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What is Arbor Day and how can I celebrate?

Friday, April 30th - in Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania and Stafford

By Erika Patten- Miller April 22, 2021


Arbor Day is a holiday each year in Spring when people are encouraged to plant and care for trees.  It started in 1872 when J. Sterling Morgan, a newspaper editor in Nebraska, proposed a tree-planting holiday.  This year Arbor Day is on Friday, April 30th. 

There are many ways you can celebrate.  Here are just a few!

  1. Plant a tree.  Get your kids involved. You can plant a tree in memory or someone, in celebration of an event (birthday, anniversary, wedding), or just for fun.  Gift trees to your friends and family.
  2. Read a book about trees.  Learn about trees around the world.  This is a great way to show kids how trees are important to the environment.  Trees provide oxygen as well as homes for many animals.
  3. Take a virtual tour of some of the biggest trees online.
  4. Watch this PBS Video about Arbor Day.
  5. Enjoy the outdoors. Take a hike, go for a walk on a trail, have a picnic. Here are some great local options.
  6. Draw or paint a tree, do leaf rubbings, collect a few leaves and make a collage.  Draw a trunk and let kids use their fingerprints in ink (or q-tips and paint for a less messy version) to make the leaves. Here are some fun Pinterest Arbor Day activity ideas.
  7. Have an Arbor Day Tree snack. Use stick pretzels and different colored grapes (or broccoli and cauliflower) to make a tree.  Here are some fun Pinterest Arbor Day Snacks.
  8. Watch a movie about trees or nature.  I recommend The Lorax, Ferngully: The Last Rainforest, Swiss Family Robinson, Over the Hedge, and Avatar.