Amigos del Yunque Foundation receives students from Montessori public schools

In Montessori pedagogy, the connection with nature is an important part of the curriculum. This contact with nature enriches their learning at all levels.

From Instituto Nueva Escuela (INE) we promote that students from Montessori public schools have experiences and visits to natural places in Puerto Rico. Thus, last month Amigos del Yunque Foundation received 80 students in the El Yunque National Forest.

Amigos del Yunque Foundation is a non-profit entity committed to creating conservation, education and responsible recreation initiatives in the El Yunque National Forest in Puerto Rico.

For the Forest Service, El Yunque National Forest is the only tropical rainforest that belongs to the national forest system. With its almost 29,000 acres, it is one of the smallest in territorial area, but one of the national forests with the greatest biological diversity.

Thanks to the coordination between the foundation, INE and the staff of the Montessori public schools (EPM), the students from Francisco Matías Lugo EPM in Carolina and Guillermo Riefkhol EPM in Patillas visited the forest. During the visit they watched the film “El Yunque: Beyond Mountains and Seas”, received an educational workshop and enjoyed a guided walk.

Johanna Colón, who directs the environmental project “Enraizando” at INE, highlighted that initiatives like these strengthen some of the objectives of the project, which are: allowing students to learn about the ecosystems of Puerto Rico, to have direct contact with natural spaces and to learn about initiatives that have to do with environmental conservation.

For the Montessori guide, Carla de Pedro, from the Guillermo Reifkhol school, this visit was the perfect opportunity to integrate the curriculum of Sciences, History, and Physical Education, and raise in the students their sense of belonging and responsibility as citizens of the world.