Vision

Emelie Taylor and her grade 3/4 class had a vision to improve our schoolyard. We wanted to encourage more children to play outside and to learn about native plant species and the birds and bees they would attract. We also wanted a place for people to go when they needed a peaceful, calming space. We decided to build a wildflower labyrinth.

Action

We found an ideal location for our labyrinth – on an old ball diamond on the school yard. It had a semi-circle shape, a base of sand with a stone dust surface, and was flanked on the flat side by young trees. We soon realized that using wildflowers for the labyrinth pathways was not a lasting solution (over time or through the seasons), so we decided to create the pathways with large rocks which each needed to be dug into the ground for safety reasons. We even used heavy foundation stones from the original Avon school which had been built in 1914 and was just demolished. Wildflowers will be planted around the edges of the labyrinth and in four flower beds inside it. Our enthusiastic team of 8 and 9 year olds worked extremely hard digging holes for each rock, persevering at this monumental task, and eventually every other child in the school lent a helping hand!