By Jean Cox, Executive Director Friends of Pinchgut Creek, former member of the Trussville Tree Commission
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Photo credit: Abigail Hubbard
As a child, I couldn’t wait to take off my shoes and climb the tree in my yard as soon as the school bus dropped me off. I would happily sit in the fork of the tree for hours, reading Highlights magazines or other books I had borrowed from the library. My parents knew they could find me either up a tree or down in the woods at a nearby fishing pond. I spent my time doing what kids are made for; something I think more kids should be doing these days.
The cute little opposable thumbs and flexible feet our children are born with are certainly made for climbing trees. If we let them climb and play freely, they can grow and learn things that their parents can’t easily teach them. Children need to learn how big they really are. They need to learn to assess risks and figure out how to overcome their fear. They need to learn to make their own decisions and plans. Climbing trees teaches them all of these things and more.
Researchers at the University of North Florida have published a report showing that working memory and cognitive function are improved by climbing trees. This seems like an interesting thing to investigate. It only makes sense that when you expose kids to nature and challenge themselves, they’ll get smarter. But these researchers broke down the why with big words like “proprioception,” which means awareness of your body’s movements and alignment to accomplish tasks. When kids climb trees, they’re really using everything they’ve got: thinking about their abilities, moving all their muscles, calculating course, and overcoming obstacles. They’re doing great things! We’ve got to give them credit for it.
Unfortunately, it’s hard to find climbing trees these days. We can’t have them in public places or on municipal property because of liability concerns. Trees are intentionally pruned to limit access. I think in a perfect world, every town would have a climbing forest where children can climb freely, just as nature intended. This climbing forest would have to be littered with signs warning of the dangers and limiting liability, and an attorney would have to be on site signing waivers for parents. So I guess we just need to make sure we have trees in our own yards that are good for climbing. Elms, oaks, birches, and magnolias are great climbing trees. Mature crepe myrtles work too, if they’re not over-pruned. Apples always taste sweeter when you have to climb a tree to pick them, but it takes a long time for apple trees to get big enough to climb.
If you don’t have a climbing tree, please plant one. Our children need them. Parents should probably spend more time in the trees too. To make sure it’s a safe tree for your child, you should climb it first and check the strength of the branches.
Leave them alone. Let them climb trees.
