Today we spent the morning at Strathcona County's Arbor Day Celebration!
We were in awe of the arborists! We learned that they are "tree doctors". We saw several of their special tools, including the chain saws! We met several arborists who gave us an amazing demonstration!
To keep our energy up, a quick cookie hit the spot!
Trees have birthdays too! We learned to count the rings on a tree "cookie" and learned how drought and the seasons affect the rings. We even got to practice on our own little "tree cookie":
Our hearts were pumping at the "Nature-cize" obstacle course:
We planted our very own seedling in biodegradable cups, so that the cup can be planted along with the tree. Trees will come home next week. We also met Bertie Beaver, Alberta's fire prevention celebrity and mascot!
We headed towards a treed area to build "fairy houses" with dead material (e.g. sticks on the ground, fallen pine cones). What a collaborative, creative activity!
We learned about the importance of fire safety. We were strongly cautioned that fires are dangerous and never to be played with. We were, however, surprised to learn that forest fires are a natural part of the forest ecosystem and can play a role in maintaining a healthy forest.
We each received reusable lunch bags filled with snacks and we settled in for an interactive performance by Crescendo Music Studio's musician Laurelle!
Strathcona County put on a fabulous Arbor Day for us and we had so much fun learning about trees! We are called to care for all God created and learned more about being stewards for our big, beautiful earth!
