Oak Tree in an Acorn: Fox Banister

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Fox Banister

"Fox Banister" is the title Olivia gave to her school report on foxes. Each student in Olivia's class had to choose an animal to research, create a project or display about, and then report on. Olivia chose "wild mustangs", but a classmate had already selected it, so she switched her choice to "foxes". We went to the library and found four books which we read through for the next two weeks. She decided she wanted to do her report and project on how a fox's body features are adapted for survival. Her idea was to dress up as a fox piece by piece (ears, feet, tail, muzzle, etc.) and tell how each of those pieces aids the fox. We were having a hard time finding faux fur at the fabric store at a reasonable price, so we went to Goodwill and bought a faux fur coat for $9.00 as well as some sandals that Olivia could glue fur onto. Grandma came down one weekend and helped us cut down the fur, and she sewed some ears and a tail for Olivia to wear. Then, we used a toilet paper tube covered in fur and a black pom-pom for the nose to make the muzzle. Olivia discovered the "joys and pains" of the hot glue gun! When she had to present her project to the class, she wasn't a bit nervous. She ended up wearing her fox costume most of the rest of the day at school.

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Why the title, "Oak Tree in an Acorn"?

Well, really it's all about perspective when raising the girls. It helps me to think about the grand scheme of parenting and remember that what we do now affects how our little acorns will grow. Like an oak tree, we want them to be strong in their words and deeds, be able to withstand life's storms, set and reach their goals, and be people that others can lean on and trust.

We have an oak tree planted in our yard that came from an acorn my dad planted in a pot. This acorn came from a huge oak tree that was planted in the backyard of my dad's childhood home. My dad's father also planted this tree from an acorn he found on his hunting lease in the early 1960's. Our tree is thus a family heirloom, a "family tree".

It was the year of Olivia's birth when we planted our little sapling. It looked so very sad that winter with no leaves; it was, basically, like a stick rooted in the ground. Five years later, though, it stands 9 feet tall, and we continue to nurture it and watch it grow. We hope one year it will produce acorns of its own, and we can continue to pass on this family heirloom. We hope to remember it's example of how each acorn has the potential to be an oak tree, and how our acorns, Olivia and Genevieve, will one day, with help from God, become mighty oak trees themselves.