By Dayana and Binka | Educator and story teller
Hello dear donors and friends!
Grab your water bottle and put on your boots, because today we're going to take you into the forest. Close your eyes and remember when you used to climb onto the yellow school bus and head out on an adventure.
Sometimes I'm guessing you were apprehensive. But many times you were excited to be with your friends, right?
So let's roll back the years, and imagine you are aboard the little yellow bus. Heading down the dirt road, over the wooden bridge, to an EcoLeaders class at Iracambi. And today it's time for your first lesson in the Ecosystems module.
Are you ready?
We'll start with a welcome and ice breaker. Everyone forms a circle and we'll ask you to tell us about the time you had an experience with nature. You saw a brightly colored frog. You heard the sound of water in a stream. You noticed the scent of the earth after a rainshower. So, what do you think that this place can teach us? What did the person next to you notice? Was it very different from your experience?
Now it's time to explore the living map of Iracambi. You'll be divided up into groups of 3 or 4 and each of you will be given an illustrated map showing the key points of Iracambi. You'll hike the Medicinal Plants Trail and we'll ask you to describe three different species of plants, insects, or birds. As you explore the river we'll ask you to think about the water. Where does it come from? Where does it go? Why do we need rivers? Next we'll visit the forest nursery with its tables of tree seedlings. Why does Iracambi grow baby trees? Look at all the different species. Why do we need different species?
Time to go to the restaurant for a quick snack, and to listen to our classmates as we discuss what we've seen and learned so far.
Next we'll be going on a blindfold walk. We'll divide into pairs and take a safe section of the trail with one student blinfolded being guided by the other. The student who is blindfolded will focus on the sounds, smells and textures. And then the two will switch roles. Time to reflect. What did you notice without seeing it? Afterwards we'll all talk about what we noticed and how it changed our perception of the environment.
And now its time for our creative workshop. We'll settle down in our open-air restaurant using paper, colored pencils, paints and other natural materials and create something to help us remember the day - painting, drawing, writing, making a poem or making music. Making a collage, doing a rainforest dance. And then we'll share our work and think back about our day. What surprised us? What did we learn?
So now, dear readers, we need to get back on the bus. And we really hope you enjoyed your day. Thank you for coming along with us, and we'll see you soon!
with love and appreciation from
Dayana and the Young EcoLeaders
By Carla da Hora Duailibi | Comunication Coordinator
By Carla da Hora Duailibi | Comunication Coordinator
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