This is day 24 of the 25 day nativity series entitled, 25 Hands-On Nativity Lessons for Kids. In this series, the 24th day is about Jesus as a boy growing up with strength and wisdom. I wanted to incorporate a hands-on lesson that would help a child understand how Jesus grew up strong in stature, wisdom, and in grace. I thought if I compared the boy Jesus growing up as "strong as a tree" that may help to explain through nature the beautiful character of the child Jesus.

"And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him." Luke 2:40

"And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man." Luke 2:52

The strength of the tree is in it's roots and how firmly those roots are embedded in the ground. The tree can only grow strong if it has nutrition from the earth and also water. The Word of God is our daily bread and water. Mary taught Jesus about the beauty of the Scriptures on her knee with the help of the Holy Spirit. Jesus also learned about God through the beauty of his country home and nature that was all around him. He was from a poor peasant family who had to work hard to survive. Jesus grew up knowing how to work with his hands as a carpenter and these many hours of labor kept his mind occupied on noble tasks. Jesus had deep "roots" in the Word of God and because of this he developed in wisdom and favor with God.

Plus, Christmas is the perfect time of year to learn about different types of trees, especially trees that stay green all winter long. Please enjoy these 5 "strong as a tree" kid activities with your children and make sure to scroll all the way down to the bottom for a list of awesome facts about the mighty Redwood tree.

Nature Tree with Shapes Provocation

A provocation is setting up an opportunity for your child to explore with materials. For more information on what a provocation is, please visit - What is a Provocation?

This is a simple provocation for a toddler or preschool aged child. I cut out two shapes - a triangle and a rectangle to form an evergreen tree shape. Then I placed one bowl of pine needles and one bowl of bark and encouraged my child to match up the natural shapes with the cut out paper shapes. I also had a lego shaped evergreen tree as inspiration.

Lego Tree for Hands-On Fun

The lego tree was designed by me and is purely just for fun. Little Bee is attracted to this lego tree and is constantly taking it apart. He then rebuilds his own "style" of tree.

Montessori Botany Nomenclature Set

This laminated book is part of a Montessori Botany Nomenclature 3-part Card Set for Primary 3-6 years. However, for a younger aged child, a book with only a select few laminated cards is perfect for having a hands-on visual learning tool for tots. This small laminated book is also great for a toddler to carry around the house and look at when desired.

Montessori Tree Puzzle

I love this beautiful Montessori tree puzzle for a hands-on learning experience with the different parts of a tree. This is a great time to teach your child about how the tree functions. It carries nutrients up from its roots through the trunk, to the branches, and finally to its leaves.

I do not own my own tree puzzle yet... so my Montessori blogging friend, Elaine graciously let me use these sweet pictures of her son assembling the tree puzzle. She has a beautiful blog called, Planting Peas where she writes amazing posts on her Montessori homeschooling journey.

Redwood Craft and Facts

I wanted to teach Little Bee that Jesus grew strong like a mighty Redwood tree. So I cut out a Redwood tree from a tall box and used finger paints with a circular brush to paint the tree. The tree stands taller than Little Bee. He raised his hands up to try to touch the top in the photo below. Here are several interesting facts about Redwood trees:

- Tallest trees on earth (up to 350 ft)

- Some Redwoods can live up to 2,000 years

- Found on the Northern Coast of California and Oregon

- The roots of the Redwoods spread 50-60 feet out and intertwine with the roots of other Redwoods which is why they can stand so strong and tall.

Information gleaned from "Facts About the Redwood Tree."

Thanks for visiting!

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Botany 101 for Toddlers: Our Study of Trees