For both phase one and two of Project of Heart we have ordered wooden tiles from Woodworks Ltd., a wood supply company based out of Texas, USA. You can order three different sizes in two types, square and rectangular, here.
If you wish to order via phone please use the CONTACT information found on their website.
One of the most devastating aspects of the history of Indian Residential Schools in Canada, already one of the darkest chapters of the history of Canada, is the number of children that died in residential schools. One of the gifts to learners in Project of Heart is the opportunity to commemorate the life of a child lost in residential school or to create a tile to honour an IRS survivor. By decorating the Project of Heart tiles and sharing creating commemoration exhibits, Project of Heart participants pay tribute to the precious children lost and to the survivors, their families and communities.
You will require PERMANENT, FINE TIP SHARPIE MARKERS in various colours with extra black markers to complete this part of the project. The most important thing to remember is that the markers must be PERMANENT MARKERS so that the image does not run or bleed if it comes into contact with water. Also, FINE TIP is necessary due to the tiny size of the tiles.
A) Print the name and location of the IRS on the back of the tile in FINE TIP, BLACK, PERMANENT Sharpie Marker.
Example:
B) Colour the edges of the tile black to create a memorial for a child who died in residential school or a colour other than black to honour an IRS survivor. (the edge refers to the very thin edge surrounding the tile… not the front or back).
C) Decorate the front of the tile with any image, words or combination of images and words that you want to use to honor, respect and remember a child who attended Indian Residential School.
D) Create a commemoration exhibit piece to be installed in your school, church, or any location that you find appropriate in your community so that the piece serves as a memorial to children who died in Indian Residential Schools, to honor IRS survivors and their families and to bring awareness to all Canadians who see the exhibit. Here are some examples:
E) Learners can also turn their tile or “witness piece” into a beautiful piece of jewelry that is part of Justice for Indigenous Women (J4IW) campaign. Learners can find out how to create the jewelry here (for more advanced learners) or here (for the younger learners). If your class wishes to do fund-raising by selling your jewelry, you can register here to obtain your information tags.
