Students at Coalhurst Elementary School took Orange Shirt Day to heart recently.
As a means to mark Orange Shirt Day – a national recognition of the impact of residential schools teacher Emma Lenz had her students make Attachment Hearts. The hearts represent the relationship ties and connections that children have with their caregivers and are usually presented to a friend, family member or caregiver to demonstrate their attachment.
The class made the hearts with soft fabric, so the holder can cuddle it and feel the security of attachment. They also filled each heart with sage, a traditional First Nations medicinal herb, to further enhance their comfort factor.
Each student was asked to fill out a note to indicate who they intended to give the heart to. One student made two, to give to each of his best friends. Most created them for parents or grandparents.
Amanda planned on giving hers to ‘Tick-Tock Oma.’ She wrote: “…She asks if we ate and she cooks stuff for us. When I give it to her I am going to ask her to squeeze it if she feels lonely.”
Linkin gave his heart to his mom and dad because “they took care of me when I was a baby. They are important to me.”
Faith gave her heart to her older brother, because “he’s really nice and he walks to school with me. He always comes back for me if I get behind.”
Orange Shirt Day CES
