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The Ecology and Pedagogy of Place

Isabella Pagnani
Early Childhood Education,
Humber College
ECE-234-0NB
Andrea Williams and Louise Zimanyi
October 20, 2021

I have maintained Academic Integrity in my work by adhering to the values of honesty and
integrity. I declare that this work respects APA requirements as well as policies within the
Faculty of Health Sciences& Wellness.
Student’s Digital Signature: Isabella Pagnani
Student Number: N01429809
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Part B: Reflection
The place I chose to visit is Islington Park near my house, I visited this place during the
day and at night to reflecting on how this place changed during these two times of the day. I feel
that during the day this place was more sunny, bright, and more children and families were
present in the space. I also feel that during the day this space made me feel calmer, relaxed and at
peace. At night, the space was more dark, cold, and there were no children or families present as
this would not be the time for children or families to be at the park, it is more common during the
day. I also did not feel as calm or relaxed being at the park during the nighttime, because no one
else was there in the space. During seasons like Summer and Spring I feel the park is a more
common place to go for children, families, and friends. The Summer and Spring also have better
and warmer weather for people to be able to enjoy their time at the park more and be accessible
to more things like running in the grass, using the swing and slide. During the Winter and Fall
this is a time that the weather starts to get colder, especially during the Winter when it also
snows. Therefore, during this time I feel that less people go to the park as less things are
accessible due to the weather, for example, you cannot run in the grass because it is covered with
snow, the swing and slide will be covered in snow making it not accessible to children. When we
pay attention and listen in different ways the land teaches us a lot of things, using my 5 senses
helped me to listen and understand the land better. Firstly, smelling the flowers that were in the
green area of the park, observing the space, markings on trees, and animals, feeling the grass and
plants around me, listening to the wind blowing and dogs barking. Using these senses helped me
to understand and appreciate the land and all the little things that are beautiful on the land. What
I am thinking and wondering as I sit is how at peace I feel and laying in the grass looking at the
sky makes me feel calm and makes me question how many clouds are in the sky? How many
people feel relaxed when they come to Islington Park?
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Part C: Narrative
Islington Park was the first place I thought of because this is a park, I used to go to all the
time when I was younger, therefore I knew it would be a good place for me to connect to the
land. My connection and responsibility to the land is to appreciate the land and not abuse it, for
example littering or vandalizing the land. I feel that I need to show appreciation to the land by
trying my best to take care of it and water the flowers, so they stay healthy, hanging posters so
trees do not keep getting cut down and so on. The land that Islington Park is on is the Petun land.
My sit spot engages spirit, heart, mind, and body as my map includes things that are not usually
on paper maps like animal tracks and wind. The sit spot I chose engaged my spirit as I felt
connected to the sky and wind as I was laying the grass watching the clouds in the sky, my heart,
mind, and body were all connected to my sit spot as I felt mentally and physically present in my
sit spot making me feel connected to this space.
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Works Cited
Sit Spots (Young, 2008, Intro to Sit Spots https://vimeo.com/407601408 and Mapping
https://4elementslivingarts.org/portfolio/mapping/