A Few Words About Trees

As our focus shifts from gardens to trees, we've had many discussions about trees--during morning meeting, informally, and in focused small groups. Through these conversations, we can see what the children know and what they are curious about. Below are just a few excerpts from these discussions; they are already beginning to give us a sense of the big ideas and questions that will guide our research and propel our work forward in the coming weeks. 


Margaret: Christmas trees never die, because we water them every day. They die after it’s Christmas.

Rachael: What would happen if the leaves just stayed on the ground?
Jossie: They would just die. That's why they picked them up. Before they die.
Rachael: So they're not dead when they're on the ground?
Jossie: They died from a long time ago.

Jack notices a tree in the Tucker room, “What if it just growed and growed and growed all the way to the roof and broke it?”

Kian: And there’s leaf dust. Leaf dust blows all the leaves out of the tree.

Grace: [Trees] say hello every day when people climb on them. Sometimes trees die in the winter. Trees want to say bye-bye to people. The trees get older.

Jen: Why do the trees fall?
Rowan: Because of the wind.
Leigh: Because of the storms and the wind gets very strong.
Will: Because of the wind pushes them away and they fall down. Not because they fall down by themselves.

Jen: So how come some trees have leaves and some don't?
Will: Some trees have leaves and other ones doesn't because [the leaves] don't know how to fly.

Elle: If you put plant food in and then they eat it through their trunks.
Lisa: Can you describe plant food?
Elle: It makes it really strong. It’s how it makes it bigger. It tastes like our food and it's plant food and it's a seed and it's like … and the tree eats a lot of food and it grows real big.  

Sam: [The leaves] are sliding down the slide.
Lisa: And what are they doing when they get on the ground?
Sam: They start all over again.

Louise: I catched the leaves all the time and put them back on the trees.
Will: How do you put the leaves back on the trees?
Louise: With a ladder and glue them.

​Sally: Wow, a rainbow leaf!
Grace: Because it's rainbow because it turns different color by winter. Then it blown away cause it’s Magic! My elf is magic.
Margaret: Maybe if a fairy changed it rainbow colors. A rainbow fairy!