MethodicalMadness Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 I'm looking for ideas for a reading tree. Pictures, anyone? :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aspasia Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 What is a reading tree? :confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristenR Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 Angela has one here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helena Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 Here's pics of our tree: http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/showthread.php?t=306350 Since it doesn't have branches to hang the leaves, I painted dowels with the same paint as the trunk. The branched are "floating" all over the ceiling (tied with fishing line on each end.) Last year for every book and fairytale read (we did a year long fairytale study), we wrote the name of the book on a leaf and hung it up. In fall we hung orange and brown leaves, winter was pre-cut snowflakes, spring a green leaf with a bud. We hole punched everything and used Christmas tree ornament hooks. By the end of the school year each season was spread across our ceiling. This year I found some beautiful cutouts: http://www.acornnaturalists.com/store/DYE-CUT-LEAVES-SEEDS-ACORNS-P4759C0.aspx for fall, I'll do the same snowflakes as last year, and these insects for spring: http://www.acornnaturalists.com/store/DOUBLE-SIDED-INSECT-PAPERS-P4582C0.aspx We're not going to write the names of the books on them this time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helena Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 What is a reading tree? :confused: It's a fun way to keep track reading. We start with a bare tree and add a leaf for each book read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 Yeah, ours is just flat against the wall in the hallway. I cut out bits of brown images from old magazines to make the trunk and just cut a leaf shape every time we need one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freeindeed Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 I'd never seen a reading tree until now. What a cool idea! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edeemarie Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 What a fantastic idea! Now to figure out how to work it into my decor since we don't have a dedicated school room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freeindeed Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 What a fantastic idea! Now to figure out how to work it into my decor since we don't have a dedicated school room. This is my dilemma as well.:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nrself Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 How cool! But I don't have any wall space. Creative mamas, help me think how to do this on the ceiling, please. Clouds? So a reading what? Nicole Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skadi Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 You've been reading up a storm, e.g. lightning bolts for every book? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helena Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 How cool! But I don't have any wall space. Creative mamas, help me think how to do this on the ceiling, please. Clouds? So a reading what? Nicole Before we had a tree or branches we were making diffusing paper leaves and hanging them from the ceiling with fishing line. They look amazing and they move gently if they're near an AC/heater vent! http://www.amazon.com/Roylco-Color-Diffusing-Paper-Shapes/dp/B002YK7W9G Clouds would look neat with a raindrop for each book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 This is such an amazing idea, I wish we had the space for it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helena Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 I always thought it would be cool to use one of these twig trees: http://www.amazon.com/BOO-Big-Scary-Haunted-Gothic-Halloween/dp/B003JNK3YS I've seen similar trees, maybe 12-18" tall. I'd like to hang beads from it. Again changing the colors to match each season. When I found our giant foam tree on Craigslist it kind of killed the desire to do this project. How many reading trees does a classroom need? :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FromA2Z Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 Thanks for the great idea. I have a wooden post in the middle of our basement schoolroom. I had planned on doing a chicka Chicka Boom Boom alphabet tree, but my boys already know there letters. The Reading Tree is perfect for it. For the one w/ no wall space...how about a Reading galaxy? You can hang planets, stars, asteroids, comets, etc . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnointedHsMom Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 I wanted a reading tree after seeing Annie Laurie's tree on her blog. I am no where near as creative as she was to even begin to try to do what she did AND I knew I wouldn't be happy with anything I made after seeing hers LOL. One day I was in Parent Teacher Store looking for a tree bulletin board or something like it to use as my reading tree. I looked at a couple that I thought were really cute like this one. I decided against that one because I wasn't sure 30 leaves for our books would be enough and I couldn't find any more leaves to use with it. I eventually found a bulletin board set called Rock Stars that came with lots of stars to use. It was a generic board so I wrote reading rock stars on the heading part and wrote our families names on it too. So every time we read a book we write the name of the book on the star and put the star around our rock group. I searched for my bulletin board set but it appears they don't have it anymore or don't carry it on their website but this incentive chart is a spin off of my set. I liked this set because there were all kinds of stars I could find when we ran out of the ones with the set. My boys like it too (probably because dad is a rocker himself:tongue_smilie:) We just have it on a door in our school area. It could be put anywhere really and it doesn't take a ton of space. I'll try to take a pic tomorrow and see if I can post it or link to it for ya'll. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alte Veste Academy Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 You've been reading up a storm, e.g. lightning bolts for every book? Oooh! Cute! We're about to start another variation on a reading tree. We are each (me too!) going to illustrate our favorite characters from the books we read this year (individual reading, history, lit, bedtime read-alouds--anything and everything). I've cut out a bunch of cardstock paper doll shapes for the project. Maybe we'll write a sentence or two on the back explaining why that character was a favorite...still debating that. At the end of the year, we will have a sort of yearbook snapshot of some of our best-loved characters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mohop Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 What a fantastic idea! Now to figure out how to work it into my decor since we don't have a dedicated school room. What about putting it in the kids' room(s)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nrself Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 Thanks ladies! BTW, what's diffusing paper? Nicole Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helena Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 Thanks ladies! BTW, what's diffusing paper? Nicole Diffusing paper is an absorbent fabric like paper. We use diluted food coloring and droppers to create random color designs and patterns. It's semi transparent so light coming through the paper looks very pretty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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