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The Olive Tree
In the first session, we take a look at the olive tree. There are olive trees in the garden of Gethsemane near Jerusalem and in the French Riviera that are estimated to be over 2000 years old. Olives can still be found in the wild, but they have been successfully cultivated for about 10,000 years.Session 1
Amazing Ancient Trees
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Today we start our new Creativity Ray, Amazing Ancient Trees, trees that live over 1000 years
Game – How long can they live?
Today we are looking at the olive tree. Show a branch (it doesn’t have olives yet because it needs to have been growing for about 40 years before it fruits).
Video 1650+ year Old Olive Tree
How would you describe the tree?
Have you heard of the painter Van Gogh (sunflowers, starry night)? When he had bad mental health, he booked himself into an asylum in France and spent a lot of time painting the olive trees in its grounds.
He was fascinated by the way the sunlight changed the colours of the trees and by their wonderful gnarled trunks (show a picture). You can try and copy some of his pictures later.
Games
Children hold up cards showing animals/plants and other children put them in order of lifespan (maximum)
- house mouse – 4 years
- dog – 29 years
- cat – 38 years
- polar bear – 42 years
- Asian elephant – 86 years
- Macaw – 100 years
- Galapagos tortoise – 190 years
- bowhead whale – 245 years
- bristlecone pine tree – 4862 years
- human – 122 years
Give answers
Why do some things live longer?
- cold – everything slower
- small animals are prey – put more energy into having babies
Why can some trees live so long?
- grow slowly
- can regrow lost parts (have meristems)
- can pause growth when conditions are bad
Videos
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