Land-Based Education
“Nature is speaking to us right now if you listen” – Charlotte, age 6.
In the end, all teaching must come back to the Land. Connection with Coast Salish culture, language, education and art are all from and of the Land. These experiential learning programs offer hands-on activities that are deeply rooted in Coast Salish values. When we connect to the Land and see how all things live in balance we witness the humility of nature. To be in ego is to be in the mind while to be in faith is to be in the heart. There is great strength in kindness. There is great power in gratitude.
These programs are available as either in-class or on the Land workshops and support both the BC Curriculum Learning Outcomes and First Peoples’ Principles of Learning.
Our cedar is responsibly and respectfully harvested from sustainable sources.
The Benefits of Land-Based Education
There are many proven physical and mental health benefits to Land-based education. These programs reach the core being of the participants. They build resilience and offer teachings to be remembered in moments of need. The rhythm and energy that the forest brings is in constant movement and flow. It is in balance, not extreme in one way or the other. Being in the forest helps us to find equilibrium and wire the brain to find that balance. This provides the perfect conditions for learning. It lets the natural world cover us with protection, allowing the wind and sounds of the forest to remove what does not belong. In this state, memory improves, stress dissolves, blood pressure drops, self-esteem goes up, students’ grades improve, emotional connections to people and nature strengthen and social skills improve. Investing in this type of hands-on learning is an investment in the future of our communities.
Offerings for Educators
Join Beau for a Land-based workshop. Workshop sessions begin in circle around the fire followed by a forest walk through the lush old growth Coastal Douglas-fir ecosystem.
For teachers of grades K-12
Offerings for Educators and their Students
Bring your students to connect with the Land through hands-on learning, story, art and culture and create a cedar art project of your choice.
Grades K-12, depending on project option chosen
Join Stz’uminus hereditary man Squtxulenuxw (George Seymour) and Beau as they offer your students the opportunity to help carve a traditional Coast Salish dugout canoe on this 7 month long program.
Grades 3-12
Focus on slowing down and changing our understanding of the world around us through basic carving methods. In this workshop series students will use Coast Salish carving tools, identify Coast Salish artistic elements, and complete a piece of their own to take home.
Grades 8-12