Learning on the playground

The climbing tree at the south end of Kew Gardens in east-end Toronto has been a mighty opponent for Mackenzie Scott for some time now. While her friend Maia swings from branch to branch above, Mackenzie prepares for one more try. Clad in a light pink jacket and rainbow toque, she gives each hand a lick to sooth the redness from cold and tree bark and grabs hold of the first branch.

Her mother, Debra Scott, stands nearby – coaching the four-year-old as she pulls her body upwards. Once able to drape her arm across the first branch, she swings one leg over to give herself support. Finally she pulls the rest of herself up until she’s sitting upright.

“You did it!” her mother cries. “All by yourself, you did it without me!”