From little seeds grow mighty trees

Hello again!

This week our focus was on trees. Some of the different types that we discovered were Red Oak, Paper Birch, Sugar Maple and White Ash. This naturally led to a discussion as to what trees offer us and to our environment. The kids discovered that providing oxygen, syrup, paper, firewood and helping wildlife were just some of the amazing things they do.

We then used the buddy system and took turns blindfolding each other while leading one another to a special tree. The blindfolded kids had to learn all they could about the tree by hugging, smelling, and feeling it. After the investigation they were led back to the starting point and given the chance to hunt down that tree! All of our trees were found with a little help from the “Hot and Cold” game.

Then, with the help of our tree ID books the kids worked towards their teaching beads. Lots of fun facts were learned and everyone got to share information about their favorite trees. They even attempted to say the tree names in Latin.

The kids spent the afternoon creating their own personal totem poles. The meaning behind the Totem Pole varies but can be anything from celebrating cultural beliefs, or well-known legends and even artistic designs and notable events. Totems can include plants, animals, humans and even supernatural beings. We chose animals that represent our core values and put some paintings together to create our own story to share. Make sure you ask what animal your child picked!

We also gave out some important stickers today such as Love, Honesty, Humility and Bravery.

Did we mention we had time to make homemade applesauce? Well, we did! Students showed leadership and peer support throughout the process while reaping the tasty rewards after their hard work.

If you would like to make your own applesauce all you need is: