Workshop 2: Trees: Providers of Life

Beautiful orange sunset over a deep blue ocean. — Tapestry is Sunsetting

The UUA is no longer updating Tapestry of Faith programs.

Part of Circle of Trees

In This Section

Introduction
From Circle of Trees

To be poor and be without trees is to be the most starved human being in the world. To be poor and have trees is to be completely rich in ways that money can never buy. — Clarissa Pinkola Estes, author of Women Who Run With the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype This workshop…
Workshop-at-a-Glance
From Circle of Trees

Activity Minutes Welcoming and Entering Opening 5 Activity 1: Rise Up for Trees, Team Up for Trees 10 Activity 2: Guided Imagery — Among the Trees 5 Activity 3: Story — You’re Saved by Something Green 10 Activity 4: Tree Jeopardy 15 Activity 5: Song — Standing Like a Tree 10 Faith in Action:…
Spiritual Preparation
From Circle of Trees

Find a place where you can be quiet with your thoughts. Close your eyes and breathe deeply for several minutes, perhaps repeating a word or phrase to separate yourself from the activities of the day….
Welcoming and Entering
From Circle of Trees

Materials for Activity Cloth for altar or centering table Leaf name tags from the previous workshop, plus a few blank extras, and markers Basket for name tags Preparation for Activity Place the cloth and chalice on the altar or centering table. Set the name tags in the basket with a marker nearby.
Opening
From Circle of Trees

Activity time: 5 minutes Materials for Activity Chalice, candle, and lighter or LED/battery-operated candle Newsprint, markers, and tape Chalice lighting words and “Our Covenant” from the previous workshop Preparation for Activity Select an area where the group can comfortably sit in a circle….
Activity 1: Rise Up for Trees / Team Up for Trees
From Circle of Trees

Activity time: 10 minutes Materials for Activity Workshop 1, Leader Resource 1, Rise Up for Trees / Team Up for Trees Preparation for Activity Choose the ice-breaker that you didn’t do in the last workshop. Read the resource and practice giving clear instructions, so you will be comfortable…
Activity 2: Guided Imagery - Among the Trees
From Circle of Trees

Activity time: 5 minutes Materials for Activity Workshop 1, Leader Resource 2, Guided Imagery — Among the Trees Preparation for Activity Practice reading the guided imagery so that you will be comfortable leading it. Description of Activity Invite participants to make themselves comfortable and…
Activity 3: Story - You're Saved by Something Green
From Circle of Trees

Activity time: 10 minutes Materials for Activity Story, “You’re Saved by Something Green” Preparation for Activity Read the story, so you will be comfortable leading it. Review the discussion questions in the activity, and add some of your own if desired. Description of Activity Invite the…
Activity 4: Tree Jeopardy
From Circle of Trees

Activity time: 15 minutes Materials for Activity Leader Resource 1, Tree Jeopardy Answers and Questions Poster board and markers Optional: A computer with PowerPoint software, and a digital projector Preparation for Activity Create the Tree Jeopardy game on poster board….
Activity 5: Song - Standing Like a Tree
From Circle of Trees

Activity time: 10 minutes Materials for Activity Newsprint and makers Leader Resource 2, Standing Like a Tree Optional: Computer with Internet access Preparation for Activity Watch a YouTube video of a kindergarten class singing “Standing Like a Tree” to familiarize yourself with the song….
Closing
From Circle of Trees

Activity time: 5 minutes Materials for Activity Newsprint, markers, and tape Taking It Home Basket for name tags Preparation for Activity Download the Taking It Home section of this workshop to reflect the activities this group has done. Copy it as a handout for all participants. (You may wish to…
Leader Reflection and Planning
From Circle of Trees

Meet with your co-leader after the workshop to reflect on the following: How was the mix of discussion and action? In the midst of the busy-ness, did you successfully include spiritual elements? How well did the activities include everyone? Were the activities appropriate for the ages in the group?
Faith In Action: Planning the Project
From Circle of Trees

Materials for Activity Information about the project chosen in the first workshop Newsprint, markers, and tape Preparation for Activity Share the project selected in Workshop 1, Faith in Action with the director of religious education, and obtain their feedback….
Taking It Home: Trees: Providers of Life
From Circle of Trees

To be poor and be without trees is to be the most starved human being in the world. To be poor and have trees is to be completely rich in ways that money can never buy. — Clarissa Pinkola Estes, author of Women Who Run With the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype IN TODAY’S…
You're Saved by Something Green

Charlene Brotman

From Circle of Trees

From The Kids’ Book of Awesome Stuff (Brotman-Marshfield Curriculum, June 2004). Used with permission. Take a deep breath. The air you just breathed in is different from the air you just breathed out. The air you breathed out is a gas that can suffocate you if too much of it gets in the air. That…
Leader Resource 1: Tree Jeopardy Answers and Questions
From Circle of Trees

Category: Now I Can Breathe 100. Trees block these life-giving rays to cool the air beneath their branches. (What is sunlight?) 200. One large tree provides four people with a day’s worth of this essential gas, critical for life on planet Earth. (What is oxygen?) 300….
Leader Resource 2: Standing Like a Tree

Betsy Rose

From Circle of Trees

Standing like a tree (stand straight and tall) With my roots dug down (stomp each foot into ground with the words “dug” and “down”) My branches wide and open (extend arms overhead and stretched out) Come down the rain (wiggle fingers as if they are raindrops) Come down the sun (hold arms overhead…
Find Out More
From Circle of Trees

Explore more the benefits of trees at these websites: Arbor Day Foundation North Carolina State University’s Trees of Strength program Tree People Learn about the urban “heat island” effect at the EPA website….

Download all of Circle of Trees (Word) (PDF) to edit or print.

The UUA is no longer updating Tapestry of Faith programs.

Workshop 2: Trees: Providers of Life

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