Month: July 2010 (Page 1 of 6)

Festival of the Trees #50: Through a Child’s Eyes

July 31, 2010 / Roberta / 6 Comments

During autumn the attention of the children should be attracted to the leaves by their gorgeous colors. It is well to use this interest to cultivate their knowledge of the forms of leaves of trees; but the teaching of the tree species to the young child should be done quite incidentally and guardedly. If the teacher says to the child bringing the leaf, “This is a white oak leaf,” the child will soon quite unconsciously learn that leaf by name.

~Anna Botsford Comstock, “How to Begin Tree Study” in Handbook of Nature Study

And with these words of wisdom, let’s start the 50th edition of the Festival of the Trees:Â Through a Child’s Eyes.

What better way to introduce children to the wonders of trees than a gentle walk in the woods?

In Trees, JSK at Anybody Seen My Focus? takes us on a beautiful walk through Fort Yargo State Park in Barrow County, Georgia.

At the Handbook of Nature Study blogspot, Barb has a list of ways to train your senses during Summer Tree Observations. We often forget our senses of touch, hearing and smell when walking in the woods, and children can definitely benefit from using all their senses to explore trees. Barb’s blogspot has lovely nature sounds that play automatically when you visit.

Once a child has developed an interest in trees, you might want to explore the life cycle of a tree. How do trees get there? How do trees make seeds?

Welcome to Mike at Slugyard, who introduces us to how a walnut sprouts in Where do trees come from? How lucky to be able to find a seedling from a nut the squirrels hadn’t eaten.

We discovered ash samaras in our yard last week, and learned about ash trees.

Your children might want to try sprouting some of their own seeds. Vikki’s Veranda has a post about How to grow a cherry tree from seed as well.

crayons

Anna Comstock was an artist as well as writer and naturalist, and she recommended classifying leaves according to color and form and “thus train the eye to discriminate tints and color values.” Art, trees and children go together naturally.

There are a number of art projects in the chapter on trees in the Handbook of Nature Study. You can download the book here. (Remember that this book was written near the turn of the last century and many things have changed. For example, in the instructions on how to make a leaf print, there is no need to dilute the printers ink with gasoline. Yikes!)

In Art through a kid’s eye, Kimber at A Journey in Creativity blog shows us a page from her niece’s altered book project where she has done some torn paper collage trees. Altered books are a terrific way to re-purpose old books.

Making bark rubbings incorporates both art and science, and is a great excuse to get outdoors to play around with trees.

bark-rubbing-crayon

Hold a piece of paper firmly against a tree trunk and rub back and forth. You can use crayon or charcoal.

bark-rubbing

While children are experiencing the tough, rough feel of bark, it is a chance to explain how the delicate cambium lives just under the bark and how removing or damaging the bark can kill a tree. Doesn’t seem possible that something so tough could be so fragile.

festival-tree-cedar

Children can also explore trees through reading, writing, and storytelling.

In his ode to Trees, Joyce Kilmer said:
I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree….

Regardless of that sentiment, trees inspire poetry. Encourage your children to read and write poems about trees.

Dave Bonta has translated the poem To a Child in a Tree, by Jorge Teillier at Via Negativa. The poem is a celebration of tree climbing (More about that in the next section).

Kristine O’Connell George reads from her book of poems Old Elm Speaks at this link on her website.

Carol at Where will you journey to? reminds us that trees inspire stories and tales, such as the adventures of Winnie the Pooh in the Hundred Acre Woods. She repeats a fascinating tale her husband dreamed when he was young called the woodcutter.

Our own list of books about trees for children reflects our passion for nonfiction books. Reading books is always an adventure.

tree-festival-tree-house

For an even bigger adventure, how about tree climbing and tree forts? Anna Botsford Comstock once climbed a tree during recess at her school and then refused to come down when she felt her teacher treated her unfairly. A few years later she was teaching at that school herself.

Caro at Caro & Co. has a celebration of sweet gum trees and a humorous report of tree climbing at Love me, love my conkers â€“ Plants kids can play with #2.

Jade Blackwater grabs our attention with a fabulous childhood activity in The Making of Good Tree Forts at Brainripples. She has many good tips about creating a tree fort and what to do if you don’t have a backyard full of appropriate trees. Brings back fond memories, doesn’t it?

For more fun ideas of things to do outside, Emily has links to several kid-oriented nature organizations at The Maine Family: Outside

tree-festival-leaf

Finally, a way to excite children about trees that doesn’t require going outside is to brainstorm a list of all the foods that come from trees, and then have a tree-inspired snack. Here’s a short list to get you started:

maple syrup
apples
peaches
pears
cherries
walnuts
pecans
hickory nuts
dates
carob
chocolate
mesquite (use the beans to make flour)
saguaro fruit
cinnamon
lemons
oranges
mulberries
persimmons

I’ll bet you can list many more.

Here’s a recipe for Bread from Trees.

Can you guess all the ingredients that come from trees?

In a large bowl combine:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

In a separate bowl mix:
2/3 cup maple syrup, or to taste
1/2 cup warm decaffeinated coffee*
1 1/3 cup pitted, snipped dates (May substitute chopped dried apricots)
1 cup apples, peeled, cored and grated
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 egg beaten
2 Tablespoons melted butter or margarine

Add moist ingredients to the dry ones, and stir until just moistened. Pour into a 9â€ by 5â€ by 3â€ greased loaf (bread) pan. Bake at 350Â° F for 60 to 65 minutes.

*Please ask an adult to assist with preparing or heating the coffee

Enjoy!

And Jade just sent me a link to a wonderful Plum Cake recipe from Amid the Olive Trees. Looks scrumptious.

It turns out the next Festival of the Trees host, Peg atÂ Orchards Forever has chosen the theme “edible trees.” If you write about one of these wonderful trees, send links to Peg at amberapple [at] gmail [dot] com by August 29.

A special “thank you” to everyone who participated.

Books About Trees For Children

July 30, 2010 / Roberta / 5 Comments

Children interested in trees? Thinking of doing a tree study unit? Here are some great books about trees for children. We’re posting this list to celebrate the Festival of the Trees blog carnival that we’re hosting this weekend.

Nonfiction Books:

	`The Life Cycle of a Tree` by Bobbie Kalman, Kathryn Smithyman, and Barbara Bedell (illustrator) has beautiful photographs and full-color illustrations. The chapters cover such topics as what is a tree, what is a life cycle, and how seeds move. This is a great informational book.
	`A Log's Life` by Wendy Pfeffer, and illustrated by Robin Brickman is for young children who enjoy turning over rocks and looking under logs. This book talks about the importance of the tree, and the log that remains after the tree falls, to the community of animals, plants and fungi around it. The illustrations are unique 3D paper sculptures.
	`A Tree Is Growing` by Arthur Dorros and illustrated by S.D. Schindler is suitable for a range of audiences. It follows an oak tree through the seasons. Along the way are interesting sidebars of other species. Did you know that baobab trees store water in their trunks and actually swell up? The paper is dark and the illustrations are not the bright primary colors associated with picture books, but are very lifelike.
	`Be a Friend to Trees (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out, Stage 2)` by Patricia Lauber, and illustrated by Holly Keller, is part of the popular Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out-Science series. The emphasis of this book is how useful trees are. Starting with products and foods we use that come from trees, Lauber then devotes several pages to how many animals need trees for food and homes. Finally she moves to less concrete benefits of trees, such as holding soil and water, and producing oxygen. The last three pages are devoted to simple ideas of how you can be a friend to trees through activities like recycling and planting a tree.
	`Tree of Life: The World of the African Baobab (Tree Tales)` is written and illustrated by Barbara Bash. The baobab tree survives in a harsh environment and is leafless for most of the year. In fact, legend says that the tree was planted upside down. From this beginning, Bash relates the story the life cycle of the tree and all the creatures that depend on it. The watercolors are beautiful.
	`Cactus Hotel (Big Book)` by Brenda Z. Guiberson and illustrated by Megan Lloyd discusses the life cycle of a saguaro. It’s easy to forget that a cactus like a saguaro can be a tree. Once again, this book covers the life cycle of a unique plant found in a harsh environment that is home to many creatures.

	`Planting the Trees of Kenya: The Story of Wangari Maathai (Frances Foster Books)` by Caire A. Nivola tells the story of Wangari Maathai, who won the Nobel Peace prize in 2004. Maathai returned to Kenya after studying abroad, to find the trees gone and the people struggling. She encouraged everyone to plant trees again to restore their environment. The nice thing about this book is that it is printed on recycled paper.
	`Tell Me, Tree: All About Trees for Kids` by Gail Gibbons Starting out with general information abut parts of trees, such as seeds, leaves, bark and roots, Gibbons emphasizes identifying trees. She illustrates the overall shape, leaves and bark of sixteen different trees (although she also identifies leaves and trees throughout the earlier pages as well.) At the end she shows how to make your own tree identification book with pressed leaves, and leaf and bark rubbings. The last page is full of unusual and interesting facts about trees, sure to entice children to want to find out more.
	`Life Cycle of an Oak Tree (Life Cycle of a...)` by Angela Royston. Starting out with an acorn, and following an oak tree through its life cycle until it is hundreds of years old, the young reader learns both about the developmental process and the vocabulary needed to discuss it. The centerpiece of the story is an English oak, which can live for 900 years. What a venerable tree!Illustrated with clear, colorful photographs, and with a timeline on each page, the book is visually appealing.
	`Sky Tree: Seeing Science Through Art`by Thomas Locker and Candace Christiansen follows a tree through the seasons. Although frankly more about art than science, this book is likely to lead to discussions of art techniques and the changes that occur during the seasons.
	`Poetrees` by Douglas Florian is as the title implies, a book of poems about trees. Florian includes poems about trees from around the world like the banyan and monkey puzzle, not just common North American ones. The layout consists of vertical, two-page spreads, giving the feel of looking at a tall tree. If you are familiar with Florianâ€™s illustrations, you will recognize his unconventional art.
	`Leaf Man (Ala Notable Children's Books. Younger Readers (Awards))` by Lois Ehlert is inspiring because the author is such a wonderful artist. In this book, we see leaf shapes with added plant materials that form a funny leaf man. When the wind comes up, who knows where the leaf man is going to go.

If you would like to see more information about each book, click on the linked title, which will take you to the Amazon website. See the financial disclosure page for more information about my affiliation with Amazon.Please let us know if you have any favorite books about trees to add to the list.

	`This Tree Counts!` by Alison Formento and illustrated Sarah Snow is a counting book that shows all the creatures that depend on the oak tree behind the Oak Lane School. After counting all the creatures and learning about uses of trees, the children plant “baby trees.”
	`We Planted a Tree` by Diane Muldrow and illustrated by Bob Staake is a picture book with poetic text. It shows two families who plant trees, one in New York City and one in Kenya, then follows with trees growing throughout the world.
	`Our Tree Named Steve` by Alan Zweibel and illustrated by David Catrow is a bittersweet story about the loss of a tree that meant a lot to a family. You might want to read this one first if your children tend to be sensitive, to see whether it is appropriate.
	`Backyard Explorer Kit: 3-in-1 Collector's Kit!` by Rona Beame is for children who love hands on activities and want to learn more about trees. The kit includes a 3 1/2 by 8 inch Leaf and Tree Guide to trees (that will conveniently fit in a pocket or backpack), a plastic leaf-collecting bag, and an unbound 25 page Leaf Collecting Album. The guide has information about trees, how to identify a number of common species (with color photographs of specimens), and 16 hands-on activities.
	`Trees, Leaves & Bark (Take-Along Guide)` by Diane Burns and illustrated by Linda Garrow is useful as a first identification guide to a few common North American trees.
	`Leaf Jumpers`by Carole Gerber and Leslie Evans is a simple, poetic introduction to identification eight types of fall leaves. Leaves shown include ginkgo, sycamore, and basswood. Then the children sweep up leaves and jump into the pile.