November is a time when the weather is becoming colder, and our section of Mother Earth is freezing over. Animals are getting ready to hibernate and plant life is sparse.
Create your own moon graphic here!
With the addition of warmer clothes November is a great month for adventures in the outdoors to witness all of the changes happening out on the land! Can you think of places near your community that would be beautiful places for children to experience the seasonal changes?
It is also an exciting time to take children to see examples of traditional language being shown in community.
Place names in the languages often share insight on harvesting spots, or areas of specific use and significance. Invite Elders or Knowledge Keepers to accompany to give the teachings of the meanings! Harvesting techniques and tools are important vocabulary that language holders can share, too!
In addition, signage can give opportunities for learning and discussion: hospital signs, welcome signs, First Nations’ Government offices, arenas, schools.
Do you have places in your community to walk with the children to see Indigenous language signage? Which Elders could you invite?
Special Days in November:
- November 7th, 2025 is National Inuit Day
National Inuit Day is a day to celebrate Inuit people and honour the accomplishments they have made to protect and promote the Inuit way of life. It is also to make sure their voices continue to get heard as the heads of the Inuit Circumpolar Council that works to promote Inuit rights, protect the Arctic environment and safeguard the Inuit way of life.
How does your program reflect Inuit culture in the classroom? What materials are provided to children and families of the program to learn about Inuit culture?
For Inuit Recipe Ideas to use in your program please check out:
- Nunavummiut Cookbook 2 (nrbhss.ca)
- Layout 1 (tunngavik.com)
Does your community have an Indigenous veteran or veterans to celebrate? Do families have an Indigenous veteran they would like to honour?
National Indigenous Veterans Day: November 8, 2025.
First commemorated in 1994 Indigenous Veterans Day is a Memorial Day to honour the service of First Nations, Metis and Inuit veterans who have served and made monumental contributions to the war efforts – unfortunately due to the Indian Act, the process of recognition was delayed.
Remembrance Day: November 11, 2025.
Memorials and ceremonies to honour Canada’s veterans will occur across the country. Share places in the community that families can take their children to take part. Remembrance Day
Louis Riel Day: November 16, 2025.
Louis Riel was a Métis leader who led the Métis resistance and was hung for his actions.
“We celebrate Louis Riel as it was important Indigenous people had someone to stand up to keep our Indigenous languages and to keep our right to be out on the land with the animals to hunt and keep our traditional lively hood… He gave up his life to stand up for these rights so it is important to celebrate him!” – Phil Gladue, MNBC Senator and AHSABC Elders Council
“Keep our Métis history alive… to look forward to the future with pride in who we are as proud Métis peoples.” – Elder Helene, Wilson MNBC Elder
Does your program celebrate Louis Riel Day?
For more Metis Resource ideas please check out the following link:
Programming Planning Ideas:
This month we have gathered ideas based on the weather, changes to mother earth after the Fall equinox, seasonal cultural teachings and teachings that reflect the important dates in November!
When program planning as a team explore these questions.
What is happening on the land and in nature? What traditional practices are in place currently? What traditional practices will be happening to prepare for the next seasonal change? What animals are currently out on the land? How are they preparing for the next seasonal change? What traditional foods are available?
Teams from Prince George, Dease Lake and the Northwest Territories have spent time together team building to compile ideas to bring the land and animals into the classroom environment:
November is a busy and demanding time for educators due to the colder weather and accommodations that need to be made for this.
- Innovative Ideas Little Cub AHS Prince George
Kelly Thirkettle at Little Cubs AHS makes this team building pick me up for Educators:
Science Topics to Explore for the Month of November:
Why do animals hibernate? Which specific animals hibernate? How do animals stay warm? What do they eat before they hibernate. Where do they hibernate?
Why is the weather getting colder? What is happening scientifically for these changes to occur? How do snowflakes form? How does water freeze?
Why does the ground freeze?
Why do trees lose their leaves?
Art Centre:
Large pieces of black paper, white chalk, white paint, glue sticks, silver and blue glitter, white tissue paper, holographic paper, foam pieces, foam snowflake stickers, magazines that feature foods, people, items from nature. Set up pictures of traditional underground homes, log cabins, kekulis, teepees, prepared for the Winter. Add stencils, cotton balls, popsicle sticks, cardboard pieces. Bring in items from nature that the children are collecting off the ground or along the shore. Driftwood, twigs, shells, pine needles, pinecones, bark are all great items to explore creativity. Label these items in Indigenous language.
Craft:
3D décor/ ornaments to hang in the centre or send home.
- Items from nature can be used to make seasonal 3D décor that children can arrange into the pattern of, decorate or paint.
These can be made with Plaster of Paris or a hardening clay and molded into shapes such as tree shapes to represent spruce and pine or a snowflake, pair of mukluks, moccasins, mittens or any other shapes children choose!
- Pinecones can be decorated with glitter and white paint to be made to look like snowy pinecones
- A variety of items can be offered to children to have them create pinecones into woodland forest creatures.
Sensory:
- Add ice cubes and Arctic animals in the water table as an iceberg sensory experience. Let the children see the ice melting in the water.
- Freeze plastic items into ice cube form put in the sensory table or on trays with cups of warm water, plastic butter knives and let children try to get items out of the cubes.
- Make tabletop sensory bins with Arctic animals, foam balls in different sizes, cotton balls, clear glass marbles, fake snow, foam snowflakes, tweezers, spoons. Individual tabletop sensory bins are a great activity for children to have some time for reflection and quiet play!
Health Promotion
This is a great month for lots of warm foods for little bellies! Ideas such as cornmeal or stone-ground oatmeal with dried fruit and nuts for breakfast, warm breads full of grains to accompany soups and stews with Indigenous ingredients for lunch. Children will enjoy hot out of the oven fruit/veggie loaves and muffins with low sugar content and traditional items such as local berries that were picked and frozen. Serving fish that has been dried in the Summer and early fall with whole grains or wild rice is a great lunch ide full of nutritional benefits.
Stone Soup Cooking Activity:
Thank you to Sheena Rogers for submitting this idea from Little Moccasins and Little Mukluks in Williams Lake.
At our program, we would read the story of Stone Soup at circle time. After we would take the children out to choose a rock, we would boil the rock, so it was sanitized. The next day, children would bring in vegetables, and we also had vegetables on hand for the children to contribute to the soup. The children would help cut the vegetables; we would add all the ingredients to the pot. The Chef would then cook the soup, and we would serve it the next day for lunch.
Additional ideas: Translate the stone soup ingredients into Indigenous language and have the parents sign up for an item to contribute.
Have a canning workshop for families to make Winter Solstice Feast Foods such as Spiced Pears, Cranberry and Pear sauce, rabbit, beans, corn, squash, cranberries, dandelion greens. If you have an abundance of fish eggs you can host a fish egg curing workshop that families can serve as a Winter Solstice treat at their feast! Watch this video to learn how to cook fish eggs.
Recipe of the Month: Breaded Boneless Goose from Nunavut
Ingredients:
Goose breast and leg muscles
1 cup flour
2 eggs
1 Shake n’ Bake bag or seasoned fine breadcrumbs.
1 bag (for flour)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375° F. Cut goose into bite-sized pieces or thin strips and cook in pot on low temperature 2 on stove-top burner for about ½ hour. Drain water from goose, put goose into a bag with flour, shake it well, discard leftover flour. Stir eggs in bowl. Mix goose in eggs, then transfer goose into Shake ‘n Bake bag, shake well. Put goose into oven and cook to desired crispness, 15 minutes minimum. Tip: for thick and crispy coating of Shake ‘n Bake, repeat step 4 with another bag.
Recipe link of the month: For more Northern inspired recipes from Inuit home cooks from Nunavut please check out: 2021 Nunavut Day Cookbook
Traditional foods and wellness link of the month: New Canning Guide Offers Info on a Favourite Food Preservation Method
Playful Additions:
Building Block/ Construction Area:
Have children gather wood, twigs and sticks from the land. Add baskets full cotton balls, cotton batting, arctic animals to the block area. Kayaks, dog sled, skidoo and red river cart toys can be added if they are available. Move the block area close to windows so children can watch falling snow, rain, etc.
Dramatic Play Area:
Make your dramatic play area look like a warm and cozy log cabin. Have dry fish and a fire/ or smoke house around the cabin. Have rocking chairs, a kitchen play area, warm and cozy clothes for the children to dress in robes, slippers, traditional mukluks, moccasins, hide mittens, capotes, fur and other traditional style hats. Empty hot chocolate cans, tea boxes, baking powder, salt containers, oil containers for children to pretend making cocoa and bannock. Tea set, pot, wooden spoons, soup pot, plastic potatoes and other veggies to make soup.
Reading Area:
Move your reading area to a quiet cozy place in the room. This could be under a loft in a nice quiet corner of the room away from busy traffic areas, add furs, fuzzy blankets, large pillows etc.
Feature books about life in the Arctic, the Inuit people, Arctic animals.
Innovative Ideas:
Tansi AHS in Chetwynd feature an Affirmation station in there reading area.
Outdoor Ideas:
The weather is getting colder! Gather donations of warm clothing and feature a sharing bin this month for families to select items they need!
Depending on location, the sleds and toboggans may be ready to come out close to the middle or end of the month. Have parents, Elders, volunteers over to do a sliding day on a safe and accessible hill, take the children out on toboggans for a walk around the community.
Take the children out to witness frozen ponds and other changes to the land. This is a perfect time to have elders introduce new words in traditional language, ie. snow, the word for November, ice, words related to temperature change. Invite families to get language teachings outdoors with the children and staff.
- Have traditional tea and hot chocolate outside! Invite Elders to sit and have tea with the children and tell stories outdoors.
- Have active gross motor games outside: such as duck, duck, goose, red light, green light, the farmer in the dell, jumping jack contests. All these games will not only help keep children warm they are great games to switch words into traditional language for children to gain familiarity through repetition.
Supporting Children with Disabilities/Exceptionalities Outside
Circle Time Area:
November is a great month to give teachings on healing trees such as the cedar, spruce, pine. Invite parents/ Elders/ Knowledge Keepers, community members to share teachings and stories on these sacred trees and others that may be specifically sacred to your local nations. Post pictures of the trees!
Bring in spruce boughs, pine needles and cedar for the children to smell and touch! Read books that feature these sacred trees. Show traditional products that are special to Indigenous groups such as cedar hats, cedar rope, pine needle boxes and birch bark canoes and baskets.
Books to explore:
Stand Like a Cedar – Indigenous & First Nations Kids Books – Strong Nations
Do Trees Have Mothers? (2022) – Indigenous & First Nations Kids Books – Strong Nations
Many AHS programs are incorporating language buttons to record elders and knowledge keepers saying words in Indigenous language(s).
“We bought these buttons that you can record voices – our centre recorded an Elders voice saying hand In Halqemeylem as shown In the photo. The children love it and are repeating the words all day long!” – Stephanie Lawson Coordinator Little Pebbles Smameletawtxw, Chilliwack.
Elder Involvement:
Have elders and knowledge keepers in to teach the children how to make bannock, traditional soups and stews, baked and fried fish and other recipes especially those traditional food recipes that contain large amounts of vitamin C perfect for fighting off the cold and flu season.
Have Elders compile a cold weather recipe book to send home to families!
Invite Elders to come dressed warm so they can do teachings in the outdoors. Check in with Elders to see if they need assistance to gather warm winter items! Have Elders plan teachings on the sacred trees that are important to their nation(s). Invite elders/ knowledge keepers to do traditional teachings on trees that live in the forest around your community.
Parent Involvement Ideas:
November brings dry air indoors and the cold and flu season. This is the perfect month to boil medicines such as cedar and spruce and burn medicines such as sage and sweetgrass for air purification in your program! Let parents and children know this is what you will be doing and the teachings as to why!
Nature from home: 6 traditional medicines you can make at home | Great Lakes Guide
Ancestral Knowledge and Northwest Native Plants
Nishiiyuu Department Launches Traditional Medicine Cards
Carrier Traditional Medicines Part 5 – Animal Medicine
Send medicines that are used by local nations home with families with instructions included that were created by a knowledge Keeper or Elder.
- Have Elders/Knowledge Keepers host medicine workshops with families for common illnesses that are popular in the winter months.
- Gather parents bi-weekly to get together and work on traditional crafts for the upcoming gifting season. Have a health nurse attend the PAC meeting this month to answer cold and flu questions and concerns!
Outreach / Activity kits:
November is a great month to celebrate and highlight your programs cook! Indigenous foods are the star of every community – at events, feasts, homes and in programs! Every cook and child have their favourite recipes. Send home a favourite recipe with ingredients as well as a picture and introduction of your program chef/cook.
Lofty Ideas:
Gather pinecones and fallen branches from trees to use in your environment. This is also an opportunity for parent involvement and parents can be asked to gather items from nature with their children in the evenings or on the weekends. Hang white canopies to replicate falling snow! Add twinkling lights and snowflakes! Have warm furs under the canopy and traditional stories, and stories with snow and snowflakes. A fire made from felt or other craft items can go in the middle of the furs!
