Make felt or flannel cards for your felt board using pictures of trees and animals. Help students categorize which animals stay on the ground, which animals sometimes go in trees, and which animals make their homes in trees. Use both animals that the children will recognize (such as pigs and deer) as well as animals that students might not yet know about (such as flying squirrels and tree frogs). When you are further into the unit, perform a similar activity comparing the animals that live in trees near your town or state with those that live in trees in other locations.
Examine real trees and the wildlife they support by taking your class to look at trees in the school yard. If you have the option, take them on a guided tour of a park where a ranger or docent can tell them about the wildlife in those particular trees. Look for bugs, signs of birds nesting, squirrels and any other wildlife that might leave marks on trees in your area. When you get back to the class, have each student draw a picture of a tree and its inhabitants.
Children's books with information about trees and habitats can help reinforce your lessons. Use fictional stories like "The Great Kapok Tree" by Lynn Cherry, as examples of how important trees are to animals and people. Or, use a nonfiction book, like "Forests and Woodlands (Habitat Explorer)" by Nick Baker, to show pictures of authentic trees and their residents. Keep a book like "My 2-in-1 Animal Picture Dictionary: A to Z and Habitat Pages" by Sarah Phillips as a reference to guide your lessons.
Kindergarteners can demonstrate their knowledge of trees as habitats using tree crafts. Utilize their knowledge of shapes to create "shape trees." Have students cut out triangles for fir trees, circles for deciduous trees and rectangles for trunks. Discuss which types of trees you have near your school and homes. Or, make a peek-a-boo tree and have students cut out a large tree template with small flaps that open like windows. Give them animal pictures to color and glue inside the windows of the tree.