Resources for How Does a Tree Grow?

[Elf]

Hi. DD1 (5) is asking about how trees grow and my knowledge of details is largely forgotten re photosynthesis etc. I've looked on muddlepuddle and can't see anything, just wondered if anyone had any ideas on some simple info available somewhere. Thanks.

Here's a couple of sites that might help
Woodland Trust
Dr Arbor Talks Trees

Photosynthesis is one of the hardest topics to explain to a child because the most common misconception in Biology is that plants get their 'food' from their roots. A misconception not helped by adverts for 'Lawn Food' etc

All green plants take carbon dioxide from the air and water from the ground, and light energy from the sun (caution, lots of kids think heat from the sun) and make Glucose and oxygen. To do this they need chlorophyll, a green protein that is te stuff that makes plants green.

The plants then take the sugar and make it into all the other 'stuff' they need to grow (sometimes using nitrogen that they do get from the soil)

for primary age kids this is quite good
try this one

If your child can't believe that they don't get all their food from the soil, stand by a really big tree and ask them why the tree isn't growing in a big hole! If all the food came from the soil, it would make a hole the size of the tree!

Thanks you two. Yesterday we went to the library and I did manage to get a few good books but your websites were also what I wanted expecially for drawings etc. Martianbishop thanks for your indepth explanation! Since reading about this, I have remembered my own frustration as a child of understanding up to a point and then thinking WHAT?? Like oh yes, the light and the water and the chlorophyll makes food sure but really that is a pretty hard concept isn't it? I mean what food? What does it look like?! I'm not asking for an answer, just ......rambling? Thanks.