The Learning Tree: Large Wooden Sculpture

I wanted to brighten the dreary patio outside my classroom door with a 10 foot sculpture: The Tree of Learning. This represents the growth and change I expect from my students as they strive to become better versions of themselves. I used three 8'X4' pieces of nice birch wood: two boards for tree shapes, and the 3rd board (and scrap pieces from the first 2 boards) were used to make fluffy tree leaf cloud shapes. 

Once these were cut out and edges sanded, a slit was cut (the width of the board) 4 feet up from the bottom, on one tree, and a slit 4 feet down from the top of the other tree.

Students helped paint every part of the tree front and back in black. There were a handful of students with a little bit of vision who I trusted to follow the marks of dark brown bark (both sides of both trunks and every extra big of root pieces). Then light brown to fill in some gaps and brighten it up. I painted dark green spirals throughout the leafy areas and then students traced with a lighter green, before doing 3rd green which was the lightest and yellowest green. 

Students brushed two layers of deck sealant on both sides of each piece of wood, totally 6 coats (of paint and sealant) on each side of the tree top. With a day to dry between each coat, it was a long process.

I bought a 5 foot pole to put in the ground and strap the tree to, and I made sure that none of the roots were touching dirt directly since that will promote rot. Hopefully we'll get some gravel or pebbles to fill in around the base and that the tree will weather well.

 

History of Architecture Totem Pole

The sensory garden at the Academy for the Blind is a place where "orientation and mobility" training can take place, as students have to navigate paths that go from brick to pebbles, to mulch. There are wind chimes, and the smells of pine and rosemary. But there wasn't much to touch there until a four years ago, when my students each made a part of our Georgia totem pole, displaying the state bird, flower, fish, reptile , motto, map, and more!

Two years ago, we added a school spirit pole, complete with braille I LOVE GAB, a Perkins Brailler, white canes, our school mascot, and glasses. We even had an un-vailing ceremony with drummers, cheerleaders, a speech about the symbolism of the piece.

This year, my students were studying architecture and each one picked a famous building from art history to write about. Then they creatd a 3D version in clay, with a clay cylinder through the center of each sculpture. These were then strung on a metal pole in the ground, filled with Great Stuff, that foams and hardens. We piped caulk between each layer to keep moisture and bugs out.

I've spotted students feeling the pole and trying to guess the name of each famous building: From the pyramids to the Guggenheim.