Earlier this week, one of our Grade 7 classes braved a rainy day for a unique outdoor education experience at O.U.R. Ecovillage. Despite the weather, the excitement was high as we arrived at the Ecovillage, ready to dive into a day full of hands-on sustainability lessons.
Before they got started, we asked a few classmates what they thought about the Outdoor Education trips SMUS students attend. Isaiah P. explained, “We get to go on all the outdoor trips eventually. Last year I did paddle boarding, so next year I’ll do hiking.” Ava A. chimed in, “I really want to go paddle boarding,” and Clara B. agreed, “Yeah, I really want to go paddle boarding! I went hiking and now I’m excited to be doing Ecovillage.” Ryan C. added with a grin, “Definitely if it’s raining, this is the best trip to get! If you're hiking, then it's just raining and you're still walking.” Ava nodded, saying, “If you're paddle boarding, it's cold,” but Isaiah defended it with a laugh, “Paddle boarding’s fun in the rain because you get to wear a wetsuit.” Ryan, on the other hand, concluded, “Yeah, but here, it's indoors and there’s a lot to do!”
Throughout the day, students circulated through multiple sessions, each one teaching a valuable aspect of sustainability and how it is practiced in the village.
When students were learning about green technology, they had a chance to see how solar panels and wind turbines work together to create renewable energy. They got to learn that these systems could generate power even on a rainy, cloudy day like the one they were experiencing. This lesson sparked a lot of discussion about how we could apply these technologies in our own lives.
As the students were learning about cob construction, Ryan said, “I didn't expect to learn that clay is breathable—helps buildings breathe.” Clara added, “I didn’t expect to learn that they’ve made these buildings out of clay and straw. At the very beginning of the day, they were showing how some of the people from the trip last year were, like, using clay to start building up the walls, which I thought was really cool.”
In one session, students harvested and processed apples into juice, sauce and slices for dehydrating. This resulted in some tasty homemade desserts which the students ate after lunch. Picking fresh apples in the rain felt like a real farming experience. Many students agreed that it was the best part of the day, though Isaiah quickly added, “eating pizza” as his second favourite moment.
Students were able to spend time with the animals as part of the animal husbandry lesson. They met the goats, chickens, and sheep, and even got to feed them, which turned out to be much more fun than expected. Clara shared, “I thought it was going be picking up goat poop,” Clara laughed and added, “This is actually really fun. I really liked feeding the goats.” Ava nodded, saying, “Yeah, that was really cool.”
One of the surprises for many was the chance to do some hand art. Ava shared, “I really liked the hand art,” and Clara agreed, saying, “We did a mosaic. That was really fun. They had a lot of different materials. I liked that it was really calming.” The peaceful activity was a contrast to our usual school days. Clara explained, “Compared to, like, what we do normally in a day, like, having to run around school to find our classes,” Clara added, “It’s a calming experience.”
By the end of the day, students had learned so much more than they had expected about sustainable living. As the bus pulled away, many felt inspired. The rain hadn’t stopped anyone from having an amazing day and learning how we can each make a difference for our environment.
