Revolutionary Website Takes On Climate Change One (Virtual) Tree At A Time!

Raise A Tree, a new Online Learning Website is taking the UK by storm with its interactive way of tackling Climate Change.

Posted: England, 1st March 2007

The basis of the website is that Primary School pupils are able to plant a virtual tree in an online world. Once planted, pupils get to water their tree each day using the interactive watering can tool as well as complete activities on the website that help teach them about their tree, it’s environment and most-importantly climate change. Further, by successfully completing the activities on the website, pupils can add health points to their tree, which in turn allows their tree to grow faster! All the time, pupils are competing with each other in a class league to see who can grow the healthiest tree.

Included for free in the Raise A Tree website are a whole host of lesson plans designed for teachers to aid in the teaching of certain modules in the KS2 National Curriculum, including those about Trees and Climate Change.

Launched just three weeks ago, Raise A Tree has quickly found its way into schools across the South East from Essex to London.

Dee Spackman, Deputy Head at Bentfield County Primary School in Essex, who was one of the first teachers to use Raise A Tree commented about the website, “My class has become very motivated, especially from the competition element, so motivated that they want do it in their own time! It’s easy to follow, informative and fun!”

Co-Founder, Nineteen year-old Andy Stephenson described the reasons behind developing the site: “We’re concerned about Climate Change - everyone is. We started looking for some resources for Primary Schools and found there weren’t any – it was crazy!”

“Pupils at Primary Schools today are going to be the leaders of tomorrow – it’s imperative for them to understand what’s happening with the planet and how it’s going to affect them in the future!”

Raise A Tree isn’t just about virtual trees, plans are currently being developed to launch Educational Packs that will enable pupils to plant their own real trees in the classroom, an initiative designed to further understanding of how trees and the environment can play a pinnacle role in reducing the carbon emissions that contribute to climate change.

Raise A Tree is free for schools to use after a simple registration process.

“It’s our way of giving something back to society – we realised the depth of the Climate Change discussion and wanted to do something about it at a level that hadn’t been covered previously.” Added Luke Berry.

“Our aim is to help educate Primary School Pupils about Climate Change in a fun and interactive way, after all, if you’re enjoying something then you’re more likely to take something from it.” Concluded Berry.

The website has proved so popular with not only Primary Schools but the general public that a new registration form has been added to allow members of the public to sign-up for Raise A Tree. If you would like to see what all the buzz is about, you can register with Raise A Tree at http://www.raiseatree.co.uk/education/public-signup.cfm