From recognising birdsong to tasting fresh honey, our Champittet students from preschool to Grade 4 immersed themselves in the wonders of nature during Earth Week.
Guided by our birdwatching enthusiast Marc, our students in Grades 1 and 2 learned how to recognise birds by their songs and colours – useful skills for our next Forest School outing! Meanwhile, our preschoolers and Grade 4 students discovered the fascinating world of bees – complete with honey tasting – with our beekeeper Cédric. Our 4th-graders then made seed bombs to attract pollinators, while our youngest learners crafted handmade beeswax candles.
In addition, our 1st-graders enjoyed a special outing to Jorat Nature Park. Accompanied by a nature educator, these young explorers used their five senses to explore the forest as if they were woodland creatures – spotting rare butterflies, tasting hazelnuts and nettle syrup, and identifying natural objects by touch, among other outdoor adventures.
From storytelling to arts and crafts, our students unleashed their imagination to express what they had learned during Earth Week. Our children in Grades 1 and 2 eagerly hosted a breakfast for their parents to display their knowledge. Our 3rd-graders read a lovely nature-inspired book, The Wolf Who Loved Trees (Le loup qui aimait les arbres), and participated in activities highlighting the topics of waste, recycling and protecting the planet.
Our primary students also discussed the four “R”s – Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle – and put their knowledge to use in creative ways. Some students designed posters promoting care and respect for the planet, which are now proudly decorating our school; others made their very own musical instruments from recycled materials, and even performed a song, “Save Our Planet”, for our youngest learners. In addition, our Parents’ Association generously organised a book exchange – a great opportunity for our students to “reuse” while unearthing literary treasures.
This weeklong celebration of our planet gave our students a great start to the new term, blending outdoor learning experiences with environmental consciousness. We can’t wait for the exciting culmination of one of our last Earth Week projects: observing the butterflies that will soon emerge from their cocoons and live in our Champittet garden!
Collaboration often leads to innovation – and for three days in May, a group of our Champittet students had the opportunity to experience just that with 200 students from across Europe at the NAE STEAM festival in Prague!
