ECC / ES Excursions
Experiential education is an important part of the project approach in the Early Childhood Center, and learning and discovery time in nature is integrated into the monthly projects. The ECC will be using the new Adventure Challenge Course as soon as it opens, and our youngest students also take advantage of Nido's expansive campus, hiking in the hills to look at flora and fauna, discussing environmental issues, and visiting the neighboring farm. Our approach to outdoor education is inspired by a blend of Reggio Emilia and Montessori educational philosophies and our own Nido tradition of appreciating and learning from the beauty and wonder of the world around us.
In the Elementary School, each grade level participates in environmentally-themed outdoor education experiences that connect directly with the content they have been studying in the classroom. First graders study and analyze animal habitats at the Zoológico Nacional de Chile, second graders visit a local community garden and work in their own garden on campus; third graders participate in a geology program at the Arrayán sanctuary in Lo Barnechea; fourth graders study erosion and model building at a farm near Quintay; and fifth graders take an excursion to the Mantagua Wetlands to learn about the unique ecosystem near Concón. Nido teachers communicate with the experts leading the learning experiences "in the field" to design age-appropriate activities that meet the learning objectives of each group.