outlook • MAY 2007

LEARNING THROUGH LANDSCAPES

groundnotes November 2007

Trees across the curriculumTrees have always been important to

people which makes them a valuableresource across the curriculum. They canbe linked to lessons in so many ways thatwe hope this Groundnotes will at least helpyou start.

ScienceTrees are a central topic in Science, both

for learning about how plants grow and forthe importance of trees in theirenvironment. If you have trees in yourgrounds you have fieldwork opportunitiesliterally on your doorstep. If you have afelled tree, children can count the rings tofind out how old it was. The thickness ofeach ring shows what the growingconditions were that year.

Rather than learning about food chains

Teaching with Trees

Schoolgrounds-UK

from a book, children can explore them inreality, which will be a more meaningfullearning experience. Plan each outdoorlesson so that it develops children’sinvestigative skills. Involve them in:planning the investigation; collectingevidence; analysing the data.

A useful subject team planning sessioncan be spent looking at your currentlessons and identifying which could beinspired by using your outdoors.

GeographyChildren could map the trees in your

school grounds, plotting them onto eithera sketch map of the site or a scale plan. Foreach tree, children should consider whatthe purpose of the tree is: is it there forattractiveness, as a windbreak, or forenvironmental benefit?

Investigate what different types of treesare used for: timber, fruit, other resources. If you have non-native trees in yourgrounds, where did they originate? Use the trees in your grounds as a starting pointfor exploring the importance of trees forthe environment, whether at a local or aglobal level.

MathematicsTrees are a good starting point for

lessons on measurement, approximationand calculation.

To estimate the age of trees in your grounds:● Measure round the trunk of the tree

1.3 m from the ground with a length ofstring or a soft tape measure. Record themeasurement of the girth(circumference) in centimetres.

● A fast-growing tree, such as pine orwillow, increases its girth byapproximately 3 cm a year. Trees suchas oak, ash and beech grow more slowlyand increase their girth by about 2 cm a year.

● Divide the girth measurement by 2 or 3 accordingly to determine anapproximate age.Pupils could consider why such a

measure is only approximate, which links toScience work on how plant growth isaffected by conditions such as light, wateravailability and temperature.

Other measurements:Although some parts of the tree can be

measured accurately, height is likely to bebeyond reach. But, according to the ability

Trees are an iconic element in our landscape and present innearly every school. This Groundnotes provides an introductionto using them in the curriculum and advice on planting trees inyour grounds.

groundnotes • NOVEMBER 2007

TEACHING WITH TREES

timber for woodwork lessons. You couldinvite a professional woodworker orchainsaw sculptor in to demonstrate their skills.

Ask a local carpenter or sawmill if theycan provide samples of different types ofwood to allow children to explore thevariation between them and discuss howthey are suited for different purposes. Try toget examples of wood from the trees youhave in your grounds.

Consider planting an arboretum in yourgrounds containing some of the treeswhose wood is used commercially. If youhave a commercial forest within easytravelling distance, a visit can build linksbetween Technology, Geography, andBusiness / Enterprise learning and provide anew perspective on the ornamental trees inyour grounds.

Understanding societyThroughout history and across the

world, trees have been celebrated throughceremonies and traditions such as treedressing. Children could research differenttraditions, and perhaps recreate some inyour own grounds.

If you have an old tree in your groundsuse its life span to create a timeline ofevents. Children could research changes inclothing, transport or technologythroughout the tree’s life. Does the treepre-date the school? If so, might it be aremnant of a garden, woodland orhedgerow? What evidence can childrenfind in the local area, perhaps by looking atold maps, to support their ideas? Link yourown trees to trees in your wider communitythrough studying the history of woods inyour area.

of the children, it can be estimated using avariety of techniques:● stand a person of known height next to

the tree, and ask children to estimatehow many times taller the tree is;

● compare the ratio of the shadow of aknown object (e.g. a metre rule) withthe shadow of a tree;

● trigonometry.

Language, literacy and communications skills

Trees have long been immortalised inpoetry, sometimes specific ones (perhapsthere is one in your area?). Use your trees to create tree poetry or stories, you mightwant to start by reading works from other authors.

One nineteenth century Oxfordshireman was so inspired by his local beechtrees, he carved a poem on one,highlighting his passion for the landscape.Although the poem tree itself died in theearly 1990s, some of the poem survived onthe remaining trunk. We wouldn’t suggestyou go this far, but children could hangtheir poems on a tree, either on paper or

more permanently by writing withwaterproof felt-tips onto tiles andvarnishing them before hanging from the branches.

Expressive ArtsMusic, art or dance can all be inspired

by trees. Explore and celebrate how treeschange through the year and in differentweathers. Encourage close observation asthe starting point; spend quiet time amongyour trees, absorbing the sounds, sightsand textures.

Physical education and developmentExisting trees can be built into activity

trails around the grounds to set funphysical challenges.

A tree planting campaign not onlyenhances your grounds and improves the environment, but also provides hearty exercise!

TechnologyForestry is a major business and wood

an important construction material. If atree needs to be felled in your grounds,enquire whether you can have some of the

groundnotes • NOVEMBER 2007

TEACHING WITH TREES

Trees in your grounds

Which trees?Native trees, particularly those which

are local to your school, offer the bestwildlife and environmental value. However,consider whether your school groundsoffer them the conditions they haveevolved to cope with. Many schoolgrounds provide compacted and arid soils,atmospheric pollution and hotmicroclimates, a long way from thewoodland conditions they might bedesigned for. In these circumstances, youmay be better considering non-nativespecies, even though they may havereduced wildlife value.● Avoid creating slippery surfaces: plant

prolific fruiting species (e.g. hybridhawthorns and rowans) in grass so thatfruits don’t fall on pavements. Largeleaves can make footway surfacesextremely slippery (e.g. horse chestnut).Flowering species look beautiful inflower but soon leave a carpet of fallenpetals so make sure your caretaker ishappy about this!

● Trees best avoided near play areas arethose that produce poisonous fruits (e.g.female yews and laburnum); or whosefruits may cause stomachache if eaten(e.g. fruiting crab apples).

● Avoid affecting foundations ordisrupting surfaces or lightly foundedstructures such as boundary walls: sometrees have a high potential to extractmoisture from shrinkable soil (e.g.poplar and willow species); others arenotorious for producing suckers andsurface roots (e.g. white poplars, falseacacia and wild cherry).

● Trees that cast a dense shade and reachlarge dimensions (e.g. oaks andbeeches) are not suitable for plantingnear property because of the problem ofshading windows and gardens.

● If vandalism is likely then either use smalltrees (avoid using stakes or guardswhich draw attention to the plantedtrees, using thorny shrubs or bramblesto protect them) or use large maturetrees (staked effectively).

Where from?Local suppliers of trees may be listed in

the Yellow Pages under Nurseries –Horticultural or Garden Centres but mostof these will be suppliers of container-grown ornamental stock. For native trees inquantity your best starting point is tocontact the tree officer at your localCouncil, who should be able to give youthe names of local suppliers.

Organisations such as The Tree Counciland The Woodland Trust run trees for

Celebrating trees throughout the year

WinterThe Tree Council’s National Tree

Week, the annual winter tree plantingfestival and celebration of trees and woods,is held late November / early Decembereach year. As well as tree planting at sitesacross England, Wales, Scotland andNorthern Ireland, National Tree Weekactivities include tree dressing, woodcrafts,walks, talks, songs and storytelling.

SpringThe Tree Council’s Walk in the Woods

festival of walks, talks and other eventstakes place in town and countrysidethroughout May. It’s a great month to godown to the woods or enjoy the trees in a local park: spring flowers, birdsong and fresh green leaves make themparticularly inviting. Hold your own eventsin your school grounds, such as teddybears’ picnics, treasure hunts, games and storytelling.

SummerMost established tree festivals take place

in the autumn or spring, but we certainlyshouldn’t take our trees for granted in thesummer. The shade from trees is alwayswelcome on a sunny day, which makessummer an ideal time to decorate yourtrees to make them even more inviting. Or why not ask a local chainsaw artist intoschool to create benches and sculpturesout of tree trunks?

AutumnStarting on the autumn equinox

(considered to be the first day of autumn,around 22 September), the Tree Council’sSeed Gathering Season encourageseveryone, particularly schoolchildren andfamilies, to gather seeds to grow the treesof the future or to enjoy fruit in jams andpies. Go for a walk to collect seeds, nutsand fruits from local parks and woods ortake part in organised events. Seedsgathered from trees in your grounds orbeyond can be grown to plant in yourgrounds for future generations to enjoy.

,

groundnotes • NOVEMBER 2007

TEACHING WITH TREES

that would tear new roots out of the soil. Ifa tree grows healthily it should producesufficient new roots in one growing seasonto hold itself upright. Nevertheless it wouldbe prudent to leave the tree with the ‘prop’until the beginning of the second growingseason after planting. Then release the tieand gently push the tree to one side and,provided the soil does not break away fromaround the roots, remove the support. Bythe time the next autumn storms occurnatural anchorage should have developed.

Newly planted trees do not requiremuch ongoing maintenance though theywill benefit from watering during the driermonths. This can be a great way ofencouraging children to care for the trees,perhaps by setting up a rota. It can also bebeneficial to keep the mulch topped up asthis ensures the trees don’t have tocompete for water. If weeds grow throughthe mulch they can be removed by hand.

More informationMany organisations exist to provide

information and advice about trees at bothlocal and national levels.

The Woodland Trust is the UK’sleading conservation charity dedicated tothe protection of our native woodlandheritage. Their extensive websitewww.woodland-trust.org.uk includeslinks to their educational sections: Tree for All www.treeforall.org.uk;Nature Detectiveswww.naturedetectives.org.uk; Native Tree Shop www.native-tree-shop.com; andwww.british-trees.com which helpswith tree identification.

The Tree Council provides usefulinformation on planting and maintainingtrees, as well as their events and grants.www.treecouncil.org.uk

The Forestry Commission is thegovernment department responsible forthe protection and expansion of Britain’sforests and woodlands. Search for yournearest Commission-managed wood andread about their resources and services forschools at www.forestry.gov.uk

The Forest Education Initiativesupports Forest Schools and provideslearning resources atwww.foresteducation.org

schools schemes so check their website for availability.

When?It is best to place orders as early as

possible, by July or August for supply in thelate autumn / winter. Lifting of openground stock will take place from October /November, depending on the speciesconcerned and the season. If mild weathercontinues late into the autumn, lifting willhave to be delayed as it cannot be doneuntil cold weather has stopped plantgrowth and hardened shoots. Whenplacing an order, request delivery by acertain date if necessary, but be preparedto be flexible as either mild or very wetweather can affect lifting, just as very wetor cold weather can delay planting.

Planting Detailed advice on how to plant a tree

can be found in most gardening books, as well as on the websites of organisationssuch as The Woodland Trust and The Tree Council.

Some Dos and Don’ts that might notbe covered in general gardeningreferences

Do:● Get the landowner’s permission before

planting trees.● Consider the possible nuisance a tree

may cause in a particular situation e.g. ultimate size may cause problemswith shade, or touch / knock buildingsand windows.

● Remember that the likely range of amature broadleaved tree’s root activitymay often equal twice the ultimateheight of the tree. This can causeproblems on clay based soils wherefoundation collapse may occur as aresult of ground shrinkage due to theextraction of water by tree roots.

● Plant young trees. Generally the smallera tree when planted, the more readily itbecomes established and begins togrow. It is not uncommon for a self-settree seedling or whip to outgrow andreach maturity before a well maintainedstandard.

● Consider growing your own trees fromthe seeds of trees growing in or near thegrounds. This is not just because it is funto start your own tree nursery. Raisingtrees from seed or stock of local originhelps to ensure the survival of localgenetic strains which may be swampedby the widespread planting of trees ofnon-local or even non-British origin.

● Plant from October to March or Aprilbut try to avoid planting on days with

frosty or cold windy weather. Deciduoustrees are best planted before Christmas;evergreens are best planted either earlyor late in the season, when their rootsare somewhat active.Don’t:

● Plant trees in close proximity tobuildings / structures where they maycause structural damage either directly(e.g. boundary walls / paving) orindirectly (tree related subsidence).

● Plant under overhead services (e.g.electric cables, phone wires) or directlyover underground services.

● Obscure any road sightlines or roadsigns by planting on a boundary close to the road, or obscure street /security lighting.

● Damage interesting habitats, forexample by shading out old grassland,streams or ponds.

● Assume that because you don’t have anyopen ground, you can’t have any trees.Even without digging up hard surfaces,small trees can be grown in largeplanters, as long as you take care towater them.

MaintenanceA tree lifted from a nursery bed will have

lost up to four-fifths of its root system.What remains is insufficient to anchor thetree securely once it is replanted. Acontainer grown tree has a similar problembecause its roots are within a package ofcompost in which the roots will remain atfirst. The compost will slip in the backfill soilaround it. There is, therefore, a need toprovide temporary anchorage by using astake to hold newly planted trees uprightuntil new roots develop into thesurrounding soil. Only a short stake isneeded, reaching no more than one-thirdof the height of the trunk. A simple tie atthe top of the stake will reduce the swaying

© This resource was originally created as part of the Schoolgrounds-UKmembership scheme from the national school grounds charityLearning through Landscapesoperating in Scotland as Grounds for LearningA registered charity (No. 803270)

To find out more about membership call 01962 845811 or visit www.ltl.org.uk