Aiden Crosby at Nelson Mandela Park PS

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In June I had a great experience at Nelson Mandela Park PS. I was featured in Sharmila Xavier’s class’ culminating task! It all started late last year when I visited Ms.Xavier’s class in the fall around October. She requested that I touch on teaching the kids about Three Sisters (Corn, Beans and Squash, planted in a collaborative design by Indigenous gardeners) and Sustenance. I created a wonderful presentation on Sustenance and what it means, on different levels of being. Some of the main questions/topics I asked the students were to not just think about what only supports and sustains you, but what sustains life all round us, mentioning that everything and everyone has a different role to play, which are all equally important on different levels. The presentation ended on tying together different roles that sustain us just like the Three Sisters do! They each have a role/job and those roles sustain each other and in turn sustain us as human beings. The students were left to contemplate how each role/job is important to them and others around them and to be grateful for every role because they all support each other!

As months passed and the snow thawed away, spring slowly crept in day by day. We then restarted our partnership with Friends of Allan Gardens during the months of March and April for classes to do their walking field trips to the Children's Conservatory, and the students started their seeds for their school gardens. Included in these groups was Ms.Xavier’s class!

The GreenThumbs team and I taught them what the purpose of a greenhouse is and how it is a controlled environment to be able to host/grow many seedlings and tropical plants from around the world. They were also able to learn about composting, how to observe plants for botanical drawings and starting peashoots!

Now spring has sprung, the trees have fully bloomed and nature is getting into full swing of summer. Last week Ms. Xavier contacted me and mentioned that I was in the class’ culminating task that was shared during their school's community night. I wasn't fully sure what it meant but I was excited to figure it out.  The students wanted to show me the work they’ve done. Luckily amidst getting all the other Green Thumbs’ school's gardens growing again, I was able to find the time to go to NMP and chat with the class. They asked me so many great questions about my specific indigenous heritage, how far back my lineage goes, if I have some favorite indigenous foods, who taught me about nature/agriculture and many more. Then they showed off their beautiful artwork in the hallway which was a play on the Dish with One Spoon Wampum Belt, showcasing how many different species benefit from nature and their different field trips they’ve done, to High Park etc… I want to say I’m truly grateful, my heart is full of joy that Ms. Xavier and the students are so keen on including indigenous content into the curriculum throughout the course of the school year and always re-connecting with myself and the GreenThumbs team to assist with that!