Name:

Class:

The best time to plant a

tree was twenty years ago.

The second best time is right now!

So, what is The Sprout Project anyway?

What’s inside

What you need

The Sprout Project is the collaboration between SAPPI paper and The African

Carbon Trust to tell children about global warming and how to help save the planet.

A paper sprouting pot and some seeds

A paper ruler to measure the height of your seedling

A graph to track your seedling’s growth

Seedling care instructions

Some potting soil

A bit of water

A pair of scissors

The greenhouse effect...it’s a good thing, as long as we don’t add to it

Heat radiated from earth

Energy from the sun

Heat reflected back to Earth by greenhouse gases

The greenhouse

effect is important.

Without the greenhouse effect, the Earth

would not be warm enough for humans to

live. But if the greenhouse effect becomes

stronger, it could cause problems for humans,

plants, and animals.

Gre

enho

use

gase

s

The greenhouse effect keeps the Earth 33 C warmer than it would be, otherwise every-thing would be super cold.

Fact!

As trees grow, they help stop global warming by removing carbon dioxide from the air, storing carbon in the trees and the soil, and releasing

oxygen into the atmosphere.

They provide shelter for animals.

They purify the air we breathe.

They grow delicious fruit.

They provide shade.

oxygen

As trees grow, they help stop global warming by removing carbon dioxide from the air, storing carbon in the trees and the soil, and releasing

oxygen into the atmosphere.

Why Plant Trees?While they are fighting global warming, trees provide many benefits to all of us, every day.

carbon dioxide

Due to a process known as photosynthesis, trees convert CO2 into Oxygen. With this process, everybody wins. Plants get the carbon they need, we get the oxygen we need and the conversion helps limit the thing known as the greenhouse effect.

Greenhouse gases from human

activity is likely responsible for

most of the global temperature

rise over the last 50 years.

Fact!

Energy from the sun

More heat gets trapped in the atmosphere

Too many greenhouse gases in our

atmosphere because of pollution

increasing the temperature of the planet

Global Warming...is definitely a bad thing.

Humans add approximately 7

billion metric tons of carbon to

the atmosphere annually, half of

which cannot be absorbed and

continues to build up.

Fact!

Pollution is the biggest factor affecting Global Warming. When too many

greenhouse gases get added to the atmosphere, the “blanket” around the

earth gets denser. More heat gets trapped in the atmosphere and the Earth’s

temperature gets higher.

Some people call it ‘climate change’ and say we don’t need to worry about it.

But the fact is, any amount of greenhouse gases we add to the atmosphere is

bad. We should all strive to keep our pollution as low as possible.

Pollution

Turn off the lights when you leave a room. Use

energy-saving bulbs in your room.

Wait until you have a lot of clothes to wash before

using the washing machine. Don’t use the machine

for one item just because it’s your favorite shirt.

Take shorter showers. Heating water uses energy.

Dress warmly inside your house when it’s cold,

instead of using a heater

Walk instead of getting a lift in a car.

Plant trees. Trees soak up carbon dioxide, one of

the greenhouse gases, from the air

yes no

yes no

yes no

yes no

yes no

yes no

Makeadifference Cutthisoutalongthedottedline,takeithomeand

stickitonyourfridge,bedroomwalloranywhereyouand

otherscanseeit!

Markwithan“X”thethingsyouwouldliketotryathome.

Tear-off

along dotted line

Tear-off

along dotted line

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

1 cm

2 cm

3 cm

4 cm

5 cm

6 cm

7 cm

8 cm

9 cm

10 cm

11 cm

12 cm

0

Weeks

Name:

It’s time to transplant your seedling

Use your Sprout Project ruler to track the

growth of your seedling every week.

Tear this page out and stick it on your classroom wall. Transplant your seedling once it

has grown to the right height. Be sure to keep your seedling safe from harsh sunlight

and strong winds. Be patient and you will see the beauty of nature grow.

Start by tearing out the ruler and fold-up box page, then separate the ruler and the box. Fold along all the lines and follow these instructions step by step.

Folding Instructionsfollow these easy instructions to make your paper sprouting pot

1. 2.

3. 4.

5. 6.

Name:

1 cm

7 cm

13 cm

4 cm

10 cm

16 cm

2 cm

8 cm

14 cm

5 cm

11 cm

17 cm

3 cm

9 cm

15 cm

6 cm

12 cm

18 cm

19 cm

20 cm

Care Instructions

Fold

alo

ng a

ll th

e lin

es

Fold along all the lines

Fold along all the lines

Fold

alo

ng a

ll th

e lin

es

Tear-off

along dotted line

Peel offThen fold in half and stick together

Care Instructions

1. Construct your paper sprouting pot

2. Fill your paper sprouting pot with

potting soil

3.Make 4 evenly spaced holes by

sticking the end of a pencil into

the soil, about 3 or 4 cm deep

4. Drop the seeds into the holes

Place on windowsill, or anywhere

that gets a bit of direct sunlight

5.

Remember to water your seedling

everyday 6.

To sprout your seed:

Transplanting Instructionsfollow these easy instructions to turn your seedling into a beautiful tree

1.

2.

3.

It’s a very good idea to “harden off” your seedling for a few days before

planting by placing your sprouting pot with seedlings in them outdoors in

a protected area out of drying wind or sun. If possible transplant on an

overcast day otherwise in late afternoon or early evening to avoid drying out

of the root hairs.

Carefully make a few slices in the bottom of the carton with a pair of

scissors. Gently place the carton in the hole. Lightly tamp soil up around the

seedlings. The sides of the carton will force the water straight down into the

soil: the roots will follow through the bottom of the rotting carton. Water the

seedling with approximately a 500ml of water once a week to start. Add a

day between waterings as the roots grow deeper. Eventually the carton will

rot away leaving a growing tree.

Select an appropriate location with enough space to ultimately contain a

fully grown tree. Dig a hole large enough to contain the sprouting pot.

Printed on:

For more information on how you can

make a difference visit:

www.trees.co.za

Happy Sprouting

Printed on:

For more information on how you can

make a difference visit:

www.trees.co.za