Micro-Worlds to Inspire Macro-Change: Teaching about Water Conservation and Relationality through Terrariums by Mandy Whelan and Arielle Garand

Purpose Statement

This project began with a simple idea: What might students learn about water—and

themselves—by tending to a tiny, living world? Through the act of building terrariums, we invite children to observe, care for, and wonder about the water systems that quietly sustain life. These small, self-contained ecosystems become more than science experiments; they become metaphors for Earth, for care, for relationship.

The work emerges in response to a gap we’ve noticed in how water is typically taught in

schools—often through charts, definitions, and technical language that separates students from the living world around them. Water is too often treated as a resource to be used, not as a relation to be honoured. We’re concerned that this approach, rooted in colonial and individualistic ways of thinking, overlooks how deeply interconnected we are with water—and how urgently we need to change our ways of being with it.

Our focus is to guide students toward a deeper awareness of their place in the web of

life. By walking the land, taking photographs, building with materials gathered nearby, and

writing from the heart, students begin to notice what water does, how it moves, and why it

matters. The learning becomes personal. Terrariums offer a way to slow down and really see how water works. They help students understand that care and observation are forms of knowledge too.

This work matters. It creates space for different ways of knowing—especially Indigenous

ways of relating to land and water. It brings students, teachers, and community members into conversation with one another. It honours creativity, reciprocity, and place. And perhaps most importantly, it asks students not just to learn about the water cycle, but to think about how they might live differently because of what they’ve learned.

Essential Questions

How do terrariums help us understand how to care for water in our world? How does this

demonstrate what I know about the land around me?

Walking. Wondering. Writing. Water.

This project invites students and educators to think differently about water—how we use it, care for it, and relate to it.

Through the hands-on experience of building terrariums, students explore the water cycle, water conservation, and environmental responsibility. By walking their local land, gathering naturalmaterials, and documenting their learning through writing and photography, students develop a deeper connection to Place and a greater awareness of their role in sustaining life.

What We’re Doing

Students in Grades 2/3 and 3/4 will:

• Build terrariums using recycled and natural materials

• Observe water systems in action—condensation, precipitation, and evaporation—within a closed loop

• Walk the land near their school and along the Red River to gather inspiration and materials

• Take photographs of living and non-living elements in their community

• Photograph observations of terrariums over time and document changes

• Reflect through writing—poetry, letters, stories, and more

• Participate in Elder teachings about the sacredness of water

• Share their learning through a public gallery exhibition and digital showcase

Why It Matters

This work responds to a growing need to teach ecological awareness in meaningful ways. Water is not just a resource—it’s a relationship. Research reminds us that traditional ways of teaching about water often ignore its sacredness and focus solely on human needs. This project shifts that lens.

“Water pedagogies… construct water as simply a human resource.” (Nxumalo & Villanueva, 2020, p. 211)

Instead, we honour Indigenous perspectives that view water as sacred and alive. By walking with the land and listening closely, students begin to see water not as something to use, but something to care for.

What We’re Learning

This project blends learning across subjects:

• Science: Water cycle, ecosystems, biodiversity

• Social Studies: Relationships to land and water, environmental justice

• ELA: Reflective and creative writing, multimodal communication

• Art: Photography, drawing, tableaus, book-making

• Reconciliatory Education in action Through this cross-curricular work, students build a relationship with Place, grounded in care, curiosity, and responsibility.

Our Purpose

We aim to:

• Make invisible water systems visible

• Encourage deep thinking through photos and words

• Amplify student voices and honour diverse perspectives

• Create ripples of learning that reach beyond the classroom

• Model reconciliatory education through collaboration between Indigenous and non Indigenous educators

• Embed Indigenous knowledge, land-based practices, and anti-racist writing pedagogies into everyday teaching

A Living Project

This project is alive—always growing and shaped by those who join it.

• Community walks become moments of wonder.

• Photographs become messages of care.

• Terrariums become metaphors for Earth.

• Writing becomes a place for connection and voice.

We invite students, families, teachers, and the broader community to walk with us. Together, we can learn how to care for the water, the land, and each other. Once the terrarium project is complete, students will return natural materials to the places they were collected.