Willows Elementary teacher Sally Hallam gathered her kindergarten students beneath the school’s decades-old Garry oak tree to plant native vegetation.
The Dec. 2 effort was part of a garden project the teacher began last year to help youngins develop an appreciation for the great outdoors.
“I believe strongly in connecting kids to the natural world and fostering that sense of connection and that sense of care and empathy,” said the educator. "When we learn about the gifts of the natural world, then we're more likely to do a better job taking care of it.”
Hallam began using the plot beneath the tree as a classroom early last year. Most days, the teacher and her students would plant Garry oak seedlings and rip out weeds, with the goal of creating a meadow similar to those found in Uplands Park.
Soon, a Garry oak began to grow, and Hallam’s students were overjoyed – exactly the reaction the teacher hoped for.
“They were so excited there was a baby tree growing," she said. "Everywhere we went, they were pointing out Garry oaks in the community. It was lovely.”
Hallam continued working on the plot with a new group of students this year. On Monday, these kids planted blue-eyed grass, field chickweed and licorice fern to help the area flourish – native vegetation Hallam hopes will lend her class a better understanding of Indigenous cultures.
“It's part of respecting this land and who came here before us,” she said. “It's about gratitude – gratitude for this place and gratitude for the local Indigenous people that cared for this place before we arrived and that teach us in so many ways how to care for the land.”
Though the meadow is years in the making, Hallam hopes the project will also help educate future students about the natural world.
“They'll be able to come out here and do the same kind of learning around the native plants, the Indigenous uses of the native plants and the importance of these plants,” she said. “They'll be able to learn even more about pollinators, and they will be part of caring for this place, too.”
The project has proven so successful it’s spilled beyond the classroom, with some Willows parents helping weed the plot. Ultimately, though, it’s the effect the project has on students that matters most.
“We're really looking at supporting these kiddos to become environmental stewards in the future,” said the teacher.
Hallam began to witness those stewards blossom on Monday after asking her students the simple question: Do trees show kindness? The class's response impressed her, with most saying they were thankful for the air and beauty they provide – and of course heaps of leaves to play in.
