a full day workshop exploring trees around the world and their importance to our biosphere

For Junior grades - time: 50 minutes

Dramatic Story presentation with drum and song -‘The Baobab Tree’ an original story by Glenn, light hearted and funny that explores the importance of this wonderful ancient and unusual  looking African tree with its valuable medicines, food, clothing and other things. It will also  address the character education concept of not judging things by how they look, in this case  as it applies to trees. 

Interactive Component
Meet our comic characters Mrs. Margery Maple and the Tree Grinch. 
Margery has a problem. The Tree Grinch is putting harmful things on and around her, leaving junk around, cutting down her neighbors for no reason and generally causing mayhem.  Margery needs the students help to convince him that there is a better way. How do we convince the Tree Grinch in time before he makes Margery sick?

We will explore questions that include "What's do trees need to be healthy?", "What's bad for trees?", "Who lives in trees?" and "How do trees change in the seasons?"  

Finishing Music Component – interactive song using upper body movements and sounds

For Middle grades - time: 50 - 60 minutes

Two Dramatic Story presentations with song

Baobab Tree Story “The Uglies”– Africa (see above)

Bamboo Tree Story “The Promise” – Asia: An original story by Glenn presented in multi-media format with computer generated art slides that explains the unusual growth pattern of this distinctive tree. It too explores character education through its child characters who must keep a promise to care for a tree for many years while seeing no change in the plant.

Slide show showing the world's largest and oldest trees around the world.
          
Interactive Component
Meet Sammie the Tree Doctor who travels the world helping trees in distress. Francine the Giraffe gallops in from Africa with an alarming message from the Great Baobab tree!
How can we help them? What happens if too many trees are cut down? Do little trees need parent trees? What kinds of creatures live in trees? What kinds of trees do we have in Muskoka and how do they help us?

Finishing Song – ‘Breathing Together’ an interactive song about our interdependence with trees.  What they exhale, we inhale and vise versa.

For Senior grades - time: 70 - 85 minutes

World Trees slide show

Ecological Forum Workshop
We would like to facilitate a gathering which we’ve tentatively called Ecological Forum Workshop where students can share information they have researched and together discuss strategies concerning trees.

We propose to students be given the following 6 topics at least 10 days prior to the workshop. In groups/teams students will chose a topic from those listed below to research. This is not envisioned as a classroom initiative, though if teachers want to be involved, that's great. I’m hoping that students can gather to research when computers are available or/and individually at home where possible.

In our workshop each group/team will present their findings.

This is all subject to the teachers’ approval. You may wish to have Grade 6 included in this forum. You and your teachers will know what are the best groupings.

Here is a list of suggested topics.

• The World's Oldest Trees - What kinds of trees are they; where are they located; why is it important that we protect them; tell us the name of at least one person who has made it their mission to protect them?  Any thing else you'd like to tell us.

• Rainforest - What is its importance to the global biosphere; what is the importance of tree canopy; who lives in the canopy; how does the cutting down of the rainforest affect the soil; how does it affect the indigenous population?  Anything else you'd like to add.
• Our changing climate – How are trees impacted by climate change; what are the effects of de-forestation in relationship to climate change? Anything else you'd like to add.
• The Bamboo tree - Where is the bamboo tree found in the world; what is the growing cycle of the bamboo tree and how is that different from other trees; what can the growing cycle of the bamboo tree teach us; what things are made from the bamboo?  Anything else you'd like to add.
• Tools and Implements of Survival – What important tools/implements/artifacts have been made from trees from the earliest times of humans? How did they help us to survive? Which of them can still be used today effectively? Anything else you’d like to add.

'Breathing' by Glenn Copeland  © Granny Mabel Leaf's Music Publishing 2009 SOCAN