SIOUX CITY, Iowa—When a kindergartner looks up at a towering oak or maple tree, what does she or he see? Plenty, if the student happens to be in Tamara Voegeli's class at Bryant Elementary School.

For a long-term project that touched several subjects, Voegeli's 17 students divided into groups of three or four and selected trees to "adopt" in the neighborhood near their school. Then, they learned about nature firsthand by observing their tree over the course of several months. Digital cameras helped them record their visual observations, and computers helped them put their emerging literacy skills to use to write accompanying descriptions. The Arbor Day Web site was helpful when they set out to identify their trees by species and learn more about botany.

"The children had their pictures taken with their tree in February and May, so we would have evidence of change as leaves began to grow and other spring changes occurred," Voegeli says.

The young scientists stretched their powers of observation and their verbal skills during the tree project. When Voegeli encouraged them to record observations, a boy named Hugo commented, "Some branches go up and some go down."

Math skills came into play when they measured the circumference of their trees. And writing skills were enhanced as students used word-processing software to record their observations. In addition to the two computers in the classroom, students have access to a portable computer lab, along with a scanner and digital camera.

"Students made folders where they kept their observation comments, samples of leaves, Internet information, and their digital pictures," the teacher recounts. This "tangible evidence of change" helped students compare and contrast their trees over time.

Student interest in trees definitely grew. A girl named Katherine "begged to go on the Internet to find information about our trees every day," says Voegeli. And Justin responded to a research discovery by announcing, "We're really learning something."

Students from a fifth-grade class often volunteered to help the kindergartners with computer use, providing a positive mentoring role. It's a role Voegeli values; she serves as a mentor teacher for the district.

The Arbor Day Web site: http://www.arborday.org/trees/treeID.html*