The Land as Science, Community and Connection

“To become naturalized is to live as if your children’s future matters, to take care of the land as if our lives and the lives of all our relatives depend on it. Because they do.” 
— Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass

At Queensville Public School, where I teach, this idea of “becoming naturalized” takes on new meaning. Here, students are not just learning about the environment – they are learning from it.

Perched atop the Oak Ridges Moraine, the school overlooks forested trails that call students outdoors to explore, question and connect. In these daily nature walk interactions, they are beginning to form the very relationships Potawatomi botanist and author Robin Wall Kimmerer describes; ones of care, curiosity and belonging to the land and to one another.

The Ontario Science curriculum is full of opportunities for students to connect with the land, to leave the walls behind and get their hands dirty: Characteristics of Living Things, Daily and Seasonal Changes, Air and Water, Growth and Change in Animals, Changes in Matter, Growth and Change in Plants. With these, alongside STEM expectations that include observing, documenting and communicating their findings, it is hard to imagine that students are inside at all for science.

For students to truly connect with these units, it is important for them to understand how the content relates to their lives. What living things exist in our neighbourhoods? How do the seasons impact those living things? By being witnesses to changes through the seasons, students begin to develop a relationship with the land and its beings. In a way, it becomes like an old friend. The “cactus plant” (also known as mullein) that stands over six feet tall along one of the paths students walk will reveal all its gifts through the seasons as we pass by. It will feed the birds through the winter and as spring arrives, other plants will appear around it and students will discover the stalk sprouting from the second-year plants. Already some have excitedly shared that they “saw birds on it!” while walking the trail with their families.

A key component of doing science outside is sit spots. This is a practice in which students sit quietly in nature and use their senses. One of our Kindergarten classes engaged in sit spots for a few minutes recently and shared about “hearing the wind,” “smelling rain,” and “watching an ant.” After experiencing sit spots several times, some Grade 3 students keenly requested to use their nature journals to record their observations.

This regular practice helps learners build an emotional connection to this place and nurture their relationship to it. Students also hone critical science skills in this practice: observing, questioning, predicting and recording in their nature journals.

The regular visits to the trail have revealed a diverse array of living things that have sparked authentic inquiry driven by students’ questions. One morning, we found many dead grasshoppers along the trail. After learning about insect life cycles and discussing possible reasons for these deaths, students agreed that it was due to the previous night’s frost. As we talked, more questions arose about where the insects come from in the spring.

These real-life situations encourage students to be detectives of the land around them. What’s the difference between a slug and snail? This conversation arose from one morning’s community walk that revealed many slugs and snails along the path. Every few steps students would find a slug, snail, or earthworm, prompting one of them to exclaim, “There must be a thousand out here!” This simple declaration sparked a math investigation during the following nature walk. How many slugs, snails and earthworms can we find? Students used tally marks and a simple chart to record their observations.

Further down the trail, we spotted something furry and black – a star-nosed mole. This fascinating creature prompted a rich discussion as students once again began questioning “how this mammal ended up in this spot.” Its unique body and front legs designed for digging provide a textbook example of physical adaptation. Its distinctive nose became the centre of conversation for many of the kindergarteners who observed it, inspiring classroom read alouds, documentary viewing and knowledge-building circles to understand more. The students’ beautiful artwork and drawings of this one-of-a-kind creature helped share their learning with others.

These are moments that could never be created in a classroom. Watching a child reach out a finger for a curious slug to explore, or gently lift a worm to safety off the path, fills the air with quiet wonder. To witness a tiny living being stretch its antennae to touch a student’s hand is to see connection come alive; a moment of pure respect, curiosity and shared life between child and creature. These experiences remind us of the deep connections that the outdoors can foster. And is this not what we as educators strive for – empathy, compassion, caring, curiosity, wonder, discovery?

In 2018’s A Walking Curriculum: Evoking Wonder and Developing Sense of Place (K-12), Simon Fraser University educational leadership professor Gillian Judson talks about how when we change the context of learning, connections to curriculum become more meaningful for students. Taking the learning outside often increases engagement, regardless of the content, she writes. By honouring the questions, comments and experiences students have while exploring nature, we honour the land itself.

Through these experiences, the children also call us to reflect on our responsibilities as educators – responsibilities that align closely with the Calls to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission – urging us to embed truth, respect and reconciliation into all aspects of our teaching.

Through these experiences, the children also call us to reflect on our responsibilities as educators – responsibilities that align closely with the Calls to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission – urging us to embed truth, respect and reconciliation into all aspects of our teaching.

For educators, this means helping students understand that land is not just a resource, it’s a living relationship. Outdoor learning can model this by teaching students to care for the land, notice its gifts and act responsibly within it; these are values long held in Indigenous worldviews. When we take students outside to observe, listen and care, we are beginning to practice what reconciliation looks like on the land through respect, reciprocity and relationship.

At Queensville, language has become a powerful thread of learning, offering new possibilities to invite families to share words in their home language, and create opportunities for collaboration with local First Nations to support language revitalization with our students. The star-nosed mole became a powerful spark for learning, connecting our students, many of whom are new Canadians, to the land and to one another through shared curiosity and wonder.

As part of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, students began their learning in the classroom, but it wasn’t until they stepped outside that the Calls to Action came alive in meaningful ways. The learning became organic; students began to notice the world around them, reflecting on their relationship to the land and to Indigenous partners. They took initiative to share what they were learning by creating signs in their home languages, including Farsi and Russian, helping them understand how their voices and actions can bring communities together and create change.

Language is inseparable from the land and the beings we share it with. Every language holds stories, relationships and ways of seeing the world. This understanding deepens when we learn with and from local First Nations languages. Sharing stories about plants, animals and nature experiences from different parts of the world helps build community and reminds us that caring for the land is something that connects us all, regardless of where we come from. The students from Queensville are bringing many nature stories home.

Practicing reconciliation through land-based learning means beginning where we are — noticing, naming, and learning from the land itself. Around Queensville, this meant widening our view. Just beyond the schoolyard, less than seven minutes away, lies the Holland Landing Prairie Provincial Nature Reserve, a landscape rich with stories and life.

The rehabilitation of this sensitive piece of land has opened the door to a unique partnership between its caretakers, Ontario Parks and our public school. From this shared sense of responsibility, the Queensville Nature Club will hold a critical place. While the relationship with the prairie caretakers is still in its infancy, some early plans include seasonal visits to the prairie and a community day where students’ families can visit and learn as well.

The Nature Club is a place for students in grades 1 to 6 to connect with the land and learn what it means to care for it. More than 70 students joined the first meeting, eager to share their own ideas, including protecting water, building birdhouses, making signs to stop pollution and exploring the living things around them. These early actions, supported by educators, are part of a larger goal to earn EcoSchools certification and build a culture of sustainability rooted in love for the land.

A commitment to the land through science takes dedication. As the seasons change to colder months, communication with families will be critical to ensure students are dressed for the weather. Even when the unit isn’t a direct fit for outdoor learning, regular community walks allow students to notice their communities and all the beings that also call it home throughout the changing seasons, often sparking some of the most wondrous curiosities. The learning is always there, we just have to be ready to honour it.  

Gina Marucci is a member of the York Teacher Local.