The tree

We’ve just finished working on Human Rights. It wasn’t an easy theme to work on but your works were great. For this year we are suggesting that you work on a new theme : the Tree. That will be an opportunity for all the children to have fun. This theme will also give them the chance to go beyond what they know and beyond the rules. It should allow them to go more into artistic creation and dreams. 

This theme can also be used as a way of talking about one’s life, and to talk about others’ life, a way of realizing who we are, to accomplish oneself, a way of understanding our great natural wealth and of catching the difference between human beings. 

We suggest that we work on 3 different components : 

Invite the children to observe the trees: their size, colours, and to follow the tree evolution across  the seasons 

First,  you need to pick an observation field and a tree (in a park, a landscape where you live, …). A tree isn’t only a trunk, branches, leaves but also invisible roots, the soil and the air that nurture the tree, the animals that cohabit with the tree, its predators or helpers that need the tree to survive and find a shelter,… of course without forgetting men and women which are also part of trees environment.

The tree is alive and its life rythme follows the seasons, the tree breathes, feeds itself, generates wastes, can get diseases, and eventually dies… the tree also lives surrounded by other trees. 

Invite each  child to use the tree to present and feature himself  

During  the course of its life, the tree dramatically looks like men. In its early stages (childhood), it’s a small shrub, later on during its youth the tree is opened out, sometimes the tree is already bended because it has suffered too many aggressions (wind, storms, lack of water, men aggressions, ....). Then the tree reaches its old age, it is then fragile but so beautiful. 

For example, make the kids paint around the question : « If I were a tree, I’d be... » You can also use poetry, put some words in the paintings, paint comics...

« If I were a tree... How would be my roots ?, my trunk, my leaves,... » Make them paint different trees, they can let their imagination go very freely, according to their mood... Make them create, invent and illustrate their story.

Then  invite the kid to paint a tree, the trees in their environments, your environment, with the fauna and the flora they know, with men... 

The trees are fragile and strong, they are laughing and sad, they can be looking for water or be flowered, they can look for the light or touch the sky, they can play together, they can be used as shelter for the animals, men use the tree for their wealth (fruits, wood,...),... You can even invent or create some fairy tales using the trees.  

To accomplish all these works, invite the kids to paint frescoes in a group work. 

This work is an opportunity for each of you to observe the nature, to let your imagination travel and create, to dream, to look for colours, shapes and techniques, to look for new compositions , and above all to have a lot of fun. 

A few more ideas, non-exhaustive: trees can also be a playing field for the kids where they can create small houses, men can create shelters in the trees to storage food protecting it from the rain or the animals, trees shadow can be used to protect from the sun or to make a nap, ... Trees can also be bad for the nature, like the eucalyptus that were imported 150 years ago in Ecuador and are empoverishing the soil by taking all the water.

Trees are also a symbol to feature families : Genealogy trees, ...

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