Author: brynnfreeland (Page 1 of 2)

I wanted to investigate how my passion for rocks could be connected to the BC curriculum in different ways, so I can expand on what I have learned in my inquiry project with my students. As I said at the beginning of my inquiry, there is a direct connection to the BC Science 5 curriculum with content on different local earth materials and the rock cycle. As well as in secondary grades, the subject of Geology is offered as a science elective.  I also mentioned how there can be a connection found in the First Peoples Principle of Learning and Indigenous Knowledge. Which I explored more in my last post, where I found a very resourceful website on the art of rock balancing and stacking. On that website, I found this lesson for elementary students on balancing rocks, which can be cross-curricular between science and art and is a great way to engage with your natural environment.

This made me realize a great way to bring my passion for rocks into the classroom is through art! There are so many great art projects that can be done using art that have students engaging with their environment and learning different mediums of art. For example, rock painting, students can collect rocks from their school grounds and paint them to create a class rock garden. Another example is that natural objects are done in natural spaces. This is when you use different natural objects to create art through patterns and colour. This would be a great activity to spark students’ curiosity for the outdoors and another great opportunity for cross-curricular into the science field.

Examples of different nature art I have done in the past:

I also explored the website I found above more and found a lot of different great lessons surrounding or connecting to rocks that could be used in a classroom. The website seems like a great free resource website for new teachers to check out. I also remember seeing a whole page about rocks on the Focus Ed resources Live It that I would be very curious to explore more when I have my teacher email set up! I feel like this is only the beginning for me, and as I begin my teaching degree, I will find more ways to connect my own and my students’ passions to the curriculum.

When researching what connections Indigenous people have with rocks and how their healing properties may differ from what I have found earlier, I stumbled across this website. The website is a source from UBC on Decolonizing Teaching, Indigenizing Learning and has a page on stones and balancing. The page was super informative and provided how teachers could prepare for a lesson on stones and balancing. There is information on how to prepare the students, practicing humility, additional sources, BC curriculum connections, First Peoples’ Principles of Learning, and inviting the community. The page also included a video interview with Jock Langlois about his healing journey with finding balance in life and how rock stacking has helped him and others.

I had not thought about how a healing property of rocks could be used in a process towards healing. Jock’s story about the act of balancing rocks really touched me and made me curious about finding balance myself through rock stacking, which will now be one of my future inquiry blog posts. I also learned about how in Indigenous peoples’ culture, rocks, spirits and stories to tell. Rocks are often thought of as ‘Grandfathers’ to Indigenous people. A point that was made that really stood out to me was “Stacking rocks symbolizes creation and connecting the spirit of the rock to ourselves as the rock standing requires concentration and focus and leads to healing.” This page will also be beneficial for me to use when investigating how I can connect rock identification, collecting, and now balancing to the BC curriculum.

The next step I want to take in my rock identification process is learning more about the healing properties of the rocks I have found. Luckily, many features within the app can teach you about the different healing properties rocks have, their different uses, and their different qualities. I have always loved rocks and often carry them in my pocket to use as a natural fidget. I love the smoothness of rocks and find it calms me to fidget with a natural object; however, I have never thought to look into what the healing properties of the rocks I fidget with may be and how that may add to the calming feeling I get.

              In my collection, the rocks that have healing properties are red jasper, green jasper, brecciated jasper, milky quartz, aventurine, and serpentine. Although all three jaspers have similar healing properties, there are some differences between them.  Red jasper is known as a grounding stone that provides a sense of balance and stability. Red jasper can increase creativity and motivate you to get things done. Green jasper is also a grounding stone but promotes strength and stamina of the mind, body, and spirit. It can also help provide motivation and endurance for success. It also has a very calming energy and is known to relieve stress. Whereas brecciated jasper is a grounding stone that people employ to restore vitality and improve focus. It is said to remove negative energy and overcome feelings of shame and guilt, and encourages strength and positive energy.

              Serpentine’s is known for its strong connection to Mother Earth and could strengthen your connection with the environment around you. It is a recommended stone to have while meditating outside and can enhance wisdom and help retrieve lost memories. Aventurine is known to be an energy-amplifying stone and can help with manifestation. It may bring good fortune and prosperity, and is often thought of as a good luck stone. On top of that, it is also known to have mood-boosting abilities and bring happiness and vitality. Milky quartz is known to be a very powerful stone that can be cleansing for the whole body. It is thought that it can boost concentration, memory, and communication. Milky quartz is especially interesting as it is believed to help with healing physical illness, such as headaches, migraines, motion sickness, bladder infections, and skin disorders.

              I have not been a huge believer in the power of crystals and natural remedies in the past; however, I had never really investigated them before. After learning more about the rocks I have and what healing properties they may have, I understand it more and found it very interesting to learn about. My next curiosity is to see if I can find any information on how local Indigenous peoples use rocks and what healing properties they see in them.