A Tree at Their Window: First Grade Students Adopt a Tree By Sara Head, NHPLT Communications Specialist Tree at my window, window tree, My sash is lowered when night comes on; But let there never be curtain drawn Between you and me. ‐ Robert Frost October, 2008 The students in Mrs. Clark’s first grade class sat quietly on the floor with all the patience they could muster as Erin Hollingsworth, New Hampshire Project Learning Tree’s Education Coordinator explained the adventure they were about to embark on. Erin is spending the next three years working with the Bicentennial Elementary School in Nashua as part of NH Project Learning Tree’s Connecting Schools to People and Place (CS2P) Program. Like each first grade class at the school, these students were preparing to begin a year‐long activity that will take them through the changing seasons with a very special new friend. They were about to adopt a tree, not just any tree, but one they would choose as a class; one that they will be able to see from their classroom window; one that they can visit for snack time or story time; one that they can name and feel attached to while they observe the dramatic and exciting changes brought on by the natural cycle of the year. As Erin pointed out, “This is how special the tree is. It will be like having a new classmate, except it is a tree! It can become a friend you can always see.” Erin invited the entire class to go to the window together and pondered the landscape outside the room while looking for prospects for their class tree. As Erin introduced the students to the idea of adopting the tree she explained that their relationship with it would be made even more special by the adoption certificate they were about to complete. The students were provided with their tools for the day, a clipboard, pencil, adoption certificate, and a reminder to use their all important observation skills. They then went outside to the area in view of their classroom window for the final decision. By far, the top contender was a sugar maple in all of its vibrant autumnal glory, but before making the final commitment to the adoption an important question had to be answered. Could the entire class sit comfortably under their tree? The simple but critical test was performed and there was no turning back. NH Project Learning Tree ~ 54 Portsmouth Street ~ Concord, NH 03301 ~ 603‐226‐0160 ~ [email protected] With the big decision settled the students went about the important work of observation: noticing colors, shapes, textures, ladybugs on the undersides of leaves and the brightly painted birdhouse hanging from a lower branch. Without question, the predominant observation had to do with the tree’s “redness”, something the students will surely notice a change in as winter sets in. Clipboards in laps, these first graders went to work on their documentation which included the tree’s birthplace and identifying characteristics. They went about their work with great seriousness as they put their emerging spelling and handwriting skills to work. While one student wrote carefully using inventive spelling, another wrote his information in cursive script we would all envy. Many students collected handfuls of the alluring red leaves as they struggled to write and balance their clipboards at the same time, but they all went about their work with a calmness and focus not often seen in a group of wiggly six and seven year olds. Ready for the next step, the all important equivalent of the tiny footprint found on human birth certificates, each student was instructed to find a leaf on the ground that matched those they saw on the tree. There was much pondering and comparing as they used their senses to find the appropriate leaves and determine which side was the “bumpiest” in order to create a leaf rubbing on their certificate. There were great expressions of surprise as the shape of their leaf emerged from under their moving crayons. “It’s like magic!” exclaimed one enthusiastic young artist. These young students will have much to think about as they watch their adopted tree and its surroundings change with the seasons and as their class sits under their tree for special activities. While each day will not be as crisp and clear as this beautiful fall “adoption day”, come May they will have much to look back on as they remember the day they began their connection with this natural friend. The important connections young children make within their immediate environment set the stage for successfully applying the concepts they learn to the wider world beyond their own backyards. These first graders at Bicentennial Elementary School are taking an important step toward building those ever important relationships with the natural world by forming a strong attachment right outside their classroom window. The Connecting Schools to People and Place Program is a 3‐year long intensive professional development program which partners NHPLT with a New Hampshire school to integrate environmental education school‐wide and to facilitate the development of strong relationships within the community to support the curriculum over the long‐term. NH Project Learning Tree ~ 54 Portsmouth Street ~ Concord, NH 03301 ~ 603‐226‐0160 ~ [email protected]