Woodland Activity Day in 3rd Grade

During the annual Woodland Activity Day, teachers and parent volunteers transformed the school’s 3rd grade area into an interactive learning environment. Students, teachers and parents began by participating in a Land Acknowledgement, which aims to bring more awareness and understanding of the history of indigenous peoples and their territories and a call to rethink one’s own relationship with the environment and the history of all peoples. 

“Acknowledgment by itself is a small gesture. It becomes meaningful when coupled with authentic relationships and informed action... 

Naming is an exercise in power. Who gets the right to name or be named? Whose stories are honored in a name? Whose erased? Acknowledgement of traditional land is a public statement of the name of the traditional Native inhabitants of a place. It honors their historic relationship with the land.”
- U.S. Department of Arts and Culture

“A land acknowledgment is a formal statement that recognizes the unique and enduring relationship that exists between Indigenous Peoples and their traditional territories.”
- Laurier Students’ Public Interest Research Group, Ontario, Canada

With a focus on respect, perseverance and resourcefulness, 3rd grade students rotated through a series of experiential learning stations featuring activities like corn grinding, hunting and food preservation. Parent volunteers were on hand to lead students through these activities and maintain their inquiring spirits. 

The hands-on nature of these activities allowed students to explore and experience what life was like for the native culture in this area more than 200 years ago.

Click here for photos of this interactive experience!