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Pause for Thought: Another Ring, Another Year

Every experience leads to growth

by the Revd Oliver Harrison (revised, originally published in 2014)

Suitable for Whole School (Pri)

Aims

To use the rings of a tree to consider the year ahead.

Preparation and materials

  • Have available a piece of wood where the grain is clearly visible. Ideally, this would be a cross-section of a trunk or branch that shows the growth rings. If this is not available, you will need an image of a piece of wood where the grain is clearly visible and the means to display it during the assembly. An example is available at: https://tinyurl.com/fr8hwxds

Assembly

  1. Introduce the idea of a new year, whether it is a new school year or a new calendar year.

    Ask the children, ‘What may change as a new year begins?’

    Listen to a range of responses.

    Suggestions may include that the year number on the date will change; the children may have a new teacher or classroom; and new children may have arrived at school.

  2. Show the piece of wood where the grain is clearly visible, or an image of it.

    Point out the rings on the cross-section and explain that a tree grows a new ring every year.

    Ask a volunteer to come forward to count the rings.

  3. Explain that in some years, trees grow considerably and the rings are fat and wide. This would happen in a good year for plant growth, when there has been plenty of rain and sunshine.

    In some years, however, trees only grow a little, so the rings are thin and narrow. This would be a bad year for tree growth, maybe due to the weather being too cold or not enough rain falling.

  4. Wood is amazing! Each piece of wood has its own story to share. It tells its own history about the weather and the conditions in each year of its growth. Whether the conditions are good or bad, a tree still grows a new ring.

  5. Explain that during the coming year, both good and bad things will happen to everyone. There will be things that are sad, happy, frightening, exciting and so on.

    Ask the children to think of other adjectives to describe the experiences that they may face.

    We should remember that each experience is a time when we can grow, learn, have fun and do good things.

  6. Ask the children whether they know what job Jesus did up to the age of about 30. Explain that he was a carpenter, which would have involved him making new wooden furniture and repairing broken wooden objects.

    Christians believe that Jesus came to earth to fix a world that was broken.

Time for reflection

Ask the children to think about the piece of wood that they were looking at and think about the year that has just passed.

- What has happened in that year?
- Would the children say that it was a year where they grew and learnt a lot?

Pause to allow time for reflection or listen to a range of responses.

Ask the children to think about the year ahead.

- What would they like to achieve this year?

Pause to allow time for reflection or listen to a range of responses.

Prayer
Dear Lord,
Thank you that you are always with us through good and difficult times.
As we move into a new year, please help us to learn from everything that happens to us.
Please help us to live in a way that helps others and cares for the world.
Amen.

Publication date: January 2022   (Vol.24 No.1)    Published by SPCK, London, UK.
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