The Tree House

Kids connecting with trees

I remember the tree house we built in my backyard when I was a kid. It was a multiyear summer project. My friends and I were the general contactors. We built it using scraps we could find. It included used lumber of  and pieces of plywood. When we ran out of manufactured wood we searched the forest for useful pieces of material. It was held together with rusty bent nails. As time went on our creation became better.

The picture above looks nothing like our tree house. A dad built this one.

Do kids still build their own tree houses?

When we think about the benefits of trees our mind tends toward a usual list.

• tree clean the air.
• filter the water
• cool our climate
• shelter for wildlife
• raise property values
• they are pretty

While the points are all very true, the list doesn't resonate. The real benefits of trees come from the experiences shared with them.

Some of the real benefits of trees, from a kid's perspective

• explore reality
• a chance to climb
• freedom and imagination

Does your neighbourhood have enough tree houses?

Do your kids climb trees?