It’s been five years since my
first picture book, This Tree Counts!,
was published and I still hike past the old tree that inspired my story several
times a week at my local nature center. I first wrote a short poem imagining
what that tree would say if it could speak. As I share in my school visits, we
know that bees communicate in their hives, and it’s possible that trees
communicate, too, in ways that we, as humans, don’t yet understand.
Hiking through a forest,
under a leafy canopy hearing birds overhead, is my quiet place, where I can
breathe in fresh air and enjoy the incredible beauty of being alive in this
world.
Write about your special place…
What place in nature makes
you feel special? Is it next to a tree or on a beach at the ocean?
Take a class hike around your
schoolyard. Take notes about what you see.
Write what seems special
about the playground, the parking area, and the school building.
Now focus on all that is
natural surrounding your school.
Is there a tree that is shorter
or taller than the others?
Is there a quiet spot to sit
outside your school?
Are there any rocks, streams,
or ponds on your school property?
Do you see any animals or
birds around your school?
What do you like the least
and the most about the grounds surrounding your school?
Choose what means the most to
you from your notes and write a short poem.
I imagined a tree speaking to
me for This Tree Counts! What do you
hear in your imagination about your school grounds? What counts most to you
about what you see each day at school? Photographs and drawings are a nice
addition to your words.
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