Studying in the Forest to Recognise the Plants Growing in Bali

‘Growing in Bali’ is the second of the nine themes in our curriculum. We began this theme on 2 March 2020. Within this program, observing plants, especially wild plants, has played an important part.

Eco-Warriors were invited to recognise and identify plants directly in their natural habitat, increasing their knowledge of their surrounding environment.

To get hands-on experience in their natural habitat, the Learning Centre invited Eco-Warriors to study at the Gianyar Botanical Garden. This place is a local forest located about 30 minutes from our centre. Parents of the Eco-Warriors escorted their children individually for safety due to the pandemic.

The Eco-Warriors began their learning with an introspective activity. They imagined the stories and hopes of the plants and trees there. They also collected leaves, fruit, twigs, and roots, as well as mushrooms, from the forest. They listened to the stories of the local villagers, who were also conservation workers there. The Eco-Warriors were very enthusiastic about listening to local residents telling stories about various types of plants in the forest located in Kerta Village. To prepare presentations on the results of their lessons in the forest, they took photos using their tablets to be able to find more information for presentation materials when they returned to the Learning Centre.

During their presentations, the Eco-Warriors demonstrated their confidence in what they had discovered. They exchanged information about the origin of plants, as well as the benefits and functions of plants that interested them. They also tried their best to find the scientific names of the trees they came across.

The enthusiasm and information they conveyed in the presentation showed that “Learning by Doing” has a real impact on students to be more environmentally-aware. (Zeni Natalya)