April is the time for growth, regeneration, re-birth, and renewal.
What is the word used to describe this month in your community’s cultural calendar? What teachings does the word contain to share with children?
In Nehiyawewin this month is Ayiki Pisim, in the Siksiká language it’s Matsiyikkapisaiki’somm, which both translate to the Frog Moon–it’s the time of the frogs returning to the ponds in their areas.
In Hul’q’umi’num, this time is called Liimus which translates to the time when the wild geese fly in a V formation, returning from their winter travels.
It’s the perfect time to explore teachings on the land so that children can experience the seasonal changes and witness new life.
Please check out our AHSABC Spring Book list!
On April 22nd we celebrate Earth Day! One way we can respect Mother Earth is by recycling at AHS centers across the province, explains AHSABC Executive Director Joan Gignac. “AHS programs model taking care of the land, so the land can take care of us. Let’s do what we can in AHS programs to reduce waste created, reuse what we can, and recycle all that is recyclable.”
Cultural Calendar Programming
With the Spring equinox in March, we celebrated the arrival of Spring. In April we can take programs out on the land to see the changes Spring has brought. Conversations, guest speakers and field trips can include seeing new life in the form of new growth on plants and animals. Spring topics to explore can include seasonal harvesting practices as they become ready in the spring months, such as red willow, nodding onion, plantain, bitter root. Depending on the region, specific materials are harvested for specific purposes, such as cedar bark for weaving. Introduce Indigenous teachings around animals born in the Spring such as whales, horses, ducks, rabbits, and more horses!
Other Seasonal Resources to explore include bark harvesting, for fibre and basket making.
Spring Science
Visual literacy can include having photos of different insects with their Indigenous names posted at your science center, or outdoors. Invitations to explore includes supplying different bug items, such as models, magnifying glasses, or bugs-in-magnifying box.
Introduce the life cycles of different animals through pictures, stories, and hands-on displays. (i.e. the lifecycle of a frog, butterfly, hatching chicks) April is the perfect time for children to start planting seedlings in- doors that can be later transplanted. Take pictures and talk about the stages of growth for plants and flowers.
Children at Clever Raven were invited to help plant seeds and prepare the soil in their community garden. Sensory exploration was encouraged as they touched and felt the texture of the soil and different types of seeds—big and round for peas, and paper-thin and stick-like for marigolds. The children scooped soil into containers and used eye droppers to wet the soil before planting the seeds.
Child Care Coordinator Susan Butler explains,”One child, who is more interested in gross motor activities, requested to join the activity. As he used the eye dropper to wet the soil, his concentration and calmness were evident in that moment—it was incredible to witness the transformation.”
“When children connect with the natural world, the benefits are limitless, not only for them but also for adults.”
“As the children planted the seeds, the Auntie reminded them, “Don’t forget to tell the seeds to grow big and strong.” Children are a gift from the Creator, and nearly all the seeds they planted have germinated. This is just the beginning of the growth, and we can’t wait to see the children harvest the crops to share with their families and enjoy in our community garden.”
Circle Time/ Reading Area
Innovative Ideas: Inuvik NWT AHS displays numbers and Colours in Inuvialuktun
Make a display using numbers and colours in the Indigenous Language of your area. Practice counting in different ways at Circle Time. Make fun games out of learning the traditional names of colours.
Lofty Ideas
This is a great time to use your classroom loft to promote looking at the sky.
You can do this in two ways:
- Nighttime Sky – Hang constellations, planets, and stars from the ceiling or walls. You can have posters of Indigenous star stories, and cushions so children can lie on their backs and look at these items. Provide telescopes for children and create a dark environment under the loft so children can look and experience glow-in-the-dark stars.
Daytime Sky – Hang kites, clouds, sun, and rainbows, from the walls and ceiling. A pretend fire can be made under the loft with fabric logs, cook-out supplies and other items to encourage children to tell stories around the fire.
Art and Sensory Ideas
- Gather and make traditional dyes out of plants.
- Make rain sticks with the children to copy the sounds of the springtime water running in local streams, rivers, and oceans.
- Sensory tables can reflect pond life and items found in a pond.
- Sensory tables can also farm life, and items found on a farm, such as straw and dirt.
Have children create art out of things gathered outside, such as birch or cedar bark. This will familiarize children with these materials, encouraging future carvers, and crafters.
Dramatic Play
Add a variety of baskets to your dramatic play area. Also add spring-themed items, such as flowers, rocks, wooden eggs, baby animal plushies or photos.
Innovative Ideas: Annie’s Oolichans
Annie at Kermode AHS Preschool came up with the idea of making felt oolichans to add to the Dramatic Play Area during Oolichan season!
Are there smelts on the territory of your program? What are they called in your languages? When do they run locally? Is there an event that children can participate in? Are there knowledge keepers who can share teachings for this month’s programming? Is there an opportunity for parents to participate in harvesting?
Make your own oolichan puppets or props and read the story Oolichan Moon by Samantha Beynon.
Elders
Take the children on a field trip for on-the-land teachings, inviting Elders to share their knowledge and teachings. Children can make invitations, gifts, and treats to invite the Elders to do this with them.
This gives children hands-on experience in looking after our Elders, modelling the importance of taking care of our community– and encouraging connections between Elders and Children.
Parent Involvement
- Post a map of places that are great for fishing.
- Ask families to send in pictures of Spring cultural activities such as fishing, gathering spring shoots, or harvesting Oolichans.
- Post words for things in the daytime sky (sun, clouds, rain) in your program’s Indigenous language(s).
- Encourage parents to take children out for family activities that will take place outdoors and under Father Sky. Have families send in pictures or post on your site’s private Facebook page.
- Send home a package of items that encourage outdoor activities:
- Kites, and the book “Dragon Fly Kites,” by Tomson Highway.
- Fishing Poles and the story “Fishing for Knowledge ” https://www.strongnations.com/store/7485/spirit-bear-fishing-for-knowledge-catching-dreams-based-on-a-true-story
- Recipe and ingredients to make easy outdoor treats for nature walks, such as trail mix bars, cookies, or homemade granola bars.
- Thermos with hot chocolate, apple cider, traditional teas.
- A scavenger hunt with pictures and words in Indigenous languages of the children’s community.
- Have lunch on the land, by a campfire and make items such as fish fry or
- https://nwtmetisnation.ca/cree/pahkwesikan-asici-mistik/
- Events like these are the perfect time for Elders and parents to bring Indigenous food for the children to try.
- Host a parent’s night out – invite extended family members to make a basket: pine needle, cedar, birch bark or willow. Spring is a great time for baskets, to hold items that would be harvested or foraged.
Outdoor Ideas
April provides milder weather conditions perfect for on the land exploration and harvesting, cook outs, drumming outdoors, family scavenger hunts in traditional language, group garbage collection to help keep communities clean, playing in outdoor mud kitchens, mud puddles etc. April is a great month for having fun getting messy and wearing muddy buddies.
Innovative Ideas: MUNU Learning Center
‘Spring Cleaning Season is here! Consider when cleaning out and organizing this spring, what can be reused in your AHS programs? Reusing items and creating new uses for them, keeps them out of the landfill. At Munu AHS we built a ‘music wall’ using old kitchen utensils and parts of broken toys, it’s popular and well used by the children,” shares Joan Gignac.
Health Promotion
If possible, take cooking to the outdoors many lakes and picnic areas have fire pits appropriate for cooking on the fire. Ask for parents and Elders to join these outdoor mealtimes, trying out recipes for wild blueberry pancakes, or cedarplank salmon.
Pack traditionally inspired snacks for time out on the land:
- Dried or candied salmon
- Pemmican
- Raisin Bannock
- Dried meat
- Dried berries
- Kelp Cookies
- Indigenous Tea
Involve parents when trying new teas and items harvested from your community!
AHS program staff provide opportunities for children and families to engage in cultural activities that promote health and wellness.
This can include drumming, dancing, traditional games, jigging and fiddling, feasts!
Here is a helpful health link for encouraging holistic wellness practices in the home!
