Tree walk
Aim:
To us trees as a starting point to think about sustainability.
You will need:
A tree stump, a measuring tape.
Duration:
1 hour
The aim of this activity is to use nature as a starting point for thinking about sustainability. For this activity you will need to find a large tree stump. If you live near to woodland you could take the children for a walk there. It would be good if the leader knows the location of a tree stump in advance that you can then take young children on a walk and 'find' it. If you do not have anywhere to walk, you could bring a slice from a tree trunk for the group to examine.
Explain that when a tree is cut across near its base you can see rings. Who knows what the rings tell us? Answer. The rings show the age of the tree. Where the rings are thin this means that the tree had difficulty growing that year - perhaps not enough water, freezing temperatures or problems with insects.
Measure the distance between the rings to see how some years of growth are different. Do we sometimes have years when we feel that we 'grow up' a lot, and then other years when things stay more or less the same? (Things like moving school, getting a first bike/own room etc. Children may need help in thinking about when they 'grew up' most).
As a group think about:
- How many years did the tree live? Do you think this is a lot?
- Why do you think the tree was cut down?
- What kinds of things do you have that are made of wood?
- What other things is wood used for? (paper, fuel, rubber, building material)
- Why are trees important? (reduce pollution, convert carbon dioxide to oxygen, muffle noise, provide food and shade, reduce erosion)
- How can we help to protect our trees?