Kinship with the Land

Landmark 14 (Five New Outdoor Activities)

We made beautiful Sun Catchers to decorate the trees and the woods behind our school! We used bits of nature that we found on the forest floor such as pieces of spruce, pine, and cedar, as well as bits of bark, leaves and twigs. I sliced grapefruit, orange and apple, and provided birdseed and dried berries too. In class, we each chose and arranged items from our smorgasbord in small reusable foil bowls and added water. We placed twine inside the bowls and put them in the freezer overnight. Within 24 hours, the craft was complete!
On the 11th of February, we popped the sun catchers out of the tinfoil bowls and ventured along our Pathway and into the woods to hang our pretty creations! They look marvelous and we hope the animals will enjoy nibbling on the treasures we’ve provided. One student explained the water will return to the earth as it melts, and said we’re “giving back to the land.” This is an Indigenous notion we gleaned from Jacob Rodenburg, Director of Camp Kawartha, from our experience with the True Nature program from Camp Kawartha last week. I feel this was a wonderful activity which encourages a paradigm shift from “Stewards,” to “Kinship,” with the land.

St Catherine CES Gr 3 – February 11, 2022