What is in a pine cone?

At the end of our cul-de-sac stands a lone big pine tree, many, many years old. The tree is a favourite climbing tree with the neighborhood children and they call the place “Pinecone Island”. Over the years, the children have collected many pine cones, which have all been stored in the “clubhouse” at the back of our garden. It is time for a new life for these cones and what better place then in our garden at preschool.

I spread them out in a patch at the back of our garden. They will not remain there for long. Soon they will be dispatched throughout the garden as the children carry them around during their explorations. Another batch gets added to the collection a few days later as I find a whole lot of pine cones on the ground during one of my walks with my family. These cones are very different as they are from a different pine specie. There are pine branches scattered around on the ground too, as some trees have been cut down, and I bring some along for more exploration.

It is amazing how a simple thing, like a pine cone and some branches, can create many learning experiences. While the children are carrying and turning the pine cones they notice that there is more to a pine cone then meets the eye. There are mature and not mature pine cones, there are the females and the males. They discover the different textures and shapes they feel in their hand as they hold the different cones. They discover, crunch, crunch, that walking over the patch of pine cones is rather wobbly on their feet.

The female pine cones have the seeds inside, which are very tricky to get out, depending on their maturity. Tweezers might help. A close up look shows that the scales overlap each other like fish scales and are arranged in Fibonacci number ratios. The children might not know about Fibonacci numbers, but they certainly notice the pattern. And when they take the time to examine a mature pine cone a bit further they discover there are all sorts of creatures hiding inside a pine cone and a magnifying glass reveals some interesting little bugs.

Closer examination also reveals that some pine cones are disintegrated, some are decomposing, while some still look intact. Could they have been dinner for the rabbits, or mice, or maybe possums?

The pine branches are met with curiosity, as their prickly needles give an interesting touch. We talk about those needles, which are the "leaves" of the tree. A magnifying glass provides interesting discoveries as the children look at the male pine cones or pollen cones as they are sometimes called.

Over the days, the children use the pine cones to make patterns, to line them up, to position them in a circle or make a square. They look for the largest, when you are four years old, finding the biggest anything always seems like the ultimate victory. They are having a great time sharing and judging their discoveries with each other, "this one is larger then that one".

If you are two years old and you want to carry more then two of these big pine cones to the table, you literally have a challenging task on hand. Pick up two, drop three, pick up another one, drop two.

Pine cones are hidden treasures that are easy to find. The next time you go for a walk, see if you can find a pine cone. When you pick it up, share it with your child, you may be looking at someone’s home .