The Lorax and a Truffula Trees Craft

Be sure to also check out these recycled crafts from Craft Jr.!

Since Earth Day and Arbor Day are both this month, I wanted to create a kid activity that focused on protecting our environment, including our precious trees. When I began to think of trees, I immediately thought of Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax and the Truffula Trees! I absolutely love this story and have read it countless times to my kids.

The Lorax is a story about what happens to our environment if we don’t take good care of it. The Lorax is a “brownish,” “oldish” and “shortish” character who speaks for the Truffula Trees, and everything else in the land that can’t speak up for itself, when the Once-ler arrives and begins cutting down the Truffula Trees to build his business. The Once-ler is the faceless, greedy character who takes everything from the environment so he can make more money. The story of The Lorax ends with all of the Truffula Trees being chopped down, the animals all gone and the land ruined, unless . . .

“Unless someone like you cares a whole lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”

The little boy in The Lorax realizes he can make a difference and save the environment by planting the last Truffula Tree seed because . . .

“Truffula Trees are what everyone needs. Plant a new Truffula. Treat it with care. Give it clean water. And feed it fresh air. Grow a forest. Protect it from axes that hack. Then the Lorax and all of his friends may come back.”

Since in The Lorax the Truffula Trees represent what we need to protect in our environment, I created a Truffula Tree craft for Earth Day and Arbor Day.

Here’s What You Need to Make Truffula Trees:

• Blue construction paper (The blue represents the clear sky.)
• Easter grass (I used yellow and pink, but the Truffula Trees can be any color!)
• Glue
• Striped, bendy straws
• Scissors

Here’s How to Make Truffula Trees:

1. Spread glue in a circle where you want the top of the Truffula Trees to be.

2. Create a ball of Easter grass and press it firmly on to the circle of glue for several seconds so it sticks. Repeat this step for two Truffula Trees.

(It’s okay if the Easter grass doesn’t stay in a ball. I trimmed it later with scissors.)

3. Apply glue to the striped straw and press it firmly below the ball of Easter grass to create the trunk of the Truffula Tree. Repeat this step for two Truffula Trees.

(I trimmed one of the straws so the Truffula Tree trunk could fit on the paper.)

Reading The Lorax and making Truffula Trees are great ideas for Earth Day and Arbor Day because they teach kids the importance of taking care of our environment! If you’re interested, here are more Dr. Seuss activities!

Be sure to also check out these recycled crafts from Craft Jr.!