Walking through the majestic realm of a forest is tonic for the soul. There is a mystical presence; an environment of tranquility in the rustle of leaves or the arc of branches. In this enclave, time slows perceptibly while sharpening the senses. One becomes more attuned to the rhythms of the natural world and considerably less focused on the distractions of electronic messages, crowded calendars, and the noise of civilization. In a forest, there is peace and quiet.

Forests also offer valuable lessons for our lives. Those lessons, intuited from the vibrancy of these arboreal titans offer purpose, direction, and inspiration for each of us. In other words, our character can be built on, and extended through, an attention to critical principles suggested by trees, including:

Gratitude — A recognition and appreciation of others in our lives

Kindness — The quality of being friendly and considerate of others

Generosity — A willingness to give help and support more than is expected>

So, too, are these qualities important to share with campers. Take them for a walk through the wonder of a forest and share some of life’s most powerful lessons.

Sharing Gratitude

Trees, and the forests they inhabit, provide shade, beauty, solitude, comfort, and peacefulness. Via photosynthesis, they create and release oxygen into the atmosphere so that humans can breathe. They offer ecosystems that sustain other forms of life, including mammals, fish, reptiles, amphibians, and birds. Trees also enrich the soil, stabilize riverbanks, provide places of solace, and harbor vast numbers of creatures in their canopies or among their roots. In essence, they are essential to the survival of many forms of life, humans included.

The trees encountered on a hike through the forest can remind us of the value of gratitude every day. Trees consistently give something to us; we should do no less to the people we encounter in our daily activities. When the people around us are appreciated and feel genuinely valued for the things they do, they invest greater energy and effort into their lives. And they feel better about themselves. Share some appreciation with others regularly and you’ll discover something quite amazing: their day will be a little brighter; so, too, yours. Guaranteed!

Thoughts to share:

• Smiling, one of the sincerest forms of gratitude, improves the attitude of the “smiler” as well as the recipient.
• Make “Thank you” a regular practice. Say it to family, strangers, friends, coworkers, and campers. It’s a sincere recognition of others.
• When we show appreciation, we demonstrate love. We also develop an inner peace that enriches our day.
• Practice eye-to-eye contact during a conversation. It lets someone know that you are actively listening — a form of gratitude often in short supply.
• Send a text message, email, or note to someone and improve their day. When we get a heartfelt message from someone (“Thanks so much for helping me figure out the words to that camp song.”) we feel appreciated.

Distributing Kindness

Type “most beautiful trees” into a search engine and you will get an array of specimens from around the world. Most of those lists will include trees such as Japanese maples, cherry blossoms, blue jacarandas, and wisteria. Those species have an array of signature elements including resplendent flowers, multicolored leaves, knurled trunks, spreading canopies, and/or far-reaching limbs. It is safe to say that “beautiful trees” is a category with several signature members.

Many trees have long shared their overwhelming beauty with humans. It is something we neither ask for or demand; but rather is an act of “arboreal kindness” — something that brings enormous contentment and joy into our lives. They also give us life-giving oxygen and shelter. In doing so, trees serve as models for our own lives; their giving nature something we, too, should practice. Being kind rewards us with positive feelings and, at the same time, rewards a recipient with recognition and appreciation. A few kind words regularly exchanged with friends and strangers can make all the difference in the world.

Thoughts to share:

• More often than not, saying something nice to someone results in internal satisfaction and renewed energy for the giver as well as the recipient.
• Check out the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation (randomactsofkindness.org) for a wealth of ideas for camp, home, and beyond.
• Consider the following: extend a warm greeting to a stranger, compliment a staff member, volunteer for a task, thank a colleague, and always share a smile.
• Take your campers on a walking tour of a nearby forest or grove of trees. Invite them to suggest some of the “kind things” trees give to others. Start with things like beauty, calmness, shelter, oxygen, and wonder.
• Being kind to others often results in better lines of communication; conversations are often initiated, and a mutual exchange of ideas is facilitated. Want to talk with someone? Say something kind to get things started.
• Doing good for others doesn’t have to involve big events or grand gestures. Small everyday behaviors send a positive message too.

Enhancing Generosity

Walk through a forest and you may note a profusion of writhing roots reaching out in all directions. Those roots are necessary for a tree’s survival, providing it with necessary water and nutrients for sustained growth. Those roots also give a tree stability and strength to weather fierce storms and strong winds. Equally important, recent research has convincingly demonstrated that trees “communicate” with one another through an underground network of fungi that mimics neural networks in the human brain. Suffice it to say that trees are constantly reaching out in myriad ways.

Psychological research has proven that acts of generosity (reaching out to others) benefit not only recipients but also those who share themselves with others. Both individuals gain a sense of well-being and positive mental health. While there are numerous rewards in helping other people — making their days and lives a little sunnier — there is a cautionary note to consider. We don’t do good things for rewards that may come afterward. Doing good is its own reward. Knowing we have touched someone’s life brings peace and calmness into our lives. Requiring some sort of reciprocity in return defeats the very purpose.

Thoughts to share:

• Do something nice for someone else, and don’t tell anyone about it. Know that you have made a difference without the need for any recognition.
• Reach out and make someone’s life a little better. Not just every once in a while, but as a regular and consistent action. How about every day?
• Reaching out to others doesn’t have to be grand or impressive. It’s often the little things we do for others that make a difference — a “thank you,” a friendly greeting, or a cheerful conversation.
• Dust the bookcase in the camp library or help a fellow camper learn a new skill. Do it because you’re making someone’s life a little easier.
• Know that there are a zillion ways to improve the lives of others. Brainstorm with campers for an ongoing list of simple actions to be shared with everyone.
• The more we reach out to others, the more we achieve a sense of purpose and commitment in our own lives.

While the preceding suggestions are specifically designed as learning opportunities for the campers you work with, know that there’s something equally important embedded in each one. They are also modeling strategies for you. When you model these behaviors and ideas you give youngsters valuable information about the importance of kindness, gratitude, and generosity in your life — and eventually theirs. Here are some final tips to keep in mind:

• When giving a camper a compliment, be sure to use their name and provide specific details. Instead of “Good job,” (which could be used for anybody) say something like this, “Harold, you did a great job on the rope climb today.”
• Acts of kindness — for every camper under your supervision — should be part of your daily modus operandi. Smile profusely in response to them, give campers regular fist bumps or high fives, use their names frequently, and celebrate each of their accomplishments.
• Every camper deserves some form of gratitude every day. Camp gives them opportunity to learn new skills and interact with new people. Let them know you recognize their performance, their involvement, or their efforts and then “reward” them with a personal comment. Or, better yet, occasionally slip each camper a short written note about their progress.
• In a discussion about the importance of generosity, invite campers to reflect on the following: “Kinda cool to think that someone somewhere is having the best day of their life today. Also, kinda cool to think that you might make that happen.” Invite them to consider how they might improve the lives of others — not just every once in a while, but each and every day.

Most important, let campers know that these described traits — all intuited from trees — are not restricted to a camp environment; they are universal elements in our lives no matter where we live, who we associate with, where we go to school, or how we play. Sharing gratitude, extending kindness, and being generous is something we can all do. Every. Single. Day. We not only positively affect the lives of others, but we also achieve a sense of inner commitment that is intrinsically meaningful. We develop character.

Wise counselors those trees!

Anthony D. Fredericks, EdD anthonydfredericks.com is professor emeritus of education at York College of Pennsylvania, a national consultant on science education, and a former elementary school teacher. A passionate “tree-hugger” and award-winning nonfiction author of numerous natural history books, his latest adult titles include In Search of the Old Ones: An Odyssey among Ancient Trees (amzn.to/4r9A8Tc) and The Healing Wisdom of the Forest: Timeless Lessons of Renewal, Tranquility, and Joy (amzn.to/49tDjP8).