school

KAIROS Thanksgiving Message + Blanket Exercise

Mass Blanket Exercise on Parliament Hill during the Truth and Reconciliation Commission‘s Calls to Action.

I should have shared this before Thanksgiving, but it is always important to be thankful for what we have. Everyday! Not just on holidays.

I am gracious for being able to travel to Ottawa this summer so I could hear the stories of survivors at TRC. I feel like things are changing and there is hope for the future. Being a part of this video makes me feel like I’m part of this history! What an honor.

Created by KAIROS, the model of the blanket exercise is used to gain perspective on the true history of Canada; how colonization affected the people who lived here first.

As a Canadian who is living on the land where many consider genocide to have occurred, I think the blanket exercise humbled me incredibly. History books in school lied to me.

This is a very quick activity and is free to use by anyone, anywhere (offices, classrooms, community events etc.) it has even been adapted to be used with grades 1 and up.

The Blanket Exercise Manual

Scrolls for Grades 4-8 Exercise

Brain Music

Since I’m in school, I feel like I might as well share what makes studying much more pleasant for me.

Brigitte Engerer does an incredible job with this piece… paired with the smell of rain blowing through my window and the occasional bird’s song, I couldn’t feel happier.

Chopin – Complete Nocturnes

What is your pencil’s history?

Newspapers, old money, CD cases, plastic cups, wood scraps, tires and even blue jeans can get recycled into pencils!

Something to consider while you’re busy creating the future, scrawling in your notebooks.

I am forever amazed by the creative ways people stop waste from reaching landfills.

**Purchasing recycled, eco-friendly office supplies can really set the standard for future schools and workplaces. Plus, it sends a message to companies that endorse cheap-labor and poor environmental laws by saying “I CARE! THIS IS WHAT I WANT TO SUPPORT.“ **

It may seem more expensive at first, but if you substitute that fancy coffee or an unnecessary bus ride, you can use the money you’ve saved to buy various recycled, earth-friendly alternatives.

I try to think of it this way:

Paying a bit more now will help me pay less later (more demand = lower price)
I genuinely feel good about knowing what my money goes towards.
If I continue to make cheap purchases now, I will be spending more in the future (things breaking, extreme weather etc.)
Corporations use slave-labor (extremely under-paid women & children) because I want things to be inexpensive.
Spending an extra dollar gives working families a better quality of life.
Quality of land and water are not considered or cared for when it comes to cheap products.
By supporting corporate companies out of convenience, I am endorsing the possibility of corporate dictatorships fueled by economic demand and poor politics.