Fallen Tree Inquiry
Pedagogist - April Martin with Quadra Children’s Centre November/December 2024
During one of the recent big windstorms the Island was significantly affected. The storm had caused power outages and many downed trees.
On one of my visits, while walking back from the community centre lunch the children heard machine sounds. A few children recognized these sounds as "chainsaws" and the educators observed that they were cutting down and removing some trees in the forest surrounding the Children's Centre and Community Centre. A common practice in this area due to concerns that these trees could fall in further storms.
Initial Observation of Fallen Trees
The educators and I discussed the impact of climate change; how drier summers affect the soil, with less water causing the roots of the trees to become more unstable and more likely to uproot and fall. During the fall and winter months the heavy rains that can saturate the soil around the roots, and the extreme high winds in a ‘cyclone bomb’ ‘and/or an atmospheric river’ can cause the weakened root system to fail. This combination of weather conditions and events, can topple the tree.
As we returned from this walk, we also noticed a tree(s) had fallen quite close to the lower building that is part of the Children’s Centre and had even crushed a climbing structure in the yard. This powerful storm presented a unique view of the forest to the children, one that could be viewed UP CLOSE!
We had created an intention to expand what ‘community’ might mean, this brought forth deeper ways we might think further with the ‘forest’ community and its connection/implications to the wider community on Quadra Island.
A Closer Look
In exploring the tree, educator Lise and I took two groups of children for this encounter. The first group included younger children (3-year-olds). We noticed the outer bark of the fallen tree had lichen attached to it; because the tree had fallen we were able to examine it more closely and we noticed aspects that we might not have seen with the tree standing.
On the next pedagogical visit, we explored the fallen tree and surrounding area with children and did some drawing of what we saw.
Lichen and Wind
We did some drawings with these parts of the tree back in the studio, children were curious about how these, (lichen) were 'on' the tree.
The fallen tree had been cut into peices, and we examined the inside of the tree. Educator Raechel noted that the tree was older than her based on the tree rings we could see on the inside of the rounds.
Some children drew the inside of the tree, and state: 'the very old part is in the middle'
We brought parts of the tree to draw with and talked about the curves and shapes of the tree and how many branches had bent in the strong winds. Children continued to draw with the moss and placing it on drawings of the tree. Some children draw around the pinecones and we have conversations about them. Educators pose questions to children:
Why are pinecones hard?
Why do they open
What could they be for?
A child notes that “the trees near her home didn’t have pinecones”
We also situated a drawing close to a window in the studio so we could look out at the fallen tree as we did our drawing so conversations from the outside could be brought in.
To be Continued …
This blog will continue with further investigations of fallen trees with 4 year olds. Please check back and see the differences and similarities to this ongoing investigation.
