{"id":4937,"date":"2025-11-25T12:12:24","date_gmt":"2025-11-25T20:12:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sd41blogs.ca\/couttsa\/?p=4937"},"modified":"2025-11-26T14:26:42","modified_gmt":"2025-11-26T22:26:42","slug":"place-based-connections-getting-to-know-the-land","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sd41blogs.ca\/couttsa\/2025\/11\/25\/place-based-connections-getting-to-know-the-land\/","title":{"rendered":"Place-Based Connections: Getting to Know the Land"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Last week, Division 7 went to Burnaby Lake. We went for a visit to get to know the animals and plants that we share this land with, and how they change over the seasons. Our purpose was to connect to place through observation. We saw and learned so much! Even for me–who grew up in this area and have spent a lot of time walking around, canoeing in, and visiting the ducks at Burnaby Lake–I learned so much during our visit!<\/p>\n

Our park leaders led us through several different activities, and we stopped to observe surprise guests on our visit (a woodpecker, a muskrat, and a stinky mushroom!).<\/p>\n

Stream Cologne<\/h5>\n

\"\"Did you know that the way salmon find their way back to their particular stream is by scent? They navigate back from the ocean with a kind of “magnet” in their heads, but they find their specific stream through the mixture of scents from that specific place. Students looked around the ground near the stream to collect bits of plants and soil to mush together to smell. We had a good time mixing our potions and comparing scents.<\/p>\n

Observing Water Fowl<\/h5>\n

\"\" \"\"Students were given visual guides about the various winged wonders that alight on Burnaby Lake. We spent a long time playing a version of eye-spy with the birds. We learned that some of them stay year round, some are visitors from further north, and some will head south for even warmer weather. The wood ducks were a big hit! We also observed many gulls and crows feeding on the carcasses of salmon who have spawned and are now giving back to the waterways that once gave them life. We didn’t see any bears, who also feed on these fish, but we did note that there is no feeding birds seed right now since that will also attract bears as they prepare for the winter months.<\/p>\n

Plant Identification<\/h5>\n

\"\"Students learned about some local plants and how to identify them. They played a running game where they got a card with clues about the plant, had to locate and tag the plant, and then race back to our leader for confirmation they identified the plant correctly and to get a new card. So fun! Check out the gallery for the different plants we identified. Some change through the seasons, but still have identifiable characteristics. Keep an eye out for these on your next walk!<\/p>\n