Make a Mangrove Paper-craft Tree Activity

Mangrove trees aren’t just cool-looking, they’re coastal superheroes. With tangled roots and leafy branches, they create habitats, trap sediment, and protect shorelines. This week’s STEMventure invites you to build your own model mangrove tree and discover the science behind these incredible plants.

✂️ INSTRUCTIONS - MIGHT MANGROVES

Materials: glue, scissors, pipe cleaners, tiny leaves, paper bag.

1. Watch the video and following along with the next steps.
2. Along the bottom of the bag, cut 8 equal strips about ¼ of the length (3-4 inches, 8cm). These will form the roots.
3. Twist the strips to make roots. Cut and insert pipe cleaners into the roots to give you a stable base. Twist them into the roots to hide them.
4. Along the top, cut equal length strips to make the branches. Cut as many as you like, 8-12 is good.
5. Twist the strips into branches.
6. Strip some tiny leaves off a branch. Use school glue or a glue gun to attach the leaves to your branches. Alternatively, used bits of green construction or tissue paper.
7. Twist the center of the bag to make the trunk of your tree.
8. Bonus: make miniature crabs and fish to hide between the roots of your tree. Make more than one to create a mangrove swamp.

🌳 FOR LITTLE HANDS - MAKING A MANGROVE
Here is similar but alternate activity for smaller hands.
https://youtu.be/af6VB_0n2nw?si=UW2lw1t08-wJT3V8

QUESTION
❓ Which of the three kinds of Florida mangrove trees did we make (white, black, red)? How can you tell?

🔍 Learn More About Mangroves

Use all or some of these to better understand our green ocean world.

🌐 Websites

• Visit the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program and explore their Story Map to learn how they help keep the bay clean and healthy

📚 Books & Publications

• Guide฀to฀the Mangroves฀of฀Florida
• Watershed Field Guide https://sarasotabay.org/our-estuaries/field-guide/
• Sarasota Bay Children's Activity Book
• A Day in the Salt Marsh, Written by Kevin Kurtz, Illustrated by Consie Powell
• The Secret Bay, Written by Kimberly Ridley, Illustrated by Rebekah Raye 

🖥 Videos:

• Does it Go in the Ocean?
• From the Field: Mangrove Forest Exploration, Part 2

📬 Share Your Work!

• 📧 Show us your mangrove creations. Email photos to MARVEN@mote.org or tag them with #STEMventure
• 🧠 Challenge a friend to build one too
• 📰 Subscribe to our newsletter to get updates on future sessions

Zoom in. Focus together. Wonder around.