A Tree Is Nice: How Acorns Planted Trees into the East AM Curriculum

By Todd Erickson, Head Teacher

In East AM (EAM), the teachers are always watching and listening like detectives to the words and actions of the children. Through our careful observation and documentation, not only do we understand their motivations, aspirations, and temperaments more readily, but we also discover their wonderings and their passions. This allows us to team with them as we co-construct meaningful curriculum.

In the autumn quarter, for example, a handful of children were fascinated with the acorns that were falling from one of our mature oak trees. After spending many days collecting and studying the acorns, the teachers asked some open-ended questions to extend the children’s thinking. “I wonder what’s inside the acorn,” a teacher said. Another asked, “Can we find all the acorns that are the same color?” and “How many acorns did you find today?” This keen interest in acorns took hold with both younger and older members of our mixed-age classroom, and soon children were examining not only the acorns but also the array of leaves that were falling from the various trees in our outdoor classroom.

The EAM teachers knew we had something worth investigating more deeply, so we decided to launch an extensive and active study (what we refer to as a “project”) about trees. Children, in collaboration with teachers, systematically and scientifically uncovered individual and collective pieces of meaning springing from their focal point. Recent EAM project subjects have included newspapers and helpers in our community.

At the beginning of a project, the teachers often ask the children a few basic questions, such as “What do you know about trees?”

Eloise: “Can I tell you something? The leaves start to fall when it’s winter or fall.”
Makena: “They have sap on them sometimes.”
Gil: “They have leaves.”
Kian: “I don’t have trees inside my house; I have trees in the backyard.”
Amelie: “They have roots to hold them up.”
Oliver: “I climb trees. I am a squirrel. I can almost reach the sky.”
Chloe: “Sometimes when trees fall, they could hurt people.”
Jared: “I love trees.”

As we talked about trees, we were reading and singing about them too. During story time and music time, we shared songs and books that featured and celebrated trees. Books such as A Tree Is Nice, a Caldecott Medal-winning book by Janice May Udry; Stuck by Oliver Jeffers; Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina; and Kate, Who Tamed the Wind by Liz Garton Scanlon allowed us to continue thinking about trees during our mornings together, including during daily story time. The children also loved to sing any number of tree-related songs, including “The Green Grass Grew All Around,” “There Are Many Pretty Trees (All Around Bing School),” and “Way Up High in the Apple Tree.”

All around EAM, the children and teachers continued their collective and interactive inquiry into trees. The outdoor classroom was home to scavenger hunts related to the various types of trees and leaves found in EAM, as well as observational drawings and paintings of our numerous trees. In the sand area, children planted “forests” using fallen sticks, and they sorted tree-related material (bark, leaves, sticks, pine cones) they had discovered on the ground. At the language table, teachers asked children, “What is your favorite type of tree?” and invited them to pick their favorite tree (all found at Bing) from three choices. On the patio, children created forest murals out of paper, cardboard, paper tubes, popsicle sticks, and found materials like twigs and leaves.

After our intrepid children listened to readings of The Gruffalo (which takes place in a forest), they were asked, “What do you know about forests?” They had a lot to share in response:

Tommy: “I know! Trees! And rocks! And lakes! And bears. And dirt.”
Siena: “The forest is in the book.”
Eri: “Snakes!”
Aria: “Watch out!”
Will: “Forests are dark.”

As fall turned to winter, the EAM community came to appreciate the prescience of our tree project. First, one of our mature maple trees began to split due to the weight of its branches. It was removed and replaced by a much younger incense cedar tree that was cordoned off at first. The EAM children had many thoughts and questions as they welcomed this new tree to our school:

Kiren: “I wonder if it’s a flower tree or an evergreen tree.”
Larkin: “I wonder if it’s a Christmas tree. Should we put presents under the tree?”
Liam: “Big Frank [classroom bunny] was eating part of the tree. He was eating the leaves.”
Addie: “The tree is growing for 300 years.”
Emmeline: “When can we touch it?”
Gray: “Will it be taller than the other trees? It will grow for 100 years.”

Our ferocious winter storms loosened the roots of one of our mature oak trees, which began to tilt one Friday morning. The children observed from a safe distance, drawing what they noticed and sharing their wonderings:

Tilly: “Are they gonna put the tree back up?”
Olivia D.: “These two [trees] are leaning. How did they get leaning?”

Over the weekend, arborists removed our tilting oak tree (which they estimated was well over 100 years old) and left a 20-foot-long section of the trunk and many smaller sections for the children to explore. The trunk has become a site for sitting, climbing, and jumping. Dramatic play has also sprung out of this large trunk, which has at various times become a pirate ship, a spaceship, a dragon, a home, and a mountain. The smaller pieces from the tree have been employed as tables, seats, wheels, and obstacle course steps. Lastly, the tree stump has transformed into an observation perch, a climbing and jumping challenge, and a spot to honor our old, fallen friend.

Our tree project served as an excellent reminder for children, teachers, and families alike of the vitality of trees and the power of nature. When Bing’s founding founding director, Dr. Edith Dowley, arranged to plant one tree for each child when the school was built in 1966, little did she know how much a part of the community her trees would remain. Dr. Dowley would certainly have been pleased with the vital role the trees played in our hands-on, meaningful classroom curriculum. The children’s awareness, connection, and competence grew right along with the trees they were studying!