Outside Is In: Meet a Tree

Posted by Martin Fortin

Lesson Purpose: To identify with a tree using the senses of touch, sight, hearing and smell.

1. Ask the students to find a partner.
2. Explain that one student from the pairs will be blindfolded. The other student will carefully and gently lead the blindfolded partner to a nearby tree.
3. The seeing partner will then instruct the blindfolded partner to "meet the tree" by encouraging hi mor her to explore the tree as high and low as possible, to hug it, smell it, knock on it, etc. The blindfolded student should get to know the tree as well as possible using all senses but sight.
4. The seeing partner will then lead the blindfolded partner back to the starting point where they can then remove the blindfold.
5. The formerly blindfolded partner now tries to find his or or tree. (Hopefully the seeing partner has taken them in a circuitous route to that they can not walk directly back to the tree.)
6. The roles are then switched and the game is played again.
7. A discussion following the activity can lead many directions: senses, identification of trees, diversity among forest communities, etc.