Can Planting and Caring for Trees Save the World?
Bo Lebo, July 11, 2021
What if trees can support confidence, calm, and generosity? What if they feed, nourish, shade, and protect pollinators, birds, bugs, crops, animals and people? What if they produce oxygen for the world, keep moisture in the soil, cool the neighborhood in hot weather, and form a green belt to stop desertification?
What if trees can stimulate curiosity, awe and wonder in children, and aid their learning of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)?
Well, GLOBE (Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment) has been studying our trees and monitoring their health for the last three years in the Trees Around the GLOBE Student Research Campaign. With participants from over fifty countries, the campaign includes students, educators, citizen scientists, subject matter experts, and scientists from six continents. The campaign focuses on tree height, combined with looking at land cover, greenings, and carbon cycle. Over the last two years, students have entered tens of thousands of measurements and observations into the GLOBE database for the use of researchers.
Students not only learn while doing, their data support professional research papers. To see how it works, check out Online Tools for Student Research with Video Tutorials.
This week, the Annual GLOBE Meeting July 12-16 presents teachers from over 100 countries with the latest methods to inspire students of all ages and all countries to excel in STEM. A Tree Family Guide is downloadable for free. The Earth Observer app is available at the Apple Store and Google Store. This means you too can take up this planting STEM citizen science hobby.
Sharing terrific virtual international science symposia posters on Youtube, student vloggers, and infectious enthusiasm, GLOBE offers new ways to help students conquer core studies with iPads, tablets, smart phones, and computers.
Whether looking at rubber trees on Wikipedia or measuring a real tree in your backyard, or checking out books, speeches, podcasts, or a summer reading list, GLOBE resources excite children to get outside and measure and plant and care for trees. This could be a great summer to discover compassion, caring, communication and science – all at the same time.
Here's more fun resources on trees, for kids from 5 to 95:
Trees Around the GLOBE Student Research Campaign
The Mother Tree Project
The Which Way Tree that shaped Texas' destiny
Who knew we can learn about soil, restore our relationships to our forests, and have fun at home or at school all because we are connected and we are learning how trees can teach us to manage water, clean up our air, mediate CO2 emissions for the sake of everybody. Hopefully you will take the less taken path and join NASA and local community team members with rigorous experimentation and relevant discovery that can cool the earth and connect us to Nature, Health, and Well-Being. Chose the branch that will lead you to restoring balance, peace of mind, and freedom through STEM exploration and working collaborately.