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The Giving Tree

Lesson plan developed by Aurora Tollestrup, BS Ed. 
Activity:  
The Giving Tree
Age Group:
Toddlers
* Lesson plan objectives and assessment can be adapted to use this activity with preschool children
Objectives:  
  • Students will use paint to create a representation of an important character from The Giving Tree book.
  • Students will practice proper handwashing techniques with teacher assistance.
CDA Competency Standard:   
II.7.4a
Candidate promotes individual expression and creativity.
A) Encourages creative self-expression in children’s activities
I.2.3a
Candidate encourages children to practice healthy habits.
A) Ensures that children wash hands properly, with assistance when needed
Online Courses
Classroom Use of Dr. Seuss
3 Hours
$28.50
Early Literacy 
(1 hour / .1 CEU)
Tuition: $10.50 

Stages of Physical Growth and Development in Toddlers 
(1 hour / .1 CEU)
Tuition: $10.50
Materials: 
  • Brown paper bag
  • Red paint
  • Green “tree top” shape cutout
  • Black marker
Anticipatory Set:
Read The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein to students.  Explain that the tree loved the little boy just like their parents or guardians love them, too.
Procedure: 
  1. Glue the “tree top” cutouts to the bottom flap of a brown paper bag.
  2. Invite toddlers to create their own Giving Trees with your assistance.
  3. Toddlers can dip their fingertips into red paint and press the fingertips onto the green “tree top” cutout to resemble apples from the Giving Tree.
  4. After painting, wash hands with the child and explain the process of proper hand washing. 
  5. The teacher can take the black marker and draw a heart on the “trunk” of the tree with the child’s name plus the name of someone they love (mom, dad, etc.).
Assessment: 
  • Observe and record the child’s creative process. Did they follow the instructions to dip only their fingertips in the paint? Were they interested in the process?
Click on the photos to enlarge.

Author: Shel Silverstein
Shel Silverstein was born in 1930 and grew up in Chicago. He wasn’t a star athlete or a scholar as he would have preferred, but had a talent for writing stories and poetry and pairing these works with simplistic and imaginative illustrations. During the 1950s Silverstein learned to play guitar and write songs while he was in the military. He has since written and published many literary works as well as written and performed many famous songs throughout the years. 

In 1963 Shel Silverstein’s first book, Lafcadio the Lion Who Shot Back was published. Next he published such books as The Giving Tree, A Giraffe and a Half, and Where the Sidewalk Ends. Over the span of many years, Silverstein penned hundreds of poems and several books that made children laugh, think, and smile. These poems and books have proved useful in many classrooms over the past 50 years and can be used in many ways.