September 17, 2018

Do you wonder how to connect children to nature and make learning more hands on and meaningful? Are you interested in Reconciliation, but not sure where to start? Do you believe that it is more important than ever to get our children connected to and interested in their environment? Then this workshop is for you! You will learn about the concept of living libraries as an arena for place based learning and how these can be used as a means of Reconciliation through ally work. We will share the process of initial concept, finding funding and getting community and district support. You will see how we transformed a sterile courtyard into a beautiful space that is rich in learning opportunities. During the presentation, you will create a vision board and leave with many ideas and practical steps to get you started on your own project.

Lorraine is a kindergarten teacher and visual arts specialist who enjoys spending time in Nature with her class. She is interested in connecting children to place through living libraries and Indigenous Ways of Knowing and Learning.

Carman is a Matsqui Artist, Story Teller & Drummer as well as a presenter for SD35 Aboriginal Program. Carman has shared his skills on many special projects throughout the district and beyond. Both are advocates for ally work as a means toward ReconcialiAction. Funded by grants from ArtStarts and SD35, they worked closely together during the 2016/17 school year to transform a courtyard at DPCS into S’olh Temexw/Sacred Land First Nations Living Library. It is now a beautiful space where children learn about and care for plants that are important to them and our local Indigenous Peoples. Carman and Lorraine are beginning work on a second courtyard at DPCS in the Fall of 2018.