Uruguay is known for their hospitable culture, their love of futbol (soccer), and delectable empanadas. Let’s not forget that every meal also includes dulce de leche. That was definitely one of the highlights of my Fulbright experience in South America.
Another sweet treat I experienced was the presence and appreciation for hands-on learning in the majority of elementary schools we visited. The initiatives taken by the schools to use resources available to them in order to incorporate the environment in their lessons was impressive.
It was also clear that the students were enthused by outdoor learning. They were SO excited to show us everything they had learned and wanted to teach us. Students used the measurement of trees, DIY sun dials, and thermometers to demonstrate change in temperature and variables that impact the environment in different areas of their outdoor space. Car tires had been painted with bright colors and repurposed as containers for plants and raised beds.
Students and staff had created greenhouses and their maintenance was a part of their daily routines. In some schools, students not only grow vegetables in their greenhouses, but then use them in weekly cooking lessons as part of their chemistry classes. Older students would also serve the younger students the home-made meals that were made in their very school. They even made their own cook books! Talk about farm to table! This was all part of their math and science curricula.
All in all, one huge take away was that no matter what limitations or lack of resources a school may face, students need to be able to see their surroundings and their lives in their learning; A practical application for why we need to care about the world around us. Therefore, including the environment in their classrooms and introducing hands-on experiences, will elicit enthusiasm for learning. When there is a will, there is a way. Or how I see it, when there is the outdoors, there are many ways.