Learning Story – Different Ways to Play Together
The Week of November 7th, 2025
What Happened?
- Staff made a shelter around the teepee with the kiddos.
- Some kids helped haul wood to both wall tents.
- Before lunch, we walked to fairy fortress and observed the weather change.
- Kids were collecting icicles, climbing, and making pretend ice fishing holes.
- After lunch, we had an elder named Wilbert Menacho visit for the afternoon: he
- talked about the importance of practicing culture, taking care of the Land and each
- other, and loving ourselves.
- To end off the day, he drummed with a Bushkid, said a prayer in his language, then led
- a small drum dance.
Why is it Important?
We are building strong connections with each other when we explore different places to play together and when we are doing bush chores together for the good of the camp. When Elders visit the Bushkids and share their stories and their drum songs, we are keeping that Elder’s Indigenous culture alive. When an Elder visits from a different nation or region (in this instance from Tulita), the Bushkids’ geographical awareness becomes connected to the cultural teachings of the Elder.
- Beneficial to the child’s brain development
There are great benefits when Bushkids work together to haul wood, navigate pathways, and
communicate. The same is applied when they were helping staff wrap a tarp around the teepee. They needed to figure out where the wind was blowing, and the poles started to slope, so we had to find a strategy for keeping them stable.
- Improving motor skills
We saw this while walking to Fairy Fortress and at Fairy Fortress. Due to risky weather conditions, the kids learned how to maneuver safely on patches of ice, move away from slippery slopes and climb on snow.
What Does This Mean For Next Time?
We will have a mini Tlicho language lesson activity on emotions. We plan to have a strong focus on Remembrance Day. We will also focus on identity, including gender identity, so that the significance of our pronouns is understood.
We will skin ducks, then make dried and fried meat. Another activity we will do is create ice art, because several of the Bushkids felt excited, surprised, and happy while playing with the icicles. The Bushkids can use resources to create art from the Land in different seasons.
We will add activities to our seasonal calendar. The last time we wrote or drew in our seasonal calendar was in the fall. Now that it is winter and we have seen the differences, this will be a fun activity in which the Bushkids can share a lot of ideas.
““I’m going to make a fish hole.”
“We should figure out which way the wind is blowing before we decide where to
build the shelter.”
“Look at this big icicle.”
“I’d like to try drumming.”
-Bushkids