My tree of life:

Each person should draw its own tree of life on a DIN A 4 paper with roots, trunk and leafs  and do its own interpretation of the meaning of each part:  They can use coloured pens and  should not need more than 20-30 minutes to draw the tree. (They can also draw the contours of a tree...)

roots: symbolize the roots, origin of the family in their homeland (native country). Where do I come from, which events/ persons did influence and stamp me?) =>  my past time

trunk:  my family, my friends; which values and principles are important for me?  =>  in the present time

leafs:  my planes and dreams for the future – Who and what does influence me and help me to find my way in the society and in life. =>  my future

Each person thinks about what is important for him/her in life and what did stamp/ mark this person in its personal development .

Students can express the importance of each part drawing it in a personal form (with long and winding or short roots in the country they live, do they have many brothers and sisters or do they feel alone... – do they have good memories of their childhood or not...) They can draw faces / or write names of important persons in the roots.

Its is similar thinking about  the trunk: is it big, straight or parted (because of separation of the  parents/ family...?). They can paint symbols in the trunk...

The dreams and wishes for the future can be expressed in the leafs – form, number, position (are there some falling leafs (bad marks and wishes which didn’t come true...)

 

Students can draw their personal  tree – they are free to use their fantasy and creativity without limits.

When they come to Germany students will present and compare the trees in small groups of 5 students (one of each country) and tell other students the story of  their tree. The students can ask them questions and comment the similarities and differences – but it is forbidden to evaluate the trees. 

They will work with the results here …

 

Thanks for your cooperation!

[Rademacher, Helmolt/Wilhelm, Maria: Miteinander.2016 Berlin, p.31 Lebensbaum]