Quinta Vergara

We finally had our mini field trip to Quinta Vergara! Most of us prepared activities for us to do there but for obvious reasons I will not be referring to all of them.

image from this website

The first activity was the one my group and I prepared. Basically it is a combination of a scavenger hunt with grounding techniques.

The idea was for everyone to pay more attention to our surroundings because, even though we perceive many things with our eyes, we kind of neglect the other senses we've got, and they can give us an interesting experience, especially when we are outdoors.

So we handed out a slip of paper with the image on the right for everybody to know what they had to find:
5 things you can see (like insects)
4 things you can touch (like bark)
3 things you can hear (like leaves rustling)
2 things you can smell (like flowers)
1 thing you can taste (like eucalyptus leaves)



The second activity I'd like to refer to was one organised by another group. They told us to find a partner and gave us scarfs and bandanas to blindfold one person per couple. The idea was that the person who was not blindfolded would have to give directions to the other (without touching him/her) to make them walk without tripping or bumping into something. Then, we would have to switch roles with our partners.
Our classmates said it was an activity to promote trust and I really enjoyed it as such. At first I was pretty sure that I would fall but little but little my partner started making me feel more at ease; I could notice how she was trying to pay attention to everything, to the ground, the trees, the people, so that she could give directions and so that nothing bad would happen. It also made us pay attention to things we hadn't noticed, for instance, I saw one of my classmates making her partner touch things (like leaves and bark) to make him guess what they were, and I think that can be a valuable experience.

image from this website 

Now, from the pedagogical point of view, I think the activity offers a great opportunity for students to practice giving directions (turn to the left, walk straight, slow down, etc) in a meaningful way, as opposed to the typical drillings that they would do in a traditional classroom.
Finally, the benefits of being outdoors are amazing. I believe that the mere fact of being outside, getting some sunshine and better oxygenation can improve our mood, but maybe even improve our pre-disposition to learn. Maybe being comfortable and happy outside could have a positive impact on language learning so it would be a good idea to take our students in mini-field trips like this one. Of course we cannot assume that it will work with any class but I think it is worth trying.