Tend, Gather & Grow�A youth-centered teaching toolkit on �wild plants as food, medicine, and traditional technologies�
Mariana Harvey (Yakama) & Kim Gaffi
Cultural Ecosystems�Field Guide
Cultural ecosystems are landscapes that include and require human involvement with them if they are to continue to exist. Native People have stewarded cultural ecosystems including camas prairies, clam gardens, mountain huckleberry meadows, wetlands, and food forests since time immemorial.
Big Idea: Plants have unique gifts that support their own health and can support human health.
Lessons
Making Herbal Teas
Herbal Infused Vinegars
Herbal Infused Honey
Infused Herbal Oils and Salves
Introducing Essential Oils
Making Bath Salts
Big Idea: Many wild plants are nutritious foods. The foods we need to stay healthy and nourished come from the land.
Lessons
The Gift of Native Foods
Spring Wild Greens
Wild Edible Berries
Native Infusion: Rethink Your Drink
Big Idea: Each tree has unique gifts that contribute to the forest community.
Lessons
Tree Walk
Evergreen Conifer Trees I
Evergreen Conifers Trees II
Additional Documents
Student Handouts
Tree Lifecycle Pages
Tree Coloring Pages
Evergreen Conifer Botanical Key
Big Idea: Plants have specialized structures and functions, such as strength and flexibility, that help them thrive in their environments. Humans have made use of these qualities to meet their own needs.
Lessons
Build a Mouse House
Plant Superpowers
Make Cordage
Plant Dyes
A sister curriculum to Tend, Gather, and Grow
Many Native Elders remind us that plants are teachers. When we awaken our senses and observe nature, plants can lead us in finding ways to be healthy and resilient.
Plant Teachings includes a book, cards, an activity guide, movement videos, posters, a calendar, stickers, and a journal!
Ways to Approach this Curriculum
Plant-of-the-Month:
Use the Tend Lesson Calendar to select plants and lessons appropriate for each month.
Place-based:
Choose lessons and modules to accompany nearby landscapes and/or gardens (food forests, camas prairies, native berry gardens, wetlands, saltwater beaches, urban landscapes). Engage students in the creation of an ethnobotanical garden.
Social/Emotional Learning (SEL):
Tend includes SEL teachings that can be learned from plants. Use Tend lessons to further explore plants featured in Plant Teachings for Growing Social-Emotional Skills Toolkit.
Ways to Approach this Curriculum
Integrate Lessons into Other Courses,
Themes, or Curricula:
Incorporate lessons or whole modules into agriculture, nutrition, biology, ecology, and history courses or weave together with WA State’s Since Time Immemorial or OR state’s Tribal History, Shared History curricula.
Full Year-long Course:
Use Tend as a year-long
career and technical education (CTE)
or science course.
Try the mystery tea…. ��What color do you notice?��What do you smell?��What flavors do you taste?��What sensations do you feel?��What memories come up?�
Story Reflection
Nettles are a superfood! Harvest in spring when they are still young. Remember that they can sting you! Gather with scissors or gloves. Nettles are steamed, boiled, or sauteed.
Nettles make a great tea or seasoning! Once dried, store nettles in a cool dark place. They will keep for about a year.
cedarboxexperience.com
See curriculum portal at nativeplantsandfoodsportal.org
Closing Circle
Rose: What’s one thing you appreciated from our session session?
Doug Fir: One thing you can adapt and use right away?