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A Visit with our Dixon Buddies

Starting last week, we waited for our buddies with great anticipation. Prior to their arrival, we discussed what it means to be a "fun" little buddy - listening, talking, sharing thoughts and ideas, being gentle and smiling.  Since this teacher and this class were new to us, we did not know what to expect. I wondered if our children would feel shy or nervous. Would some need a lot of support from us teachers? Would they need support to help them feel comfortable? Would they feel intimidated by the teacher? Alas, none of these concerns came to a head as the class is filled with gentle, kind and caring grade 6 & 7 students and the teacher is calm, humble and exudes kindness. How lucky we are! Our little buddies seemed comfortable immediately and had no hesitation in engaging with their big buddies. It was fascinating to watch them pair off with such confidence and ease.We discussed the outline of the day which included an art project, shelling beans and threshing wheat, circle, snack and outdoor time.

We introduced ourselves and we were happy to discover that about 1/2 dozen of them had been either to our preschool program or our OSC program; it is always a warming feeling to see them grow up. It is rewarding and affirming to see them turn into kind and considerate people. We then divided into pairs and began to get to know each other. The students worked together at an imagination market station to create some interesting pieces of artwork. The children were very engaged and the big buddies found a good balance between helping the younger buddies but at the same time allowing them to create their own piece.

We then switched gears into a new project. In our initial circle I showed the students our wheat and beans that we grew at our garden and then I proceeded to describe how we would process these grains. The idea of getting the big buddies to help us with the threshing (separating the grain from the chaff) came to me on a walk this morning and I am so very glad it did! Without their help, threshing the wheat would have taken an awfully long time and could have lacked the same precision. The buddies worked so well together and it was a joy to see all the children interacting with these natural elements with such interest. Many of the Dixon students told me they had gardens at home and were growing tomatoes, zucchinis and other vegetables.  One student commented that "they never knew where wheat came from"- a good learning experience for all. I invited the older students to think about the food system and how much food it takes to feed a school, a community, a city, a province, a country. I hope we can take this discussion further next time we meet. I would like to hear their ideas on food security.



Threshing the wheat

All our wheat and some of our dried beans


Everyone was excited to go outside to the playground on this chilly, crisp, autumn day. The little buddies were thrilled and felt privileged to go to the "other" side of the park with their buddies. There were lots of games of tag, hide n' go seek and twirling in the dizzy saucers  (my nickname). 





The time passed far too quickly, as it has a tendency to do when one is enjoying themselves, and it was time to say goodbye to our Dixon buddies. Until next time...


Emily


















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