Here we are, 13 other nature connection activities behind us. For us here in Vermont, we’ve just gotten the word that schools will be closed for the rest of the school year. I know for me, as a teacher, this has brought up feelings of helplessness and disappointment, among other complicated emotions. I’m not even sure what they all are yet! I imagine parents and children are also having a complicated soup of feelings right now. Today’s activity has been planned since the first day, but somehow seems more relevant now.
Today with your child, the activity is to write or draw a letter to a tree. Help them if they need help with the prompts.
Imagine the tree is a trusted elder, friend, auntie, or therapist waiting patiently to hear what you have to say. In your child’s letter, they could write (or draw) about how being home for such a long time has been. They could mention the things that have been challenging, and also the things that have been unexpectedly wonderful. And whatever else is in between- we know binaries aren’t always helpful when it comes to expressing our human experiences.
In the letter, your child could write their hopes for the next season. or just their hopes for today. They could write/draw about spring and what that feels like, and about missing friends or being happy to be close to home. They could write/draw about what how their life has been different in the last few weeks. What are the most fun things about being home from school for a long time? What do they miss from school? What do they NOT miss? Paying attention to what I miss and what I don’t miss has been a great source of information for me these days, even if I’m just filing the info away for future use.
This letter can look any way you want it to. It could be one word surrounded by stripes, it could be entirely made up of pictures, it could be 3 pages long, single-spaced typed on the computer. Once you and your child have finished your letters, roll them up into a little scrolls and tie them with a piece of yarn or ribbon. Together, go outside on a walk and look for a tree who might want to listen. When you find that tree, feel free to read your letter out loud (or summarize) to the tree. Or you could just place your letter somewhere nearby. It could be put into a hole in the tree, or buried under some leaves on the ground, or tied to a branch.
Leave the letter there for the tree, perhaps thank them for listening, and head home.