Some words from John Muir

I realized after my last entry that I did not actually include any samples of John Muir’s writings about trees. Here are a few to inspire:

“I never saw a discontented tree.  They grip the ground as though they liked it, and though fast rooted they travel about as far as we do.  They go wandering forth in all directions with every wind, going and coming like ourselves, traveling with us around the sun two million miles a day, and through space heaven knows how fast and far!”

“A few minutes ago every tree was excited, bowing to the roaring storm, waving, swirling, tossing their branches in glorious enthusiasm like worship.  But though to the outer ear these trees are now silent, their songs never cease.  Every hidden cell is throbbing with music and life, every fiber thrilling like harp strings, while incense is ever flowing from the balsam bells and leaves.  No wonder the hills and groves were God’s first temples, and the more they are cut down and hewn into cathedrals and churches, the farther off and dimmer seems the Lord himself.”

“We all travel the milky way together, trees and men… trees are travellers, in the ordinary sense.  They make journeys, not very extensive ones, it is true:  but our own little comes and goes are only little more than tree-wavings – many of them not so much”

And if you’re inspired to read one of his stories, click here to check out John Muir’s recount of one of his experiences climbing to the top of a 100-foot Douglas Spruce!

Enjoy!

Lesson Plan: Story of a Tree

Begin the lesson by talking about the life cycle of a tree. Take your students outside and gather around the base of a tree (size doesn’t matter). Begin reading an excerpt from the writings of John Muir. He often will tell stories about his observations–speculating about what a tree, plant, animal, or other element of nature may of seen or experienced. After reading the excerpt, ask your students to think about the life of this tree they are observing–How did it get here? What types of difficulties might it have experienced as it was growing up? Are their any clues that have been left behind on the trunk, branches, or leaves of the tree that would further illustrate it’s life? Have the students write and/or draw a story about their tree. Ideally, they might incorporate both text and images into their stories.

(If you want to take this project a step further, you might want to first have a paper or book-making lesson using recycled paper and materials. The students could then rewrite their books onto this paper.)