Wicoie Nandagikendan teachers and staff attend the Brain Conference up at White Earth reservation.  New research and theory regarding brain development was shared.  Particular emphasis was on fetal and newborn brain development and nurturing those who are deficient in early brain stimulus.  We continue to expand our knowledge and techniques to better serve the students.

Bear Room Update:

Aaniin, Nindinawemaganidook:  We are happy to begin our planting season with our garden friends at the Phillips Community garden.  Last week the students cleared out the sunflower stalks,  pumpkin plants and ground cherry plants from last year.  We put our stalks and sticks in the compost pile.  In the classroom, we are growing strawberries, beans, potatoes and flowers.  Ombashibines likes to mist and water the plants everyday.  We discovered ants, worms and a butterfly on the first trip to the garden.

Soon we will be presenting the children that the parents and community members have been making.  We are working on our t-shirts for the Indian Month Parade.  Come join us!

Mato sapa, mato sapa

Can opta mayani.

Maka ded oyati.

Wowas’ake duhe.

Hdocee, hdocee.

—    —   —   —

Black bear, black bear

You walk through the woods.

You live on the earth.

You have strength.

*growl*, *growl*.

Aaniin!

We have just begun our planting unit in Hi-5. We have been talking about seeds and all the different kinds of things seeds grow to become: flowers, fruits, vegetables and trees. It has been easy for our students to notice the differences between flowers and foods, but it has been a little tricky to see differences between the trees. Trees and how they are different are very large ideas. It will grow easier to make distinctions between maples, birches, oaks, honey locusts and cottonwoods as the weather gets warmer and we begin taking walking field trips in the neighborhood around Anishinabe Academy.

We watched our great northern beans grow roots and sprout leaves inside clear plastic ziplock baggies. The plants are growing taller and taller every day and will soon be ready to be transplanted into dirt pots.

Today we started on our Mother’s Day presents. With careful tending and time, they will grow strong enough to travel from our Hi-5 classroom to student homes by the big day.

Once we are finished learning about maple sugaring, we will start planting greens and beans for an end-of-the-year harvest party!

That’s all for now, keep watching for signs of spring.