I can understand Canadian Indigenous languages, cultures, traditions, experiences, and perspectives (Gr. 6 Social Studies)

We are committed to acknowledging and supporting the implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission 94 Calls to Action, specific to education: I can include Indigenous knowledge in my learning. Each season, I will go to Fish Creek Park to learn and explore using Two-Eyed Seeing, which means looking at things from both Indigenous and non-Indigenous perspectives.

We learned about the Summer Solstice and why the date changes between June 20 and June 21 (ask your child!) We discovered that the Summer Solstice actually landed on June 22 in 1975! We learned about embracing and respecting summer and being mindful and present with the land. We watched a video with Elder Saa'kokoto, where he spoke about the Summer Solstice. He shared that "na'a" means mother earth and "naato'si" means sun. He encouraged us to spend time in nature and practice "kakyosin,"  which means to be mindful of our surroundings and look for the summer gifts that na'a shares with us. 

What a gorgeous day to spend in our beloved Fish Creek Park! The fluff from the poplar seeds was everywhere, another sign of na'a sharing her energy. We asked students to do a little sketching and sharing their thoughts while they were practicing mindfulness on National Indigenous People's Day.