Nathan Tidridge

Waterdown District High School, Waterdown, Ontario

Since 2014, the Souharissen Natural Area has become a foundation for land-based pedagogy that has engaged various cohorts of students and members of the wider community in projects built around the historical thinking pillars.

Working in partnership with the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, the natural area was established by high school teacher Nathan Tidridge, his students, and other community members. This 55-acre educational and cultural space in Waterdown, Ontario continues to evolve as an outdoor classroom and inspiration for numerous curriculum-based projects.

Past examples of projects anchored in the Souharissen Natural Area include the planting of a canoe garden and the construction and installation of bat houses throughout the area.

As well as specific projects, the area has ensured that multiple cohorts of students have developed relationships with their Treaty partners, the Mississaugas of the Credit and Haudenosaunee Confederacy.

As an innovative approach to land-based learning, the Souharissen Natural Area is unlike any other space in Canada and continues to link the classroom, school, and wider community.