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5 Tree-Related Activities To Keep You & Your Children Entertained

Resources: Community

During this health crisis, take a break from the indoors and spend some time in your yard. Looking for new ways to enjoy your yard? You’re in luck! We’ve created a list of things you can do in your yard that will help you enjoy your landscape, pass the time, and take care of your trees/shrubs.

1. Get Up Close A Personal With Your Trees

While we’re advised to stay 6 feet away from others, we can still get up close and personal with our trees. In fact, spending time around your trees and nature can even boost your immune system.

Easy ways to spend time close to your tree include:

  • Reading a book under your tree.
  • Set up a family picnic under your tree.
  • Do yoga or a workout near your tree. Pro Tip: Use your tree instead of a wall when doing wall sits!
  • Take a conference call while sitting under your tree.

2. Tree Inspection – Look Closely At Your Tree

Now that you’re spending more time around your tree take the time to look closely at your tree’s trunk and branches. Looking closely at your trees can actually catch a lot of structural issues before they cause major problems. Before the leaves come back fully, this is a great time to do a visual inspection of your tree. Not sure what to look for? Check out our blog 8 Signs Your Tree is a Safety Hazard.

3. Tree Insect Hunt – GREAT ACTIVITY FOR KIDS

Spring brings an influx of insects. So why not make a game out of it and have your kids hunt for insects in your yard! With kids out of school, this could be a great learning opportunity as well. You can discuss the difference between beneficial insects and insects that are harmful to trees/shrubs. Take a look below to see which insects you should look for.

And don’t forget to make an appointment with your Arborist if you spot any of the harmful insects on the list below.

Click image to download pdf

4. Check Your Trees/Shrubs for Signs of Fungi

The warm days, cold nights, and moist weather of early spring days, like the weather the DC Metro area has been experiencing this spring, creates the perfect breeding ground for fungal diseases. While out in your yard check your trees and shrubs for the common signs of fungal diseases.

Signs of Fungal Diseases:

  • Mushrooms at the base of the tree
  • Irregular patches of brown and black discoloration on leaf
  • Black pimples
  • Blotches along leaf vein
  • Cankers on the twigs and branches
  • Distorted areas on leaves
  • Early leaf drop
  • Discoloration of bark/trunk

Learn what common tree fungi to look out for.

5. Tree Identification – GREAT ACTIVITY FOR KIDS

Not sure what species your trees or shrubs are? Why not spend some time figuring it out with your kids. There are many different websites and apps that can help you identify what type of tree is in your yard.

Arbor Day Foundation’s “What Tree” quiz is an illustrated, step-by-step process makes it easy to identify a tree simply by the kinds of leaves it produces.

Leaf-ID.com asks you questions then lets you browse pictures of tree leaves to compare to your tree’s.

Virginia Tech’s Tree ID app has you enter your location and ask qualify questions about the tree to help you identify what species your tree is. The app also includes thousands of pictures of leaves, flowers, fruit, and branches to make it easier to identify your tree.

For Apple users, the Leafsnap app is a great Tree ID app that lets you snap a photo of the tree in question’s leaf to help with identification.

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Google Reviews

Grey Burkhart
Grey Burkhart
March 29, 2022.
Verified
Very professional review of our requirements and an accurate estimate. Showed up on time and were finished quickly. Cleaned up all of the debris and sawdust. Great job all around.
Dennis Bruns
Dennis Bruns
March 8, 2022.
Verified
We have used RTEC Treecare for several years. They do excellent work. Their staff is extremely knowledgeable and take great care in explaining the various options available for your particular situation. I highly recommend them.
Annette Iannucci
Annette Iannucci
February 23, 2022.
Verified
We have been using RTEC for years and were very pleased with the recent tree maintenance work they did for us. As always, we got good advice from their arborist Ben,. The crew that did the work is highly skilled, and they did a great job trimming our trees. They worked safely and efficiently, in addition to leaving the yard clean after they finished the work.
Susan Crawford
Susan Crawford
January 26, 2022.
Verified
RTEC was at my house today to removed a large Magnolia that was badly damaged by the recent snow. They did a fantastic job at a very reasonable price. They arrived right on time, worked efficiently and quickly and cleaned up so well it was hard to tell anything have been disturbed. Over the past several years, I have used RTEC for all the services I checked above, and have always been very pleased with their service and professionalism. I also appreciate that they are not eager to take down trees that don't need to come down. In this case, the damage was too extensive for the tree to recover.
Kenton Morgan
Kenton Morgan
January 20, 2022.
Verified
Once again, RTEC has done a great job. The team showed up right on time and performed all the work that we agreed to. They kept us informed as to progress, coordinated with us concerning our maple, and made recommendations concerning ongoing support for our trees. At the end of the day, they thoroughly cleaned up the debris and left our yard in pristine condition. WELL DONE.
Jean Kluttz
Jean Kluttz
January 3, 2022.
Verified
Not our first time but this time was tricky removal of a large dead tree leaning on a healthy tree. Quick response for estimate, good timing to removal, all clear and healthy tree still fine.
Jerry Haggin
Jerry Haggin
December 16, 2021.
Verified
Very good work while ensuring that I was aware of status of my work order and planned completion.
Mike Iger
Mike Iger
December 16, 2021.
Verified
David Roberts
David Roberts
December 15, 2021.
Verified
We’ve used RTEC for many years for tree maintenance and can’t say enough good things about their service. We use them for tree trimming and for regular treatments to maintain our trees’ health and deal with pests and prevent disease. Their arborist Ben has been especially helpful with advice. RTEC also been especially helpful in emergency situations, once coming to cable a massive, heritage oak in our yard right before a hurricane was about to hit. Highly recommend.
Travis Larson
Travis Larson
December 10, 2021.
Verified
RTEC did an excellent job onsite of removing dead branches from our 80+ year old trees, and trimming other growth too close to our home.
Google rating score: 4.8 of 5, based on 185 reviews.

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