Q1.
Name the trees on your campus or near your school.
Answer
Go out and look, do not guess. Count them, and ask the gardener, the caretaker or your grandparents the name of any tree you do not know.
Trees you are most likely to find in an Indian school ground
| Tree | How to recognise it | Why it is planted |
|---|---|---|
| Neem | Small pointed leaves in two rows on a stalk; a slightly bitter smell when crushed | Dense shade, keeps insects away, medicinal |
| Peepal | Heart-shaped leaf ending in a long thin tail; leaves rustle in the slightest breeze | Very large shade, long life, gives out plenty of oxygen |
| Banyan (bargad) | Thick roots hanging down from the branches | Huge shade; birds nest in it |
| Gulmohar | Feathery leaves; blazing red-orange flowers in summer | Shade and beauty |
| Mango (aam) | Long dark green leaves; new leaves are copper-red | Shade and fruit |
| Ashoka | Tall and narrow, like a green pillar | Planted along boundary walls |
| Amla, guava, jamun | Fruit trees, usually near the garden | Fruit; birds love the jamun |
| Coconut, palm | Tall single trunk, big fan or feather leaves | Common in the south and along the coast |
Sample answer: “In our school there are 14 big trees — 3 neem, 2 peepal, 4 gulmohar, 1 mango, 2 ashoka and 2 coconut. The oldest is the neem near the playground; the gardener says it was there before the school building was built. Just outside the gate there is a big banyan under which the fruit-seller sits.”
Make a tree map: put every tree on the school map you drew in Activity 1, with its name. Then measure how far your arms go round each trunk. The class can put a name board on each tree — the whole school learns the names, and the tree is less likely to be cut.