HUNDREDS of Jamaican students will get closer to nature as part of the Sandals Foundation’s World Earth Day celebrations next Thursday.

In a bid to increase students’ understanding and appreciation for environmental matters, with specific focus on climate change, the foundation has partnered with several of its adopted basic and primary schools in Westmoreland, St James and St Ann to take the classrooms outside for hour-long lessons and creative activities.

“The Sandals Foundation is committed to affecting positive changes in our environment and this 40th anniversary of World Earth Day gives us an amazing opportunity to do so,” said Heidi Clarke, director of programmes for the foundation. “We have worked with our schools in previous years to plant trees or begin gardening projects, so this year’s activities are simply in continuance of our safeguarding of the earth.”

She added that each school group will be engaged in two distinct activities for the period of the lessons.

“Basic-schoolers love getting their hands dirty with artistic projects and on Thursday we will give them free rein to create art from trash. They will get the chance to make ‘Litter Bugs’ — small creatures made from recycled cardboard — as their project for the day, while the older children in the primary schools will learn how to make worm composts right there in the school yard,” noted Clarke.

This approach of learning while doing, the programme director said, will foster greater awareness of the environment for students.

“Children learn best when they are actively involved in and can see the results of what they are being taught. So taking the classroom outside will give them a more practical understanding of their world around them. Worm composts, for instance, help to alleviate landfills and create great fertiliser for school trees and gardens, and this is a process they will be able to monitor and learn from throughout the school year,” said Clarke. “We do hope more schools will join us by using one of our lessons or one of their own in an effort to get as many children outside this Earth Day to continue steps to preserving our planet.”

Meanwhile, selected schools are looking forward to the experience. Principal of John Rollins Success Primary School in St James Yvonne Wisdom is enthused to once again work alongside the Sandals Foundation in educating children about the environment.

“Sandals has played a major role in the sustenance of our Environment Club through the years. We have planted trees, done beach clean-ups and most recently they facilitated a very educational trip to the NWC (National Water Commission) plant for World Water Day. So we are really looking forward to Thursday’s activity which we know will be fun and informative as always,” the principal said.