What tree will you be like?

Today’s Forest School session with Oak Class began with a story about a Native American boy. He chose the leaves of certain trees to put in his head-dress, so that the qualities of the tree would pass onto him.
He chose beech, because it grows tall and strong, like he wanted to be.
He chose birch, because its bark is used to make fire, because he wanted to be able to keep his family warm.
He chose apple, because it gives food, and he wanted to be able make sure his family were fed.
He chose hazel, because it grows straight and is used to make fences, and he wanted to keep his family safe.
He chose hawthorn, because its berries feed the birds as well as humans, and he wanted to share nature with all living things.
He chose willow, because it can be used for so many jobs, and he wanted to be able to do all that his family needed.
He chose poplar, because the white backs of leaves show before a storm, and he wanted to be able to warn his people if danger was near.
After they had listened to the story, the children searched for different leaves, and then we made head-dresses with the leaves they had chosen.