Songs for Tree – Video & Blog Series- Part 5: Bend but not Break

Welcome! This is the fifth part of a ten-part Video and Blog Post Series, aligned with the songs on “Songs for Tree“. You can find an overview of this series and all of the other posts to date here. Let’s explore together the power of song to connect children with the land!

Music Video & Lyrics

Here is the lyrics video! It features my dear friend, Joy, the Robin.

Introduction

“Bend, but not Break” is a gentle tune for the cold fall and winter months. This is a tune that reflects upon the strength of trees during such a harsh time of the year, and how the trees might have a thing or two to teach us about weathering storms and hard times in our lives. This song is intended to support children in connecting with the wisdom of nature, and how that can be supportive to their mental health. Read on to hear more of my thoughts, including how to practically use this song to connect children with nature.

Supporting Mental Health

I wrote “Bend, but not Break” on a cold, blustery day, driving home from a visit with my Grandma. Visiting my Grandma was hard, as she was suffering with dementia. I had a heavy heart as I drove the long miles home. The snow was swirling across the road, pushing my little car around, and yet, I noticed the bare trees lining the sides of the road were standing tall, offering acceptance of such a harsh day. Reflecting upon that, I found that there was wisdom in that for me; that the trees could teach me how to weather hard times. Driving along, I started singing into my thoughts, and the whole song tumbled out:

When the cold wind starts blowing
And the snowflakes start falling
And you’ve dropped all your leaves to the ground
How do you stand oh so steady, ready for anything?
How did you learn to bend, but not break?

I will stand by your side,
Raise my arms up, spread my fingers wide
And rest my two feet on the ground
Feel the wind roll around,
Feel the push and the pull and stand my ground
I’ll look to you, I’ll stand with you
That I might learn, too.

The trees taught me that I have the potential to harness my strength, withstand hard moments, and feel all the hard feelings. The trees taught me that I can bend and not break.

This song speaks to the value of spending time in nature to support our mental health. I have found that the land is filled with wisdom and metaphors for living a life on this planet, navigating the complexities of what it means to be alive today. For me, this has been so important for my mental health, for my ability to continue to find my way through the challenges life presents. It feels important to me to share this aspect of being in nature with my children to also support their mental health.

One of the ways I do this is by singing “Bend but not Break” as a lullaby at bedtime, connecting my children with the ideas of the song in a gentle way as they are whisked off to dreamland. In these moments, the tune is a soothing balm for them as much as it is for me.

This song also plants the seed for us to have conversations and reflect together upon the wisdom of nature and how that can support our mental health. A recent example I can think of is from the fall, when we went on a number of wanders alongside the creek that runs through our town. As we walked upstream, we found a number of fallen trees crossing the creek, and my daughter took to bravely experimenting with making her way across the creek on them. I shared my reflection that crossing logs over a fast moving and frigid creek is very much like making it through a moment where you might feel anxious. In both cases, everything around feels chaotic and uncertain, however, there is a way through it, taking one step at a time, looking around for the supports you need. It may be a stick, or a helping hand, but you can find what you need to make it to the other side. This reflection became a doorway for us to talk more about worry and different ways we can navigate hard moments. For me, I find these shared reflections are important in supporting us talking about our mental health, and building our understanding of how to care for ourselves and each other.

Curriculum Connections: Literacy & Health

I invite you to consider if this song might be a spark for you to talk with the children in your life about the lessons the land might be teaching you. For the educators in the mix, this can lead to all sorts of connections to Literacy and the Health Curriculum, as you might consider how to document and share stories and ideas about how nature supports your mental health. Perhaps you might make a brochure, a poster, a video, or a podcast with the kids about how nature has supported their mental health.

Final Thoughts & Support

I hope this post has sparked some ideas for you. As always, please feel welcome to drop a comment or send me a note!

To further support this work, please consider doing any or all of the following:

1- Join my email list. I send an email monthly with the latest offering, so this ensures it goes straight your inbox!
2- Follow my YouTube page. This will bring the videos to you the second they are posted!
3- Support my Patreon Account. I am offering this work through YouTube and this blog as I wish to make this work accessible to everyone. Should you have interest in supporting the growth, development and depth of this work, you can do so through my Patreon account.

Alright, friends! Thank you for being here and taking the time to take in this work. I hope it sparks some fun and wonder in your days.

Warmly,

Tiiu