Hello everyone,
I’m Ashley Wolfe, a Land-Based Educator and I’m also filling in this term as the Cultural Coordinator at the Indigenous Student Center – Migizii Agamik. My February has been so full of new adventures, and amazing little ones who are ready and willing to learn, including my own little one Michaela.
With the exciting news of receiving full funding from the NSERC PromoScience Grant for the “Kiskinhamakiwin: Fostering youth success in both environmental and Indigenous Sciences” project, my work with students is really just beginning. I’ve had the privilege of working with Pembina Trails (Partners in the Grant) and Sunrise School Division this month, and we have been talking about our water ways and how they were our main roadways during the fur trade, the important role the beaver played in trade, getting the kids hands on touching hides and furs, and practicing our Math skills through beading. With the freezing temperatures we have been having, our science word for the lesson was FRICTION – do our hands stay warmer in gloves or mittens? I had everyone rub their fingers and hands together, are they getting warmer?
My February started off by visiting my oldest daughter Michaela’s school, Ecole Beausejour Early Years, where I spent 2 full days speaking to every single class from Kindergarten to Grade 5 (18 class sessions in total). I brought my wagon along filled with Language Packs for 455 students, which included the translations in Ininew (Cree), Anishinaabemowin (Ojibway), English, French, and after my visit at Grafton School today, German too. I also had my basket full of projects and furs! I had so many little ones come up after our presentations together, so proud in proclaiming “I’m Metis! I’m Ojibwe! My family is Inuit!” My heart was so full after this visit.
My second school this month was Ecole Crane in Winnipeg, where it was my fourth time visiting with the teachers and students from K-4. This group of littles are so kind and welcoming every time I come to visit. Then today, the third school I visited was Grafton School at the Springfield Colony in Nourse, MB, where we spent the morning speaking about leathers, hides, and the fur trade. We spent the afternoon beading, talking about Treaties, the Indian Act, and why there are special calendar dates representing MMIWG2S and Every Child Matters. We have some amazingly bright and eager to learn leaders coming up, and I’m so grateful to be invited on their journey’s. Read more here.
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