The trip to Barkerville was educational, reflective and fun. On the way there, we stopped at a few spots. This was a great way to have a break and engage in land based activities. The first stop was Blessing’s grave where we acknowledged the land and learned about Charles Morgan Blessing, an American miner murdered on the site in 1866 by his Cariboo Wagon Road travelling companion. While we stood around, I observed the land, and used my five senses to take it all in. I remember the beautiful chirping of birds in the trees as we stood there discussing the land. We got into groups based on our grade level interest and chatted about a land based activity we could do with students while in this space. For my Kindergartens- grade 1 group, we decided on having students do a nature walk and engage all of their senses. Have a discussion on what happened in this space many years ago and then do a rock activity where students could paint or draw things they enjoyed/learned about the land on the rock.
Camping overnight in Barkerville was also a great learning experience. I learned how to set up a tent and got to cook my dinner on a gas stove. Before the fire circle, me and Taryn walked around the cemetery and I experienced this in a new light. She shared some of her experiences, coming there with her dad. I learned a lot about plants and flowers. In the evening, we all sat around the fire and did a sharing circle about our practicums and how the program is going.
Next, we stopped at Stanley Cemetery where many pioneers lay from the gold rush era. This Cemetery was interesting, the layout and a lot of the headstones were so unique. One of the activities we did at the Cemetery was to choose a feature of place and then to draw the feature using some sort of restraint. I was fascinated by all the stumps around the trees. There was so much character to them. There was a very big one near the side of the cemetery and it drew my attention. I started drawing this stump and my restraint was shading. I shaded parts that appeared darker and had been worn out. While sketching, I imagined all the feelings this stump had been storing throughout the decades. The feelings of all the people that visit the grave and perhaps even sit on the stump to process or use it as a anger outlet.
After the cemetery activity, we learned how to goldpan by the river. The technique of shaking the pan in circular motion was definitely tiring. It was a cool process of swirling, releasing some rocks and gathering new water. My group and I got three smalls specs of gold. It was a great learning experience and I learned something new!
As I walked around Wells and Barkerville, I noticed some flowers I could include in my EDUC 446 project. I found some things that I was drawn too. I was fascinated by some rocks. I found a heart shaped one that I will use on my sensory board. I also bought three rocks from souvenir shop as they all had different textures which will be perfect for my sensory board.
My favourite part about the Barkerville experience was seeing the historic town. The cute little buildings and how they have been maintained over time. I loved how the people working there as actors were always in character throughout. I attended a Victorian school session and that was such an incredible experience. I was impressed at the teacher who did such an amazing job staying in character throughout the session. Her demeanor, tone and experience of how people spoke during the gold rush time was truly admirable. I really felt like I was sitting in a school back in 1860.
