Submitted by: Hannah Hobbs
Grade level: ece,elementary
Core Competencies: communication,creative-thinking,critical-thinking,positive-personal-and-cultural-identity,social-responsibility
Subject Disciplines: earth-science-and-space-science,indigenous-education,language-arts,outdoor-education

Approaches to Learning: Respect, Reflection, Traditional Ecological Knowledge, Appreciating diversity, creative thinking

Approaches to Teaching: Environment as the third teacher, image of the child, observations and documentation 

Responsibilities as Outdoor Educators: 

• Ensuring the safety of children

• Respect for Indigenous land and peoples

Safety aspects: Discuss knowing our physical limits- when climbing, a teacher can help climbing down but not up.

Session outline: 

• Play ‘The Cedar Tree’by Audrey Siegl in Musqueam Language

• Children guess what it might be.

• Tell children it is a language. Children guess what it might be saying and/or who might speak this language by using the pictures.

• Briefly tell children about Musqueam people and then read ‘The Cedar Tree’ in English

• Whole group discussion- what did we find out about the Musqueam people? Why might we be learning about them? Guide children towards the uses of the Cedar Tree.

• Children have thinking time about what a tree/stick means to them. Examples may include; a tree is a climbing frame, a tree is an oxygen maker, a stick is a wand, a stick is a horse.

• Teacher to create a poem of the children’s ideas. A stick is… or a tree is….

• Read the completed poem to the children

• Nature walk through Pacific Spirit Park. Teacher to observe and document via Seesaw (or similar learning journal). 

• As a group discuss their nature walk experience. What else is made of wood that we use? Do you think Musqueam children use(d) sticks/trees in a similar way to you?