Like an apple tree
among the trees of the woods,
So is my beloved among the sons.
I sat down in his shade with great delight,
And his fruit was sweet to my taste.
Song of Solomon 2: 3
With this journal, your
child will be discovering the life in and around a single tree. Your
child will also be sharpening his observation skills and learning to look
beyond a first glance, actually seeing the forest in spite of the trees, but in
this case the tree in spite of the forest.
To start, have your child pick his very own special tree, preferably one
convenient to your home that can be visited often. If this very special
tree is in your own yard, your child could decorate it with a bright and shiny
ribbon around its trunk. Trees have many jobs and are essential for
people as well as animals. Your child's tree is no different! Look
closely at the tree and what surrounds it. Have your child jot down a few
observations in the journal and draw a picture of this special tree. Draw
attention to how the tree branches out and if leaves grow in groups or in a
single stem. Have him draw his tree at different times throughout the
year so he can see the changes in the tree through the seasons.
Make many visits to your child's tree, reading, picnicking, and sitting quietly
beneath it. Have your child spend a few minutes watching the tree and
observing the life in and around it. Are there ants crawling on the
trunk? Is an inchworm hanging from a leaf? Are birds singing in the
branches? Is there a squirrel chattering to you? Have your child
write about what is heard and draw some of the life seen. Don't forget to
point out moss and lichen, which may be growing on the trunk.
Observe, closely, a leaf from the tree. Is it smooth, hairy, shiny, or
dull? Does it have veins? What shape is it? What does the
edge of the leaf look like: smooth or saw-toothed? Is it thick or
thin? What color is it? Does the leaf have a pointed or rounded
lobe? Record some of these observations in A Tree Of Life Journal. Press
a leaf between two pieces of wax paper, cut out, and glue into the
journal. Leaves, twigs, and needles can also be pressed between two
pieces of contact paper and then taped into the journal. Which part of
the tree has large leaves and which has smaller ones? (The shadiest areas
will have smaller leaves). Crush some of the leaves between your
fingers. How would you describe the scent of your special tree?
Smell a piece of bark from the tree. How does it smell? How does it
feel? Have your child record these observations in his journal.
Help your child make a bark rubbing by holding the paper against the
bark. Scribble over the paper with a crayon.
Teach your child the parts of a tree (trunk, head, spray, and branch).
Wrap a piece of string around the trunk of the tree. Measure the length
of this string. Have your child record the feet/inches into his
journal. This may be a time you can introduce or review the concept of
circumference.
Estimate the height of this very special tree. Here's a fun way to
try to measure the height of your tree. Hold onto your ankles and walk
away from the tree until you see the top of the tree through your legs.
Have a good laugh with your child, then turn around and measure the number of
feet/inches back to the tree. You should than have a good estimation of
the height of the tree. Have your child record this information and maybe
draw a picture of how it was done.
Your child and you should know your very special tree pretty well now! If
you haven't already discovered, search through books or talk to neighbors,
to find out what kind of tree your very special tree is. Record this in
the journal. The above observations and journalizing should be done over
an extended period of time. Take time to relax and enjoy God's special
blessing to you and your family: your very special tree.
Now that this tree is a
well-known friend, spend time enjoying its shade on a warm day and thinking
about how animals, people and the environment depend on the invisible works of
trees. God made trees with a special use and purpose. Tree houses
are great fun for children and branches are wonderful to hang, climb, and swing
from. However, trees also house many animals for a lifetime.
Explore together animals that depend on a tree for their
home/food/protection. A couple of fun books to read and ponder are The
Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry and The Giving Tree by Shel
Silverstein. Both will give you and your child food for thought.
Trees provide food in the form of nuts, fruit, bark, roots, and leaves.
Trees also provide many products: paper boxes and building supplies for
homes. Sap, the liquid that flows in trees, provides maple syrup, chewing
gum, and paint. Read The Lorax by Dr. Suess and discuss
environmental relationships.
God made trees to provide two very important functions: clean air and clean
water. Trees absorb carbon dioxide and give off oxygen, which we need to
breath. Trees also play a part in the water cycle. Their roots
extract water from the soil. This water travels to the leaves and from
there, it is returned to the air. Look at Ecclesiastes 1: 7 and read
about the water cycle!
God also made trees time keepers. Looking at a cross section of a tree
trunk, you see that the rings (growth layers) record evidence of drought and
other climatic change.
Praise God for the beauty of trees, and for the very special tree, he has
brought into the lives of you and your family. Thank Him also for the
invisible blessing of clean air and water that He brings us through the
trees. What an awesome God we serve!
He has made the earth by His power, He has established the world by His wisdom,
and has stretched out the heavens at His discretion.
Jeremiah 10: 12