Learning from Our Land
Harvesting sunflower seeds! Growing mushrooms! Whether it be planting winter kale, weeding garden beds, or composting, these tasks have all become part of our weekly routines at Chief Dan George Middle School. Our students are getting their hands dirty as we incorporate experiential learning outdoors into our classroom practices. Learning from our land has been beneficial for our students and staff. They appreciate nature and its biodiversity in nearby settings, care for our community and grounds, and establish connections between First People’s perspective and our curriculum.
The seed of our love for the outdoors was planted by our classroom composting program headed up by our LLC teacher, Mr. Glum. The sapling was nurtured by nature walks in our community led by an outdoor education specialist, Mr. Poehlke. As students became curious about their environment, roots were established, and staff began collaborating on resources to use on “nature excursions”. Nature-based learning piqued the curiosity of many of our teaching staff as student engagement flourished like the sunflowers growing in the front of the school. The fruit of this initiative is evident in how our students engage with their environment. Students started learning about plant identification and classification. Using this knowledge, they began to identify which plants were edible. These new skills were incorporated into practical skills like preparing piquant pine needle pesto, fragrant pine needle tea, or extracting and distilling the Canadian classic, maple syrup. As our passions were nurtured, so too were our garden beds and knowledge of local plants.
As we develop a gardening cycle for our interior courtyard space, we have used indigenous practices as a teaching tool for both practical skills and local history. This year students harvested, bundled, and dried sage, while learning traditional methods for its uses. In science and math, students have learned the importance of nutrients in the soil, effects of weather on growth, and how to determine the space needed to reach plant maturity. They learned about pressing social issues such as sustainability and environmental responsibility by addressing those concepts on a smaller scale in our school community.
Learning from our land has proven to be therapeutic, engaging, and a source of intrigue and inquiry for both students and staff. Working together and reaping the benefits of the seeds we have sowed has allowed our school to grow into a blooming community of green thumbs! What have you planted lately?