Using Your Five Senses To Learn About Trees
Spending time around trees is a great way to learn the art of paying attention. By slowing down, you take care of yourself and connect with the natural world. Using our five senses promotes mindfulness and helps kids (and adults) focus for longer periods of time.
Sight
Leaves vs. needles are an obvious first detail to point out. If trees do have leaves, what shape are they? Are they pointed or round on the corners? Collect as many different leaves as you can. Next, display them side by side and group them if they have the same characteristics. After, you can use a tree identification app or a guidebook to identify the species or put a piece of twine through each leaf and make a garland to decorate your classroom or home. As the leaves fall, you can also search for a variety of colors to make a natural color wheel.
Touch
Collect different pinecones and nuts. Are the pinecones smooth or sharp? Are they sticky with sap? If there is a nut, what kind is it? Is the outer shell hard or soft? What animals eat them? Carefully, smash the nuts open with small rocks or the heels of your shoes and compare what is inside.
Smell
Collect a few pieces of bark (only grab the pieces that have fallen or are about to fall off since insect eggs may be living inside). Smell the different pieces of bark or the trunk itself. You can also smell the pinecones, needles, and leaves. Since smell is directly tied to memory, what do the scents remind you of?
Taste
Taste can be another window into the world of a tree. If you are in an orchard, pick various species of apple and pear, slice them, and then rank the fruit in terms of sweetness, sourness, or preference. If you have foraging experience and are not near fruiting trees, you can also make pine needle tea. Did you know that pine needle tea is high in vitamin C and sailors used to drink it to fight off scurvy while away at sea?
Sound
Closing your eyes and listening to each tree in the breeze is a great way to relax. You might also notice the sounds of specific animals. Do they know what a squirrel sounds like? How about a woodpecker? What do you think the animals are communicating about?
