letting trees share food and warnings. Forests are home to most land animals and plants, and they clean the air, hold soil, slow floods, and even help make rain.

Questions this course answers

How does water get from a tree's roots up to its leaves?

Water climbs through super-thin tubes inside the trunk, pulled upward as leaves release water into the air. No motor needed!

What do the tiny holes in leaves do on a warm day?

Leaves let water escape through tiny holes, called transpiration. This pull is what tugs more water up from the roots.

What is one important job of a tree's roots?

Roots soak up water with tiny hairs and grip the ground so storms cannot topple the tree.

How does a tree make its own food?

Leaves use sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide from the air to make sugar. This amazing trick is called photosynthesis.

What makes leaves green?

Chlorophyll fills leaves, catches sunlight to make food, and bounces green light back to our eyes.

What helpful gas do trees release when they make food?

Trees release oxygen, the gas your body needs, and soak up carbon dioxide, cleaning the air twice over.

Grounded in trusted sources

U.S. Forest Service
National Park Service
Smithsonian Institution
Arbor Day Foundation

Every Wunder lesson is built from real, reputable sources — never invented.

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