Gift of Trees

Keep scrolling to see all of the activities!

Activity 1: Blossom Maze
→ Download the maze and find the path to get to the other side of the blossom.

Activity 2: Nature Scavenger Hunt
→ Go outside, look for each item on the list, and put a checkmark beside each item when you find it!

Activity 3: Cherry Blossoms of Smithsonian Gardens
→ Take a springtime walk through the Washington, DC cherry blossoms and learn about several different types of ornamental cherry trees in the Smithsonian Gardens Tree collection. Download the crossword puzzle to test what you learned!

Activity 4: State Flowers Coloring Activity
→ Smithsonian Gardens has created coloring pages of all the State Flowers. Download the DC State Flower coloring page here or choose any state flower from this map. Click, print, read about the flower, and then color the state flower. Create a bouquet of state flowers and share it with a friend.

Activity 5: Exploring the Parts of a Cherry Flower
→ Join us for an up-close look at the parts of a cherry flower. Dr. Susan Pell from the United States Botanic Garden showcases the flower morphology of a higan cherry (Prunus subhirtella).

Activity 6: Cherry Blossom Viewing over the Centuries
→ Immerse yourself in the history and culture of sakura with a new video series from the Library of Congress. Three short videos highlight Cherry Blossoms in Japanese Culture, Tokyo’s Gift of Friendship, and Enduring Traditions of the National Cherry Blossom Festival.

Activity 7: The Science Behind Flowers
→ We’ve all seen the flowers changing color from soaking up water but did you know that happens in nature, too? Let’s take a look behind the science of color changing flowers! The Science Behind Flowers focuses on capillary action, pH of soil, and native vs nonnative plants. This video includes a science demonstration of hydrangeas absorbing soil of different pHs and reacting to different colors.  After viewing the video, try this Walking Water Activity to see capillary action at work!

Activity 8: Don’t Pitch It, Plant It Activity
→ Let Smithsonian Gardens show you how to grow new plants from kitchen food scraps.

Activity 9: Sustainably Greening Your Indoor Habitat
→ In this video, Smithsonian Gardens presents some ideas for using sustainable practices when bringing plants into your home.