TREE L💓VE
💓💓💓It does verge on an obsession!💓💓💓
Trees are one of our favourite things.
Who doesn't enjoy Forest Bathing?!
Or marvel at how trees can create their own weather?!?!
Or the brilliance of their communication skills... The Wood Wide Web?!
Mama Beech is eternally grateful that we're all smitten!!
Twice a year, every year, the Woodland Trust makes trees available to schools, community groups, charities etc. If you have some space - even if it means you will grow them in containers - you can apply for FREE trees. These can be planted in the hope of strong tall saplings in a few years time, or as a hedgerow to encourage wildlife. You can choose trees for your purpose, and their website offers great advice on what will work best for your space and circumstances.
We have an awful lot of space. In March we ensured every class had the opportunity to plant 10 trees, and also created a couple of new hedges to grow into maturity over the next decade.
We were lucky enough to apply, and win, a new batch of trees for the Autumn Term. The plan is to allow every child in the school the chance to plant a tree of their own. One they can label, and name if they wish, and plot on a map of the site. Over their school life they can measure it, and care for it, and watch it grow along side them. Those in Reception class should see a marked difference in a baby tree less than half a metre tall, and a sapling 7 years later. Once the big push to plant almost 400 trees is over, we ought to be able to plant 'just' 60 or so each year to ensure every pupil continues to have this opportunity.
Obviously we will at some point run out of space!
This year lockdown, a hot April/May, and the heatwave this Summer, has taken it's toll on growth. Some have thrived, some have wilted and suffered. On the assumption that we will not manage to keep almost 400 trees alive consistently over the next decade, it is likely we will have gaps to fill in hedgerows as they grow, and possibly mature trees to replace over time. Hopefully it will be a while before we need to stop planting new trees. Certainly our 5 year plan can include annual planting, and it will be reviewed every Spring.
Early this year the children were very excited to be involved in planting the trees from Woodland Trust. Early Years and Key Stage 1 had an assembly about the process and arrived to their Tree Session very excited and desperate to be part of it. Key Stage 2 were just as enthusiastic. If you are part of the Green Tree Awards (easy to sign up for and achievable for schools and forest schools and community groups!), there is an adaptable assembly online for you!
Those pupils old enough to remember the last time the school had trees to plant (pre Mama Beech), remembered that the adults had planted them, and they had not been involved. They were pleasantly surprised to find they were included in developing their own outdoor area, and showed a high level of interest in where their class's selection would be, what type of tree they had, and why they were placed where they were.
This is something to build on. Getting children to engage with nature can only come from opportunities IN nature. We're so lucky to have a huge amount of space, the scope to start projects like this, and the privilege of offering these opportunities to our pupils.
Tools (Spades & trowels) will be wiped down between uses with an appropriate surface cleaner, children will wash their hands before coming outside, they will also wash their hands immediately AFTER planting and handling tools. Cold or tepid water may not feel as nice as a warm bowl of soapy suds, but as long as soap is used, cold water is an effective way to remove viruses from hands - it's the soap that kills the virus! (NHS advice here)
Our Covid Risk Assessment post for re-opening Forest School is here
The uncertainty of this coming academic year does loom. It's difficult to make plans when we have no idea what 2020 has left to throw at us - or even how much of an improvement 2021 will be to this new way of teaching and learning and living. Planting 420 trees is a commitment and something to look forward to. It should be an adaptable and flexible venture that we can work around any obstacles in our timetable.
The Woodland Trust is taking orders for trees for Spring 2021 so take a look HERE if you have space to plant ANY please contact them! Forest Schools setting up on concrete can plant them in containers. People with sites that need a little more foliage can plant them as a hedge. There is also some support online for their care from Tree Care For Schools organisation.
It will be years before they are mature, but they will quickly fill in the spaces around older trees if you have them and make the space seem more woodland-esque!
A tree can only enhance a site!
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