Blog  February 16, 2012

EcoTeams across TDSB gather at Evergreen Brick Works

TDSB students made "journey sticks" to commemorate their hike at EBW. (Photo: Evergreen) 

Four hundred students, four hundred smiling faces, new friendships, a little bit of mud and some rosy cheeks––Evergreen Brick Works was built for this!

Recently Evergreen Brick Works came to life with hundreds of Grade 7 and 8 students and their teachers participating in the annual EcoSchools Middle School Conference.

They came to share their ideas and green initiatives, with the objective of learning from, and building on, each other’s experiences. In addition to getting to know each other, they brainstormed ways to engage their classmates in greening their schools.

Throughout the day, teams rotated through a series of workshops lead by the TDSB and Evergreen that focused on waste reduction and team building. Their first activity was to create “journey sticks,” a narrative learning tool that acts as a symbolic representation and reminder of a special event. The sticks are a collage of mementos collected along a hike or other adventure that can be used as visual reminder of their experiences and to recount the story to others.

Teamwork was also required on the nature hunt where students were transformed into mice, moles and voles, scouring the site for geography and geology clues. They worked together to complete the tasks and avoid being "caught" by Evergreen camp staff acting as hawks and coyotes. While the scavenger hunt took place, teachers also participated in classroom workshops exploring how best to motivate children in learning through nature. 

At the end of the day, everyone left invigorated and brimming with new ideas to bring back to their schools. To learn more about Evergreen’s work connecting children with nature, check out the Future Cities episode of The Nature of Things, airing on CBC today, February 16, at 8pm.