Learning Story – Plant Medicine
The Week of October 8, 2024
What Happened?
Lila Fraser Erasmus joined us today to share her knowledge about plant medicine. Although we cannot harvest plants from the site due to contamination from nearby Con Mine, we notice the plants are so resilient, still thriving in the area and we went on a plant walk to learn how to identify them. We even ventured to a place we had never been and hiked up from a different direction through some dense forest to Fairy Fortress. Then Lila shared some plants that she had harvested out past Yellowknife River and she taught us the art of making salve.
When we take time to notice the Land around us, we can start to see art and design everywhere we look! The bushkids created a nature mandala made out of loose natural parts. Two Bushkids wanted to compete with one another and have their designs judged. They chose the judges, the time limit and all the other rules. Once they had completed their design, they shared the story behind their pieces of art, which helped explain their motivation.
Why is it Important?
We noticed how creative the Bushkids were while exploring the loose parts (leaves, stones, cones, pine needles, sticks etc…). They were intentional about creating a meaningful piece of art. Working with loose parts fosters independence and creativity. It gives them the opportunity to connect with the Land in their own unique ways and hopefully create a spirit of stewardship as they grow older.
Connecting with knowledge holders in the community repeatedly is a beautiful way for us to develop a deeper relationship with them and what they are teaching us – Lila has visited the Bushkids many times now. She is supporting us to guard time to notice the habitats of several plants at Bushkids, their uses and how they look different across the seasons. This is an example of spiral learning, where we revisit what is being taught to us in different contexts, using different approaches and at a different time in our lives.
What Does This Mean For Next Time?
We will find more ways to nurture creativity with natural loose parts and the stories that are attached to them. We hope the tipi poles will arrive next week and more loose parts will be made as we clean them up! We have always wanted to document a book of plants and medicines that we see at Bushkids, maybe we can begin the process if the Bushkids are open to this idea.