School Tours

Tours now being scheduled. Call 540-544-7303 for more information and dates available.

Joe’s Trees invites you and your students for a fun adventure out on the farm! Come experience a fun filled presentation on the growth cycle of trees, from seedlings to finish, and learn about the impact that trees have on our environment. Joe’s Trees will provide you with valuable lesson plans and a video to align with the field trip. Better yet, Joe’s Trees field trip meets the Virginia SOL requirements! For more information on SOLs, Lesson Plans, and to book your fun, farm experience, go to: www.joestrees.com or call: 1-540-544-7303, 1-888-544-7880

We will include the lifecycle of a pumpkin since we will grow pumpkins on the farm for the children to see. Our tours are an educational event that your students will enjoy and remember because their experience comes alive. The guided farm tour will last about two hours. If time is allotted, your class is welcome to enjoy a hike on one of our nature trails.

The Reindeer Trail is a self-guided hike that has a gradual grade with a wide path that appeals to guests who are looking for a casual encounter with nature. Starting from the building, this trail will take approximately 30 minutes.

Comments from a recent School Tour Group:
"We had such an awesome field trip with you and your crew yesterday! Not only the students gained new knowledge, but the teachers even learned from the experience! Every aspect was great! We had an extra large group for you to accommodate and you were still able to cover the different stations. The wagon ride through the tree fields and the hike was wonderful. Thank you for sharing so much with us. My family will definitely return for a visit! And we will share with other teachers and schools to take advantage of what you have to offer.
Thanks again,
Beth Ellis
3rd grade
Narrows Elementary Middle School

Teachers will receive an educational packet at the completion of the farm tour that will include a review of the tour, an 8 minute video titled 365 days of Christmas, two SOL-correlated lesson plans by Ag in the Classroom, and other related materials that can be used in the classroom.

Fees: Our fee is $6.00 per person, with a minimum of 15 paying guests (teachers and school employees are free). All parents and siblings over age two will be asked to pay admission.

Package 1:
Each child will receive:
• Grade appropriate information related to SOL's.
• A wooden disk that teaches how to measure the age of a tree
• A hay ride tour of the farm
• Hands on experience while walking thru the fields
• An activity sheet to take home

Tours Dates:
Monday - Friday 9:00AM - 1:30PM
October 4 - November 12, 2009
December 13-17, 2009
Please call 1-540-544-7303 to schedule your tour.

Tours must be confirmed with full payment 7 days prior to your arrival. If you must cancel your tour due to inclement weather, you will receive a full refund or you can reschedule if dates are available. We do not have a picnic area but if your students pack a lunch, they can sit in the grassy areas to eat if weather permits.
Sue Bostic, owner of Joe's Trees, knows that students are expected to learn the basic relationships between the sun and earth, between seasonal changes, and between plant and animal activities. These tours emphasize areas of matter, life processes, and resources.
Below is a list of the age appropriate SOL's that we meet during our school tours. If you have certain SOL's that are not listed below, please give us a call. We will be glad to help you meet those requirements when possible.

Kindergarten

Scientific Investigation, Reasoning, and Logic
K.2 Students will investigate and understand that humans have senses that allow one to seek, find, take in, and react or respond to information in order to learn about one's surroundings. Key concepts include
a) five senses and corresponding sensing organs (taste - tongue, touch - skin, smell - nose, hearing - ears, and sight - eyes); and
b) sensory descriptors (sweet, sour, bitter, salty, rough/smooth, hard/soft, cold, warm, hot, loud/soft, high/low, bright/dull).
Matter
K.4 The student will investigate and understand that the position, motion, and physical properties of an object can be described. Key concepts include
a) colors (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple), white, and black;
b) shapes (circle, triangle, square, and rectangle) and forms (flexible/stiff, straight/curved);
c) textures (rough/smooth) and feel (hard/soft);
d) relative size and weight (big/little, large/small, heavy/light, wide/thin, long/short); and
e) position (over/under, in/out, above/below, left/right) and speed (fast/slow).
Life Processes
K.6 The student will investigate and understand basic needs and life processes of plants and animals. Key concepts include
a) living things change as they grow, and they need food, water, and air to survive;
b) plants and animals live and die (go through a life cycle); and
c) offspring of plants and animals are similar but not identical to their parents and to one another.
Earth Patterns, Cycles, and Change
K.8 The student will investigate and understand simple patterns in his/her daily life. Key concepts include
a) weather observations;
b) the shapes and forms of many common natural objects including seeds, cones, and leaves;
c) animal and plant growth
Resources
K.10 The student will investigate and understand that materials can be reused, recycled, and conserved. Key concepts include
a) materials and objects can be used over and over again;
b) materials can be recycled

GRADES 1-3

Joe's Trees understands that students are expected to know the basic relationships between the sun and Earth and between seasonal changes and plant and animal activities. . The concept of change is explored in states of matter, life cycles, weather patterns, and seasonal effects on plants and animals.
Force, Motion, and Energy
1.2 The student will investigate and understand that moving objects exhibit different kinds of motion. Key concepts include
a) objects may have straight, circular, and back-and-forth motions;
b) objects may vibrate and produce sound;
c) pushes or pulls can change the movement of an object; and
d) the motion of objects may be observed in toys and in playground activities.
Life Processes
1.4 The student will investigate and understand that plants have life needs and functional parts and can be classified according to certain characteristics. Key concepts include
a) needs (food, air, water, light, and a place to grow);
b) parts (seeds, roots, stems, leaves, blossoms, fruits); and
c) characteristics (edible/nonedible, flowering/nonflowering, evergreen/deciduous).
1.5 The student will investigate and understand that animals, including people, have life needs and specific physical characteristics and can be classified according to certain characteristics. Key concepts include
a) life needs (air, food, water, and a suitable place to live);
b) physical characteristics (body coverings, body shape, appendages, and methods of movement); and
c) other characteristics (wild/tame, water homes/land homes).
Earth Patterns, Cycles, and Change
1.7 The student will investigate and understand the relationship of seasonal change and weather to the activities and life processes of plants and animals. Key concepts include how temperature, light, and precipitation bring about changes in
a) plants (growth, budding, falling leaves, and wilting);
Life Processes
2.4 The student will investigate and understand that plants undergo a series of orderly changes in their life cycles. Key concepts include
" b) flowering plants undergo many changes, from the formation of the flower to the development of the fruit. Evergreen trees produce pinecones and pinecones produce seeds that grow into a seedling.
Interrelationships in Earth/Space Systems
2.6 The student will investigate and understand basic types, changes, and patterns of weather. Key concepts include
a) temperature, wind, precipitation, drought, flood, and storms; and
b) the uses and importance of measuring and recording weather data.
Earth Patterns, Cycles, and Change
2.7 The student will investigate and understand that weather and seasonal changes affect plants, animals, and their surroundings. Key concepts include
a) effects on growth and behavior of living things. (adaptation, dormancy)
Resources
2.8 The student will investigate and understand that plants produce oxygen and food, are a source of useful products, and provide benefits in nature. Key concepts include
c) plants provide homes and food for many animals and prevent soil from washing away.
Force, Motion, and Energy
3.2 The student will investigate and understand simple machines and their uses. Key concepts include
d) examples of simple and compound machines found in the school, home, and work environment.
Life Processes
3.4 The student will investigate and understand that behavioral and physical adaptations allow animals to respond to life needs. Key concepts include
a) methods of gathering and storing food, finding shelter, defending themselves, and rearing young; and
b) hibernation, migration, camouflage, mimicry, instinct, and learned behavior.
Earth Patterns, Cycles, and Change
3.8 The student will investigate and understand basic patterns and cycles occurring in nature. Key concepts include
a) patterns of natural events (seasonal changes) and
b) animal and plant life cycles.
3.9 The student will investigate and understand the water cycle and its relationship to life on Earth. Key concepts include
b) processes involved in the water cycle (evaporation, condensation, precipitation);
c) water is essential for living things.
Resources
3.10 The student will investigate and understand that natural events and human influences can affect the survival of species. Key concepts include
a) the interdependency of plants and animals;
b) the effects of human activity on the quality of air, water, and habitat;
c) the effects of fire, flood, disease, and erosion on organisms; and
d) conservation and resource renewal.
GRADES 4-6

Science: Life Processes
4.4 The student will investigate and understand basic plant anatomy and life processes. Key concepts include
a.the structures of typical plants (leaves, stems, roots, and flowers);
b.processes and structures involved with reproduction (pollination, stamen, pistil, sepal, embryo, spore, and seed);
c.photosynthesis (sunlight, chlorophyll, water, carbon dioxide, oxygen, and sugar); and
d.dormancy.
Living Systems
4.5 The student will investigate and understand how plants and animals in an ecosystem interact with one another and the nonliving environment. Key concepts include
a) behavioral and structural adaptations;
b) organization of communities;
d) habitats and niches;
e) life cycles; and
f) influence of human activity on ecosystems.
Resources
4.8 The student will investigate and understand important Virginia natural resources. Key concepts include
d) forests, soil, and land.
Earth Patterns, Cycles, and Change
5.7 The student will investigate and understand how the Earth's surface is constantly changing. Key concepts include
e)weathering and erosion; and
f) human impact.
Mathematics - Measurement
5.11 The student will choose an appropriate measuring device and unit of measure to solve problems involving measurement of
a) length - part of an inch (1/2, ¼, and 1/8), inches, feet, yards, miles, millimeters, centimeters, meters, and kilometers
Science- Matter
6.5 The student will investigate and understand the unique properties and characteristics of water and its roles in the natural and human-made environment. Key concepts include
b) the properties of water in all three states;
f) the importance of water for agriculture, power generation, and public health; and
g) the importance of protecting and maintaining water resources.
Resources
6.9 The student will investigate and understand public policy decisions relating to the environment. Key concepts include
a) management of renewable resources (water, air, soil, plant life, animal life);
Mathematics-Measurement
6.9 The student will compare and convert units of measure for length, area, weight/mass, and volume within the U.S. Customary system and the metric system and estimate conversions between units in each system:
a) length - part of an inch (1/2, ¼, and 1/8), inches, feet, yards, miles, millimeters, centimeters, meters, and kilometers;
Life Science
LS.4 The student will investigate and understand that the basic needs of organisms must be met in order to carry out life processes. Key concepts include
a) plant needs (light, water, gases, and nutrients);
b) animal needs (food, water, gases, shelter, space); and
c) factors that influence life processes.
K-2
http://www.realtrees4kids.org/ktwo.htm
http://www.realtrees4kids.org/printables/K-2whychristmastreesarentperfect.pdf
3-5
http://www.realtrees4kids.org/threefive.htm
6-8
http://www.realtrees4kids.org/sixeight.htm

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This site was last updated on February 16, 2011

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