Weekend Fun: Winter Trees!
As fall slips into winter and leaves flutter to the ground, leaving tree trunks stark against the sky – we appreciate evergreen trees. Some keep their leaves throughout the year, others have needles instead of leaves – and some of these are brought indoors for holiday celebrations. The winter solstice happens on Tuesday, December 21. It is the shortest day of the year – or, to be clear, the shortest day of light (since we measure the day as 24 hours no matter what). The sun rises late and sets earlier than usual on December 21.
When the days are short and the earth is no longer lush and green like summer or vibrant with colorful leaves like autumn, we appreciate the beauty of the evergreens.
There are many books about trees in the library’s nonfiction collection. For stories, look for The Little Fir Tree by Hans Christian Andersen. The Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne is an early chapter book that also makes a great family read-aloud – and if you join the Library’s Winter Reading Program (beginning December 20), all the family members who listen can count this toward their reading.
Extend the fun with a winter tree activity!
Make a Winter Tree
What you need:
- craft stick
- assorted paper scraps
- scissors
- glue
- string or twine or ribbon
- tape
What you do:
- Cut the scrap paper into 1/2-inch strips, about 2 inches long. You will need 5 strips.
- Apply glue to the craft stick.
- Place one strip across the craft stick (at right angles).
- Snip the next strip so it is slightly smaller than the first one.
- Glue it just above the first strip.
- Repeat with the remaining strips, snipping a little more off each one so that they are in graduated sizes.
- Tie a loop in the string and tape it to the top.
- Hang your tree on your holiday tree or in a window!
A limited number of kits for this craft is available at the Main Library Children’s Desk – but you can make it with materials you have on hand at home, too.
