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Good Morning,
Thank you to everyone who sent in pictures of their work. It has warmed my heart to see how hard you are working and all the learning that is happening at home. As I was reading through your entries, two activities came to mind. Both of them lead us into nature. One involves going for a walk in our own neighborhood and the other involves a virtual field trip through coastal British Columbia. I hope you will enjoy both.
Rock Art
I would like to share the journal entry Mariia sent in. She wrote about a walk she went on with her family. On her outing she came across some lovely, coloured rocks with messages on them. The messages said “Be kind” and “Stay home”. She was tempted to take them but left them for other to enjoy.
Thank you Mariia for sharing this entry. It reminds me of a story called Rock Monsters by Amanada Marshall. It is a story about coming across painted rocks with monster faces. The rocks have an important job.
“They’re there to make us happy
And remind us, too
Of how to love each other
And some important things to do”
Please click the following link to read the story.
As we can see in the story, Rock Monsters send important messages and remind us that we are not alone. They are also very fun to find. People have begun decorating rocks in other ways too, such as what Mariia found on her walk. I have also seen messages sprinkled around my neighborhood. You may have too!
I invite you to make your own rock creation for people to find. Look for the perfect rock, colour and decorate it. You may choose to turn your rock into a monster, draw a picture or write or message. If you don’t have paint, try experiment with markers, pencil crayons or crayons. You can even skip the colouring all together and build rock structures for people to find. The image below is taken from the New Westminster Record. It showcases some rock art found throughout the city.
When you are done your creation, take a picture and send it to me. I will post it on the class blog. Go for a walk in your neighborhood and find a good spot to place your rock. Leave it for others to discover. Then, go on your own treasure hunt and see how many painted rocks you can find! You can talk about your discoveries in your journal, make a note in your response booklet or share what you found in a future class meeting. Have fun!
Beautiful British Columbia
Several students sent me their work about saving the environment. I am very impressed with all your ideas. I would like to share with you Emma’s journal entry. She wrote about Earth Day and taking care of the environment. She says she can help by turning off the lights when she is not using them and being careful with how much water she is using. These are very important things to remember! Thank you Emma for sharing.
In addition to Emma’s journal entry, I received several lists on how to help the planet. I would like to post these on Friday. If you have not sent me yours and would like it included, please email it to me by tomorrow.
Your ideas made me think about a video that showcases the beauty of our planet and the importance of nature. It is called View from a Canoe: Exploring the World’s Largest Coastal Temperate Rainforest. This virtual field trip is led by Tsimka Martin of the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation and takes us to Clayoquot Sound, located along the coast of British Columbia. It showcases stunning views and spectacular wildlife. As Tsimka guides us through this virtual field trip she reminds us of our connection to the land and how important it is to protect it. I hope you enjoy watching it as much as I did.
As you are a watching, see if you can identify the following animals:
- Bald eagle
- Grey wolf
- Salmon
- Orca
- Sea gull
- Black bear
You may want to take a break while watching the video or view it in two sittings as it is over 40 minutes long. When you finish, write the title, View From a Canoe, in your response booklet and complete the following activity.
Imagine you are in the coastal temperate rainforest of Clayoquot Sound—what would you be doing? Draw a “selfie” of yourself on your trip. Rate this virtual field trip by coloring in the number of stars you would give it!
(These lessons are taken from the teacher guide to a View From A Canoe: A Coastal Temperate Rainforest.)
Enjoy your field trip and I will see you back here on Friday!