Tapestry of Faith: World of Wonder: A Program on the Seven Principles of Unitarian Universalism for Grades K-1

Faith In Action: Tree Planting

Part of World of Wonder

Materials for Activity

  • Information about various tree-planting campaigns
  • Tree(s), shovels, water, garden gloves

Preparation for Activity

  • Explore tree-planting options at organizations such as the national Arbor Day Foundation, which charges a $10 membership fee and provides ten free trees upon joining, or a local organization such as Trees Atlanta.
  • Choose a location and secure appropriate congregational permissions.
  • Optional: If the congregation participates in the UUA Green Sanctuary program, invite members of that committee to participate in Faith in Action activities as appropriate.
  • Choose native or non-invasive trees to plant and purchase, or find smaller, free trees.
  • Set a date for planting trees.
  • Publicize your effort and sign up volunteers from participants' families and the wider congregation.

Description of Activity

This Faith in Action activity engages children in the direct action of planting trees to help protect the environment for future generations.

If trees need to be purchased, you might ask individual families to "sponsor" a tree or ask a local nursery to donate a few trees. If possible, have families pick up the trees to be planted, so children can see the process from start to finish.

Give participants active roles so they will learn the steps involved in tree planting. Talk to participants about the importance of trees. Tell them about the particular kinds of trees you are planting. On the day of the planting, take pictures of the young tree(s) and the children planting them. You might display a photo montage of the project for members of the congregation. After the planting, publicly thank all the people involved in the project. Consider holding a worship service on the environment or trees on the day you will do the planting. If this is not possible, highlight the tree planting during a later worship service or in the congregation's newsletter. If your congregation celebrates a Water Communion at the start of the program year, consider using some of the combined water to water the tree(s) each fall.