Baby It's Cold Outside: Land-based early learning workshop

A few weeks ago, my daugther Emilie and I co-delivered our first workshop together. Single parenting has meant she's been there alongside me for most things (night classes, overnight marking parties, and accompanying me to many a workshop). 

But this time, we co-designed and co-facilitated. She's just back from completing her fibre arts intensive at Haliburton School of the Arts. So when the Indigenous Early Years Program – of Kenjgewin Teg asked us to deliver a workshop at their Mnidoo Mnising Sharing & Learning Centre for All we jumped at the opportunity. 


It was doubly special, as Emilie graduated from high school at Kenjgewin Teg, and one of the participants - an ECE that worked at the Toy Lending Library when Emilie was a baby, was there to participate.

It was incredibly cold so we adjusted our workshop to bring some of the learning indoors. The focus of the workshop was to gather and make drawing and painting tools with natural materials. Over 20 ECEs explored natural dyeing, charcoal making, and drawing with us for part of the afternoon. The photos: a pot of dye heating above the fire, while bundles of twigs burn in tinfoil to make charcoal. Drawing with graphite, and making resist dye bundles with tumeric.

Photo credit: Indigenous Early Years Program - of Kenjgewin Teg (used with permission).