We were pulling out of the drugstore parking lot on Monday. We had just dropped off JDaniel’s allergy prescriptions and were headed to playgroup. He was leaning one elbow on his car seat with his fist holding up his head. He looked so pensive back there staring off into space.
“What are you thinking,” I asked him.
“Mom, what is the opposite of hot?” he replied.
“Cold is the opposite of hot,” I answered him.
“Okay, what is the opposite of big?” he wanted to know.
“Little or tiny would be the opposite of big?” I told him.
He went on to ask me the opposite of six or seven things and each time I was able to come up with answers quickly.
I was impressed with the number of things he was coming up with. He was using great thinking skills. His wonderfully inherited DNA or exposure to tons of concepts was shining through.
Then he stumped me with one of his opposite questions.
“What is the opposite of tree?” he wanted to know.
I thought and I thought and I thought.
Bushes are low to the ground and trees reach up high but, some trees can be smaller than a bush.
Grass is low to the ground too, but it can grow tall if it isn’t cut often enough.
I couldn’t think of an answer for him. My answer was to say that we would check with the smart moms at playgroup. ( My playgroup is filled with really smart moms that went to really big colleges.)
When I got to playgroup, several of the moms came up with bushes and grass as the opposite of a tree, but they weren’t willing to say it was the right answer or their final answer.
My friend Kathleen suggested I ask you. She claims my readers super smart too and are probably able to come up with an answer for my son who inspires higher level thinking.
So, what is the opposite of tree?
This post is linked to Mama Kat’s Writer’s Workshop.
Hmmm…that’s a toughie.
I’d probably lean towards grass or bush.
But then again, trees to me seem rural and sidewalks seem urban, so maybe sidewalk or street if you want to go with that concept.
Or when tree is done being a tree, it can be turned into lumber or paper…
Or, the tree is the upper part, and the root is the lower part so they could maybe be considered opposites.
OK, it’s late and now I’m just thinking of ridiculous things. I’m curious to see what others say.
🙂
Amy
Excellent question~ I wouldn’t begin to know how to answer that…seed? He keeps you on your toes doesn’t he?! 🙂
Whoa, deep thoughts, JDaniel. How about a flower?
Wait until he asks what is glass made of or why are the clouds following the car?
Hmmm does a tree have an opposite? I am going to have to drink more coffee to get my brain going.
I would say that trees don’t have opposites. Words that have opposites tend to be adjectives- words that describe something. Nouns don’t have opposites.
My first thought was bush….but how about roots?
What about stump?? That is a toughie!
Roots?
I tried so hard to reply to this last night, but Blogger was acting up… again.
It was already said, but I would say a seed or nut, depending on the tree. Or, I would get creative and talk about how maybe the opposite of the tree we see is an upside down, growing in the ground, inside out tree.
I don’t know how a tree can have an opposite? Dayum. Maybe clouds? something in the sky, not rooted?
I would say the opposite is roots. A tree grows up to the sky and roots grow down towards the core of the earth:)
He is so cute! 🙂
I think I need to find a playgroup with smart moms as well because I’m stumped on questions daily!
Hmmm, that’s a tricky one! Maybe the opposite is rock, something that’s not alive and underground. The possibilities are endless!
I don’t know, and I have been sitting here thinking! Great question..
Hmm, I have no clue. They always seem to get us somehow.
Thanks for stopping by my blog yesterday. Great questions. Sound like my little guy when he was young. The opposite i think is grass or bush. It has to be what else is there?
Hmmm…Great question. I asked my 12 year old daughter and she said bush is the opposite of tree. Makes sense, a bush is more full and is usually shorter. But then she said that there really is no opposite for tree. And that made more sense to me. This is a great age for Daniel to understand that some words have no opposites.
I don’t know why but I think flower…but it doesn’t really make a very good answer…
How about dwarf tree? I am grasping at straws now…lol!
My answer is a flea.
I like Karen Greenburg’s answer. Then he’ll be thinking about nouns and adjectives. You’ll have a whole new set of questions. I’m visiting from Mom Loop today.
We are going with bush, but really not sure.
Stumps? Geez. That’s a really good question!
Stumped! Kids are awesome 🙂 Stopping by from Jenna’s Journey. Happy 4th of July 🙂
i was going with roots too…
or air… lol, tree is solid, air is gas?
i don’t know!
that is a smart and inquisitive little boy you have
Hee, so glad you posed this question to the masses. I like these answers!