There is no better way to learn new things, while appreciating the beauty of Nature, than in the great outdoors! Our school, located near the Collserola Natural Park offers to our students the perfect environment to challenge themselves, take risks, seek to discover more than we know and enjoy those “brave new worlds”.
Research shows that outdoor learning deliver many benefits – reducing stress, improving moods, boosting concentration and increasing student’s engagement in their own learning.
At BFIS we like to take every opportunity to jump outside the classroom and get into Nature to learn math, science, social studies in a fun, perdurable and inspirational way.
Here are a couple of examples of our students learning outdoors, but you can learn more about our outdoor learning experiences here: BFIS Experiential Learning
Just before Spring Break, 4th graders at BFIS celebrated geometry in nature! As part of Earth Action week students took part in geometry activities and a forest clean up project in Collserola. The students practiced teamwork through sensory games, sorting activities, explorations, and shape engineering activities. They persevered through challenges and made incredible 3D shapes with the resources they found in nature.
On April 27th, our Grade 6 students visited the Remolar-Filipines Natural Area and beach. At the beach they engaged in scientific field work, setting up transects to observe the distribution of plastic waste throughout the sand.
Most student groups noticed that the highest concentration of plastics occurred 3-5 meters away from the water’s edge, which appeared to be where the sea level reached at high tide. Students hypothesized that many of the plastics that they found may have been carried to the beach by the ocean.Samples of beach sand were also collected to be filtered back at school to search for evidence of microplastics, which are plastic particles that can only be seen with a microscope. Microplastics as well as larger macroplastics are affecting our environment and health. Many of our grade 6 students were moved to launch an unprompted beach cleanup during their free time yesterday.
Students also enjoyed a picnic lunch and team-building activities at the beach. It was a perfect day to be learning in and enjoying the great outdoors!
