If you look at trees up close, you’ll notice that they have all different kinds of surfaces. Some will be rough, some smooth, some will have ridges, and some might be covered in moss or lichen. The outer layer of a tree is called bark; this is a covering just like your skin. It protects the tree from anything that might damage it, just like your skin protects your body.
Activity
We can record how the surface of a tree looks by doing a tree rubbing. Place a piece of paper against a tree trunk, and then rub a pencil or crayon over the paper. You will start to see all the ridges and shapes appear on the paper. You could repeat this for any other trees or other surfaces like stone, fences or walls.
Tree rubbing 1:
Tree rubbing 2:
Tree rubbing of a different surface:
ReflectionQ. How easy was it to do a tree rubbing?
Q. What other surfaces did you try? Which surfaces worked best?
Q. What else did you notice during your tree rubbings? Were there any other plants or insects living on the tree?
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