Northeast Community College Arboretum is celebrating its 7th year educating area kindergartener’s about trees, their uses and benefits.

Schools invited this year are Norfolk Public Montessori & Westside and Christ Lutheran.
Co-hosting the event: NECC Grounds staff, NECC Horticulture Club, NECC Early Childhood Club, Nebraska Forest Service, Lower Elkhorn Natural Resource District and Nebraska Game and Parks.

Listed below is a brief description of our day’s events and stations.
Obstacle Course
• This station shows the students that there are lots of ways to play in nature. They walk on logs, step from stump to stump, weave through willow limbs and more.
Wormsley’s World
• This station is a look under the tree. There will be roots, air bubbles (so that they know roots breath), worms (to show the way trees benefit from insects), magnifying glasses to look a bit closer.
What Comes From Trees
• This station shows the students a variety of items that have some part of a tree in them. We have a matching game that they play.
Cones and Cookies
• This station shows the students how evergreens reproduce with cones and how to find out the trees age are cookies( a cross-section of a tree). The students will be able to make a cookie necklace that they can put their name on and decorate with markers.
Game and Parks
• This station is run by Jamie Bachman with Nebraska Game and Parks; she comes up with something new each year.

Steve Rasmussen, Nebraska Forest Service, will share a game that teaches the students what trees need to grow using poker chips…this activity involves everyone together.
We will plant two trees showing the students proper planting techniques.
For questions, call Kim Radenz at 402-841-8062.