Happy May! Depending on how much warmth spring brings the territory, May is known as a budding, planting, or even harvesting moon!
In Anishinaabemowin it’s Waawaasknoe Giizis, (Flower Moon,) where all plants display their Spirit sides for all the world to see. This life-giving energy is one of the most powerful healing medicines on Mother Earth.
May brings Mother’s Day, MMIWG2S (red dress day https://www.jaimeblackartist.com/exhibitions and Bear Witness Day! Discuss with your team, on how to weave these days into program planning. The long weekend is perfect timing for families to connect in the outdoors, visit family members and Elders.
Program Planning:
Warmer weather makes May perfect for exploring the outdoors and to use nature as your classroom. Math, Science, quality time with Elders, art projects, harvesting, snacks and lunch can all be done in the beautiful May weather.
Have sun hats ready for warmer days to pick and harvest flowers and plants; have muddy buddies and rubber boots ready for fun splashing in the puddles and making mud pies on rainier days.
Invite extended family members, Elders and community members to spend time in the children’s outdoor area planting items for the centre’s harvesting and medicine gardens, having fun and healthy picnic meals together.
May is also the time to take the children and Elders out on the land to harvest medicines: cottonwood buds, seaweed, nettles, yarrow, birch bark, rat root spruce gum. If you have porcupines in your area, keep an eye for quills to gather for materials. May is also for bird watching as birds are busy in their nests laying eggs.
Innovative Ideas:
Honouring Red Dress Day– ʔumʔiiqsu (pronounced Oomiiqsu) AHS Child Care Centre
Grandma Geraldine joined ʔumʔiiqsu to create red handprint art in recognition of Red Dress Day and to remember MMIWG2S.
Manager and ECE Carrie Nahorney explains, “With care and intention, each child pressed their hand into red paint.” Once dry, the handprints were hung at the entry, “Each handprint a small but powerful symbol of remembrance, love, and connection.”
This collective artmaking was not only a creative expression but also a meaningful act of learning and honoring missing loved ones. “We are grateful to Grandma Geraldine for guiding us through this moment of reflection and remembrance,” says Carrie.
Outdoor Ideas:
Share the gift of experiencing the stages of growth in a garden. Include children as an active part of planting in your outdoor space so children can have hands-on experiences planting a seed, witnessing its lifecycle. Consider an Indigenous foods and medicine garden or bed!
Early items that were planted in April such as chives, sprouts, cabbages, radishes, kale, rhubarb, cilantro and some herbs will be ready for the children to pick. They can use these to help make smoothies, and garden salads. Children and families can learn how to prepare and can items such as dandelion jelly and rhubarb jam
Craft:
Along with making gifts for Mothers, Aunties and Grandmas, children can also help make the décor for a Mother’s Day/ Grandma’s tea. Simple beading projects with large beads for little hands to maneuver are a great way to introduce a traditional art activity. Children can paint clay pots and plant strawberries or plant early flowers like Johnny-jump-up violets, the fun of snapdragons, pansies and other early bloomers as a gift.
Sensory:
Add a spring themed sensory tray as a play option to your tabletop activities. Make a duck pond play dough tray to you add to your art centre. This can be made from a plastic fruit and veggie tray from the dollar store if you do not have one. May is also for baking in the mud kitchen! Add items such as ice cream scoops, loaf pans, cupcake pans, spatulas, wooden spoons and measuring cups to the outdoors for fun baking with mud.
Art Centre:
Add red and pink tissue paper, cardstock, cellophane and other new materials. Post photos in the art area of spring items such as butterflies, flowers that bloom in May such as tulips, toadstools and other spring plants and child appropriate red dress photos and pictures. Have families donate magazines, newspapers and other materials for children to practice cutting and making their own abstract art out of. Gardening magazines especially are a great inspiration this time of year!
Playful Additions:
Science:
Visit a farm or a bird sanctuary so the children can see eggs hatching! Post pictures of hatching eggs in the classroom and have eggshells, different types of eggs for the children to examine under a microscope! Have a list of Indigenous language spring-themed words and pictures in the science area!
Dramatic Play Area:
Add grandma and grandpa puppets and dolls in a variety of materials. There are several Indigenous-owned shops online or bring a pattern to a local sewer! Post family photos, words for family members in Indigenous language. Have items to serve tea and “make “Bannock and Cornbread, or fry bread like you would with your moshom and kohkom. Use the puppet to practice words such as brother, sister, granny, grandpa in your local nation’s language.
Cultural and Language Additions:
Make community connections with local tribal council, band office, Elders’ groups, or schools that offer Indigenous Language Classes for resources.
Innovative Ideas: Conayt AHS, Merritt
Conayt AHS uses nsyilxcən and nłeʔkepmxcín resources in their classroom. Program Coordinator Darby Collier has created relationships between the program and Language Keepers, such as Jerry Voght, Nle?kepmxcin Cultural Advisor.
FPCC has many language resources and tips, celebrating the 36 languages across BC, with a total of 96 dialects!
Playful Additions:
Building Block/Construction Area:
Add pond animals, foam lily pads, green and blue rocks. Attach a fish net to the floor have children build in it around it, on top. Post photos using Indigenous fishing methods to learn about traps, gaffing, nets, using dip nets, harpoons, weirs and fish wheels.
Lofty Ideas:
Decorate under your loft as a pond using blue mats, paper, or fabric. Add rubber ducks, frogs, tadpoles, fish, beavers, plastic lilies, dragon flies. Make bulrushes out of cardboard, or gather some to bring in as a bouquet. Add logs for making beaver dams. In the loft, supply toy fishing rods, tackle boxes, plastic worms, bugs, tackle, hats, vests for play fishing! Make your own stick rods with clothes pins, so children can help each other “catch” fish. Consider incorporating Indigenous fishing techniques and tools, such as gaffing poles.
Reading Area:
Post a literacy displays in the reading area at the children’s eye level. Ideas:Indigenous Family literacy posters, with children’s favourite Indigenous Story, family stories, or display resources from Moe the Mouse, and Word Weavers.
Have a variety of books and nature guides with pictures of nature in the Spring from different geographical areas! Have pictures of birds, plants, trees,insects in the Indigenous languages of your program. Indigenous Plant Guide – hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓
Circle Time:
Celebrate Spirit Bear and the accomplishments the First Nations Caring Society has made to improve the lives of Indigenous children in Canada! They have created a special program for educators to use to teach children about reconciliation. AHSABC gifts each program a bear upon opening and Spirit Bear series to encourage the participation in these important activities. To support Bear Witness Day and awareness to reconciliation sign your site up to have an Ambearrister. For more instructions, please check this link: Reconciliation Ambearristers | First Nations Child & Family Caring Society (fncaringsociety.com)
Elder Involvement:
Host a Kohkoms/ Etzu / CHI CHI (grandmas) tea party! Invite aunties, grandmas, moms. Have the children make decorations and have special food items, photo opportunity.
Invite Elders to lead on the land gathering activities, nature walks. Plant a heart garden with Elders, parents and children on behalf of those who attended residential school. Invite Elders to community events such as MMIWG2S walks.
AHS encourages staff and volunteers to participate in ongoing professional and personal development, including language and culture. Here’s a list of resources and themes to support staff discussion and learning:
- Indigenous Literacy with Picture Books
- Best Choices: The Ethical Journey
- Learning Outside Together
- AHS We Know Posters
- Photography in programs
- ECEBC podcast
- National Collaborating Centre for Indigenous Health
- AHSABC Policy & Guidelines
- Map of AHSABC programs in BC
- Nine Components Poster
- FNHA Healthy Foods Guidelines
Family Involvement:
Host a family event to celebrate Bear Witness Day!
Innovative Idea: Hohuduleh Bayoh Head Start in Vanderhoof BC had each child decorate bear cookies in honour of Bear Witness Day!
May 10 is Spirit Bear’s Birthday an important date in the history of Jordan’s Principle at the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal. Celebrate with a family tea party and bring awareness and advocacy to this special day! For full history and programming ideas, easy recipes to incorporate please see link: Bear Witness Day | First Nations Child & Family Caring Society (fncaringsociety.com)Create an easy online or in person workshop for moms, grandmas, aunties to make a special craft item. This could be red dress earrings, quill earrings, strawberry shaped earrings or a strawberry embroidery project, woven heart or basket.
Outreach Kit Activities:
Create a picnic themed kit for the long weekend to share with each family: Picnic basket, weaving project that can be done outdoors, outdoor blanket and items such as canned salmon and dried nuts and berries, pemmican and other items that can be enjoyed in a family picnic! Include words in Indigenous language for items they will see out on the land while having a picnic. Include dice or card games, such as Métis games.
Add local produce such as fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. Does your community have a community garden, local greenhouse, orchard or farm that can donate or that items can be purchased bulk or low cost?
Parent Board:
Have families send in a picture of mom, grandma, auntie, big sister– a special female in the child’s life and make a board that honours them. Post the words in your territory’s language for each female role. Following your communities’ unique protocols you can also include Matriarchal figures from your nation(s).
Post a display board featuring photos of family members attending programming, special events and activities.
Traditional Parenting
Innovative Ideas: Treasure Our Young Ones AHS, Port Alberni
Program Coordinator Shelby Mellart at Treasure Our Young Ones AHS shares a traditional parenting theme of Medicine Walk. She started by hosting a Traditional Parenting Meeting.
Steps:
- Talk about the natural medicine in our area (Dandelions, Devils club specifically)
- Medicine Walk to gather materials around us
- Bring back and chat about what we gathered and how we are going to use it, involving Elder(s) and Knowledge Keepers
- Use it to make medicine
- Make it into the following
Dandelion Jelly 3 ¼ cups water, or more as needed
- 4 cups lightly packed dandelion petals, divided
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 (1.75 ounce) package powdered fruit pectin
- 1 drop yellow food coloring
- 4 ½ cups white sugar
Dandelion Tea
- One tablespoon of dandelion stems or flowers in 150ml of boiling water for 30 minutes, strain and enjoy
Dandelion Harvest
Dandelions are widespread, introduced by settlers. While not native, dandelions were adopted into Métis traditional medicine and cuisine. Dandelions do provide nutrients to heal including antioxidant properties, anti-inflammatory effects and essential vitamins and minerals.
Dandelions are rich in antioxidants, using the dandelion flowers to make jelly will help neutralize harmful free radicals in the body. This also helps reduce the risk of chronic diseases. Dandelion jelly will also help reduce inflammation in the body and help give the body different nutrients and vitamins including calcium and iron help with bone and skin health. Gathering flowers reduces seeds from spreading, too!
Health Promotion
Plan an outdoor activity such as berry picking or harvesting! This shows children and families the value of physical activity out on the land and using the harvested items to create healthy foods with Indigenous Ingredients. Invite Elders to share holistic health practices as you journey out onto the land together.
If the weather’s warm enough, wild strawberries and salmonberries might be ripe in your territory. If berries are not available yet use last years harvested canned or frozen berries.
Make a refreshing berry drink to serve at your next tea party, family gathering or event! Mee-Ni-Sha (berries in Omushkegowin) play a very important role in Indigenous culture, food and health.
Children can pick their own berries to make this special drink. Send home a list of places to pick berries, for a healthy activity and recipe families can do together!
Make fresh berry muffins showing the children the steps it takes from gathering to collecting ingredients then helping as a group to make delicious items to enjoy.
Consider inviting the children to gift these items to Elders and families. If frozen or canned berries are used show the children, the pictures from the previous year’s berry harvest and share the steps taken. Involve children who participated to share what they remember.
This recipe is for saskatoon berry muffins, which ripen later in June-July but you can replace them with different berries as they come into season as a “Muffin of the Month!” This month that could be salmon berries or wild strawberries, June could be strawberry, July Saskatoon, August blackberries… learning the words in your language(s) each month!
Health Resource Link of the Month
At AHS educators promote and continuously update families on Health resources available in community.
https://www.fnha.ca/wellness/community-wellness/good-medicine