Students at Queensville Public School are building connections to the land through Indigenous perspectives and hands-on learning at the Holland Landing Prairie Provincial Reserve.
Over two days, every student from Kindergarten to Grade 8 at the school visited the reserve, where they participated in guided learning experiences with Ne'ikaanigaana Inc and Ontario Parks staff.
Kerry Ann Charles, Founder and Executive Director of Ne'ikaanigaana Inc, shared Indigenous knowledge about reciprocity, connectedness and relationships with the land. With Ontario Parks staff, students learned about local plants and wildlife, and gained an understanding of conservation practices, including the role of prescribed burns in supporting biodiversity.
“As a brand new school that brought together students from four different locations we really wanted to engage in work that saw us go deeper than just a schoolyard clean up, and to really be a school that is deeply engaged in reconciliation work,”said Gina Marucci, Primary Science and Outdoor Learning Teacher at Queensville P.S.
“My favorite thing about the trip was going into the forest and learning about the different plants that we have here,” said Emma, a Grade 5 student.
Watch this short video to see the students’ explore the provincial reserve and hear more about their experiences.