Ms K Shellard and Ms A Clouston - Grade 1/2 Class

Category: Fieldtrips

Heights Garden Field Trip

Tuesday was our amazing field trip to the Heights Garden, just a short walk away from the school. Anastasia and Nimira (Div. 15) organized this field trip and Katy also helped teach the students. Divisions 15 and 16 learned so much about plants, gardening, growing, and edible and medicinal herbs grown in a garden. We were adventurous and tried some new herbs: mint, lemon balm and fennel! The students also went on a scavenger hunt to find things around the garden. Then we learned about the life cycle of plants. After that, we painted pots (pictured above) and were given dirt and seeds to plant in the pot. Anastasia and Nimira also organized for the students to have hot chocolate and a sweet treat. The students loved the day so much! Thank you to Heather who helped us to get the kids safely to the garden. Please take a walk down to the garden and your child can share with you some of the amazing things they learned there and introduce you to the garden.

Big Ideas:

  • Living things have life cycles adapted to their environment
  • Objects and shapes have attributes that can be described, measured, and compared
  • Designs grow out of natural curiosity

Curricular Competencies:

  • Explain how participation in outdoor activities supports connections with the community and environment
  • Engage in problem-solving experiences that are connected to place, story, cultural practices, and perspectives relevant to local First Peoples communities, the local community, and other cultures
  • Demonstrate curiosity and a sense of wonder about the world
  • Experience and interpret the local environment
  • Make simple predictions about familiar objects and events
  • Consider some environmental consequences of their actions
  • Compare observations with those of others
  • Generate and introduce new or refined ideas when problem solving

Learning Involved:

  • Identifying the life cycle of plants
  • Relationships between people and the environment in different communities

First Peoples Principles of Learning:

  • Learning ultimately supports the well-being of the self, the family, the community, the land, the spirits, and the ancestors
  • Learning is holistic, reflexive, reflective, experiential, and relational

Core Competencies:

Thinking – Critical and Reflective Thinking 

  • Students think critically to develop ideas. They work with clear purpose and consider the potential uses of their work. They explore possibilities, develop and reflect on processes, monitor progress, and adjust procedures in light of criteria and feedback.

Communication – Collaboration

  • Students combine their efforts with those of others to effectively accomplish learning and tasks. As members of a group, they appreciate interdependence and cooperation, commit to needed roles and responsibilities, and are conscientious about contributing.

Personal and Social – Social Awareness and Responsibility

  • Students develop awareness of and take responsibility for their social, physical, and natural environments by working independently and collaboratively for the benefit of others, communities, and the environment. They are aware of the impact of their decisions, actions, and footprint.

 

Water, Water Everywhere – Literally!

Yesterday was our field trip to Lynn Canyon Park and Ecology Centre, where we were learning about water everywhere. We discovered so many things about water, trees, insects, forests, habitats and the environment around us. We visited the Lynn Canyon Ecology Centre museum and saw some amazing exhibits and 3D maps. We took a walk over the Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge and into the forest. Ask your child to tell you about the Douglas Fir tree bark and cones. Our leader then took us along the Baden Powell Trail into the forest. This is where we turned over rocks and logs to find a variety of creatures and forest floor debris. We then went to Lynn Creek to find water insects. Ask your child to tell you about the Mayfly and the Caddisfly. We were taken back to the Ecology Centre to look under a microscope at all of the creatures we had found. The park is 15 minutes from Gilmore. Your children have learned so much about the forest and its creatures. Take a trip there soon, or over the summer and they can be your leaders. Don’t forget to take a yoghurt container with you, so that they can show you how to find the water insects. Even in the rain, this field trip was such an amazing learning experience. We hope you will go discover it with your family soon! Thank you to all the parents who drove and volunteered; we couldn’t have done it without you!

Big Ideas:

  • Living things have life cycles adapted to their environment
  • Water is essential to all living things and it cycles through the environment

First Peoples Principles of Learning:

  • Learning ultimately supports the well-being of the self, the family, the community, the land, the spirits and the ancestors
  • Learning involves recognizing the consequences of one’s actions
  • Learning recognizes the roles of Indigenous knowledge

Content:

  • Demonstrate curiosity and a sense of wonder about the world
  • Observe objects and events in familiar contexts
  • Experience and interpret the local environment
  • Compare observations with predictions through discussion
  • Consider some environmental consequences of their actions
  • Compare observations with those of others

Core Competencies:

  • I am kind to others and our environment
  • I get ideas when I play and explore
  • I get ideas when I use my senses to explore
  • I can share my ideas and questions