Over the summer we bought a wonderful little book called the Tree Detectives’ Handbook with which the children are able to identify common British trees by their leaves, fruit and flowers.
Each two-page set has a species of trees, and each set contains vital statistics for the tree in question, including height, location, and fruiting and flowering times. The book contains fifty trees and common shrubs found in the UK including identification tips and detailed illustrations for every tree. There are also interactive boxes where little explorers can record their sightings.
It also comes with stickers for when you complete the activities, and if you spot related wildlife featured in the photofiles that make for additional learning and engagement with the activities.
And then there’s also the also The Ancient Tree Hun with the Woodland Trust where you can help them find the oldest trees in the UK.
One of the things I really like about the book is that it is suitable for all seasons, so with little ones you can use flowers and fruit to identify the trees a little easier than leaves, but even that isn’t too hard. It is a book for almost all seasons. 
We went on a tree-identifying walk around our neighbourhood and collected some of the leaves. Those were taken home for leaf rubbings, and identified each tree from the leaves, writing the names of the trees by the pictures. It’s a simple activity, but good for getting outdoors and learning something about nature in the neighbourhood.
FREE SHIPPING IN THE UK on this book from Wordery
They also stock Flower Detectives and Butterfly and Moth Detectives
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