Nurturing The Bond Between Child And Tree

The year that Maya was born, the first year in our new house, Grampy planted a nectarine tree in the back yard. It was a very busy year – remodeling, repairs, a new baby – the young tree was rarely noticed or remembered. It grew on its own and seemed happy.

Spring came again, and summer; now the baby was old enough to crawl about in the grass. A beagle puppy joined her. The grandmother gathered up the green nectarine marbles that were falling to the ground under the tree and fretted about choking hazards. The tree continued to grow without tending and seemed happy.

This year, Maya is three years old. The young nectarine tree is now her tree. We’ve watched it since spring, first the buds and the flowers, then the tiny green fruit and now…Yesterday we began to pick the small speckled nectarines and eat them. Suspicious at first (a nectarine isn’t a vegetable, is it?) - after a couple of tentative nibbles, Maya was gobbling fruit with the juice running down her chin.

We have other trees in our yard. There is a large maple that shades Maya’s wading pool. Another maple provides a canopy over the swing. We’ve gathered colored leaves from these trees in the fall, taped pieces of paper on the trunks and made rubbings of bark with our crayons. But it is the nectarine tree with her gift of sweet fruit that has completed the bond between child and tree, awakening the awareness that the earth is alive with abundance and treasure.



Rachel Carson, in her book ‘Edge of the Sea’ writes “Only as a child’s awareness and reverence for the wholeness of life are developed can his humanity to his own kind reach it’s full development.”

We can encourage our children’s relationship with trees and the natural world around them while at the same time renewing our own awareness of its blessings.
Spend time looking up to watch the patterns of light shimmering and shifting between the leaves. Put your ear against the tree and listen, smell the leaves, feel the bark against your cheek.
Pick a favorite tree and begin a tree diary. Take photographs, draw pictures, trace leaves, make leaf and bark rubbings throughout the year, observing your tree friend change with the seasons.

For lots of ideas on ways to share your love of nature (and trees!) with your children visit the Yahoo Environment and Nature Education Directory