We shelved the explosive natural science course back in February; as it turned out, five classes a week in the library is a little overwhelming for kids. But when school got out a few weeks ago and our summer volunteers arrived, we thought the third attempt might be the trick!
We decided to structure the class as follows: one class per week, from 4-6 on Tuesdays, focusing on environmental and agriculture education. Summer volunteers Jen and Mae helped to spearhead the course; although the first class resulted in a bunch of no-shows, their more successful second class was spent learning about the importance of trees and classifying the flora around the cancha, followed by a lesson on gardening at Fundacion Añamisi.
We spent the third class exploring the nature reserve of Pasachoa (that massive mountain that takes up most of the valley's skyline; a few of us
climbed it back in January). We traveled to
Amaguaña with 14 kids in tow, including Christian, one of our regular teens, Jen Mae, and me. After picking up our naturalist guide, we headed into the park; Mariella gracefully explained the flora and fauna within the park, pointed out crisp and clear streams that slither down from Cotopaxi's glacier, and taught them about the importance of conservation in Ecuador. While we gathered at the entrance, we ran into a reporter for
El Commercio, the major newspaper in Quito. She interviewed us about MPI and our work, and we'll be looking out for the weekly edition to see if we made the cut!
I have really enjoying planning paseos for the kids in the library and I really hope next year's PDs continue to organize them! Note: by next year I actually mean next week; the 2010-2011 E-team is currently in Miami beating Nicaragua, and maybe even Guatemala, at every game possible to keep up our legacy alive...
until next time,
Jackie
