Book of the week
What Do You See When You Look At A Tree by Emma Carlisle.
Synopsis
What do you see when you look at a tree? Leaves and twigs and branches? Or do you see a real, living thing, that moves, and breathes and dances?
Immerse yourself in this gentle picture book that encourages us to explore our connection with nature. This wonderful picture book explores themes of empathy, mindfulness and personal growth through the eyes of a child.
Weekly Activities
At base camp, we asked the children to point to a tree and then encouraged them to count how many trees they could see. We facilitated a conversation about the seasons (we asked the children to tell us about winter and describe the changes they could see happening around them) and describe what happens to some trees in winter i.e. deciduous trees lose their leaves whereas evergreens keep their leaves. We asked the children to look at the various different trees around the nursery and say if they were evergreen or deciduous. We then played a game – run to an evergreen tree, then run to a deciduous tree to further their understanding.
The children were asked to pick from the selection of trees at either site and learn how to identify them. For example, is it coniferous or deciduous? What type of bark does it have? Is the bark rough or smooth? What type of bud is it displaying? Does it produce a fruit, nut or seed? Does it produce sap? Does it support bird nests etc. We also used our leaf posters to check which leaves come from which trees.
Aims and Objectives
To identify which trees we have at Forest School. This helps the children to navigate the site better as we can say things like ‘please wait by the oak tree” or ‘The swing is on the beech tree’
Learn to differentiate between the types of trees and what they ‘do’
Become more aware of natural surroundings by exploring/investigating
Home Activity
Visit a local park or woodland and see how many trees you and your child can recognise using the 'Know Your Tree' poster below:
