Loving our Maples
- Katie Daman
- Sep 20
- 5 min read
One of our hopes at Forest Nursery School is that this program supports children in their development of deep and meaningful place-based relationships. Children thrive when they are connected to the places where they live, the places where they play, and the places in between.
“Through regular and repeated activities in a natural setting at forest school, children become more relaxed, overcome any fears, have fun, connect with nature as they come to know it better, and develop an affinity for the location.” [1]
This way of knowing is not new. Indigenous Peoples have always lived here, played here, and cared for the land where we now also live and play. Our program’s emphasis on place-based learning is intentional, and has been heavily informed by our learning from Indigenous educators and their land-based practices. Esther & I (Katie) have learned that as settlers on this land, we are asked to help take care of it and show gratitude in how we live, relate, and receive. Indigenous ways of knowing offer guidance for us as we prioritize a seasonal curriculum, offer medicine and plant teachings alongside our consultant, Alicia Alphonso, as well as bring attention to the sun, water, and creatures we share the forest with daily.
It is “believed that development of ties with places, through positive experiences, will inspire children to learn about the environment, and ultimately to want to protect it.” [Ibid]
Using an outdoor, emergent curriculum supports our ability to model to children how to care for the land where we play; to celebrate their relationships with all that we encounter when we’re outdoors in nature; and to encourage their varying interests in the processes and life cycles around us.
Over the last year at Forest Nursery School, we’ve observed growing relationships between the children and the place between the gardens and the river where we spend our mornings. This is especially obvious during seasonal changes. Our relationship with The Maple Tree – also known as a Manitoba Maple, Box-Elder, or Aninaatig (Maple) in Anishinaabemowin – where we meet daily, is an example of this.
Our relationship with The Maple Tree started as one of curiosity, as children wondered why there was a bike lock stuck at the base of the tree, and began deepening last Fall when we noticed the leaf pile below it getting larger and larger. We started spending more time at The Maple Tree playing in the leaf pile, and eventually created a secret pathway from our Forest Nursery site to the tree. At some point, the children realized this may be a pretty good climbing tree and searched to find stumps, logs, and other materials to get up to the lowest branch. “Climbing The Maple Tree” quickly became a favourite activity the children wanted to spend time doing each week. Collecting “Maple Keys” (winged seedpods) for dramatic play also became popular around this time.
In Winter, we found The Maple Tree could be a slight shelter from the wind, but generally we spent less time with The Maple Tree than in Fall. However, when the cold, biting air of Winter shifted to a more mild and friendly temperature and we started to consider tapping one of the maple trees in our site for maple syrup… we thought perhaps, The Maple Tree?
Here are some entries from Esther about our Emergent Maple Tree Curriculum:
Mid-March: This week, we started paying attention to our Maple trees! We are surrounded by many big and small, old and young Manitoba Maples (Box Elders) in our woods. Katie shared the book Gluskonba and the Maple Trees and we brought out our tree bark field guide as tools. We remembered all the Maple keys we collected through the fall, and found some special Maple trees near our site. All this in hopes that in a few weeks, when the sap rises - we can try tapping! We’re thankful for the generous Maples around us!
Late-March: When is it time to tap? Sap is running when a tree looks wet, like something’s spilled on it (squirrels might be licking it!). When the nights are below zero, and the days are above zero, the sap can run. With the warmer weather at the start of the week, we wanted to try tapping before spring break. As the weather warms next week, Katie and I will keep an eye on our tap.
Although this place is filled with Manitoba Maple (Box Elder), we call the one we’ve decided to tap together The Maple Tree as it’s become a destination and a meeting point for us. This week, we also learned and are practicing the Anishinaabemowin name for the Maple: Aninaatig. We are thankful and amazed by gifts like sap that the earth shares with us!
This week, Alicia and Novalee came to play and share teachings. They helped us learn Anishinaabemowin words about this land in spring and shared a song with numbers one to ten. We are set on practicing 1,2, and 3 to start!: Bizheg, Niizh, Niswi! They heard our story of tapping the Maple tree and shared their own stories of receiving gifts from the land to make dream catchers, and offering Tobacco in gratitude.
Late April: Today we shared the small bit of syrup Katie and Esther were able to process from the sap we collected. We each had a spoonful, and then another. We thanked our Maple, our Aninaatig, with Tobacco and took out our taps for the year. We chatted about how special it felt to share the maple syrup that we all, and the Maple Tree, worked so hard for. We’re thankful for our teacher, Aninaatig!
As Spring came, new buds began to form on The Maple Tree. We were excited to see green and wanted to use some of it for our soups, salads, and potions in our mud kitchen. However, some children still remembered the ways The Maple Tree cared for us with its generous gift of maple syrup, shelter from the wind, and big strong branches for climbing. When Katie & Esther shared that the new leaves are how The Maple Tree (and other plants) soak up nutrients from the sun, the children were quick to understand their role to care for the tree and its newly forming leaves.
In Summer, the tree was a shady spot from the sun and a sheltered spot in the rain. We even got to put my (Katie’s) hammock up a few times! When one of the children says, "I think the maple tree is growing big and strong because of my love," we understand and affirm that yes, our care and relationships are an important part of this tree’s life. We also learn from Nat about how the trees are connected to each other through their roots underground, and their relationships to each other are also part of what makes them so strong.
We now begin another year of watching and relating to The Maple Tree: meeting near, climbing, taking shelter under, watering, playing on, harvesting maple syrup, and most recently, enjoying the dropping leaves. As a Forest Nursery Program going into our second year, we feel more and more rooted into our own sense of purpose and belonging through these types of place-based relationships. While we don’t know how long this tree will play a central role here, we’re so grateful for growing and deepening connections with all that is around us and look forward to many more important relationships like this in our future.
The maple trees
All winter long
Stay silent and asleep
Until warm rays from the sun
Awake us from the deep
And as the sap begins to rise
Up through the trunk a sweet…
Surprise!
Thank you Maple Tree!
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