First graders have been hard at work in the Design Lab working on a project that ties in with their unit of inquiry on Sharing the Planet. Students were amazed to learn about all of the different sections of a tree and how they develop from the inside out. To demonstrate what they learned, the class created a tree using braiding skills and shaping materials such as pipe cleaners, clay, paper, tin foil, and paper mache. They began by studying root systems and how trees communicate with one another, which was portrayed by molded clay “roots” at the tree’s base and braided pipecleaners “underground.” Students each molded their own branch to affix to the tree’s trunk, larger branches on the bottom, and smaller, younger branches at the top. They learned how photosynthesis transports nutrients from sunlight through the leaves to the roots, and how roots transport nutrients up and down the tree via the wet cambium layer just under the bark. First graders loved creating the wet cambium layer with paper mache and completed their tree with beautiful deciduous paper mache and cut-paper leaves.