"So, be a tree. For together, we are a forest." - Maria Gianferrari, Be A Tree!
Be A Tree! 🌳 This beautiful book of textured art and poetic words helped us learn how deeply connected we are to nature while helping us to understand the importance of trees in our ecosystem. Learning more about trees and our bodies brings the forest to life, sharing how our bodies mirror tree anatomy: our spines matching strong trunks while revealing the invisible, networks trees use to share food, signal danger, and nurse the sick.
Tree Exploration and Joy We took our time enjoying this story with exploration breaks including: - root exploration and learning - bark feeling - tree ring counting on the Learning Garden stumps - tree art There is no end to the wonder and gifts of trees!
Some questions to ask your child: - how can you tell how old a tree was when it was cut down? (count rings, 1 for each year) - why is the ground between the Learning Garden and Kindie yard so bumpty? (tree roots) - plants get energy from the sun, but what happens when they die? (de-com-pose)
"The longer we listen and the quieter we are, the more we hear.” - Walter Inglis Anderson
A Little Peace on Earth This tiny shew has important news and wants to tell the world, but everyone is too busy making noise and rushing around to listen. The shrew's secret is that if everyone stops and sits still for a moment to listen, we can make a little peace on Earth.
Be NOISEY then listen After enjoying the energetic art and participating in lively onomatopoeic words 'noise', we gave the shrew's advice a try. We took a deep breath in through our noses then breathed out our mouths and just ... listened. We learned that our Learning Garden is a hive of activity - we noticed buzzing, leaves blowing, birds chirping ... and also some cars driving by and kids playing! We even found special Learning Garden spots to just sit and hear what was going on around us. These explorations helped us get to know the Learning Garden better.
Some questions to ask your child: - what sounds do you hear in the Learning Garden? - what kinds of noises did the shrew hear around him? - what brings you the feeling of peace?