Wow! That a fantastic day at West Lake Provincial Park. We started by finding our sit spots from “Me and My Sit Spot” by Lauren Mclean, reviewed Land Acknowledgments and the First Peoples Principles of Learning, and ended with a “Walking Curriculum” by Gillian Judson.

I found a sit spot looking out over the water where I could see the beautiful golden yellow of the leaves reflected on the lake. I remember in the story the child talked about how as she sits in nature she begins to slowly notice more and more around here. After about 7 minutes sitting in my spot I looked down beside me and noticed white daisies that I didn’t even know were there when I sat down. I found this an amazing representation of what we notice when we sit quietly for a period of time. I felt connected, alive, and open to learning.

I loved reviewing the “Reconciliation in Land Acknowledgments” pamphlet that was shared with us from the 2024 UNBC B.Ed. Cohort. I particularly enjoyed the poem Land Acknowledgement that it used in Primary schools in SD57.

“Here is the land

Here is the sky

Here are my friends

And here am I

We thank the Lheidli T’enneh

Whose land we work on and play

We promise to take care of it

Each and every day”

I find that this is a beautiful way to make a Land Acknowledgment personal, relatable, and understandable to children. This poem and the whole pamphlet did a wonderful job of explaining the meaning behind a Land Acknowledgment, how to make it personal and meaningful – not just a set paragraph that we recite.

Lastly, we participated in “A Walking Curriculum” by Gillian Judson. This consisted of a series of activities that had us connect to land in meaningful ways. My favourite activity was all about movement. It asked us to walk around and observe movement with our eyes and then imitate it with our bodies. It also invited us to observe how we know there is movement without seeing it with our eyes. For example, the sensation of the wind or the sound of leaves rustling. I feel like this was a really fun activity that students would enjoy.

I greatly enjoyed this beautiful fall morning at West Lake learning from the land. I am so grateful to live, learn, and play on the land of the Lheidli T’enneh. When I am outside learning I feel happy, awake, and amazed at the beauty around me. I hope to take some of these practices into my classroom someday.