The pilot to teach primary school children more about their own environment, history and nature is a success. The initiators of Sint Pancras in ‘t Groen have received applications from several schools within and outside the municipality. “With some adjustments, any school could join in.”
In recent weeks, the teaching project has been extensively tested by students of Kindcentrum Het Baken in Sint Pancras. Today the project was completed with the planting of flower bulbs on Kerkplein.
Astrid Vreugdenhil van Sint Pancras in ‘t Groen stands with satisfaction watching the children who, together with alderman Fred Ruiten, put the balls in the ground. “We are proud of what the project has become and that it will be something tangible for everyone in the village to see in the spring.”
The curriculum is one of the ideas from the initiatives campaign of the former municipality of Langedijk (now Dijk en Waard, ed.). Based on horticulturist ‘Teun van Toen and his teletijdschuit’, primary school children are taught about their own (cultural) history and biodiversity in a playful way over a number of weeks.
Expand lesson project
“Next year at least the other Pancrasser primary schools will participate. In addition, we want to expand this further throughout the municipality and there is also interest from the schools in the Vroonermeer in Alkmaar. With some adjustments, every school could join in.”
“But first we will evaluate how it went, that is also part of it, and then we will see how we can expand this.” And there is also money involved. “There are of course already green budgets in every municipality, so it can be paid for from there.”
“We were able to pay for this pilot with the 5,000 euros that we ‘won’ with the initiative campaign. The costs are therefore not too bad for a municipality. And they are also one-off costs: when a treasure hunt is done, it is ready, and teaching boxes be reused.”
“When I see this, I think: it would be strange if we did not continue this teaching project,” responds alderman Fred Ruiten, now with black hands from planting. “If other schools ask us to facilitate this, I think we should we have to work hard for it.”
The alderman is now awaiting the evaluation of the pilot and promises to do his best to convince the city council to make money available for this. “It costs relatively little money, so I am confident that it will work.”
Miss Babet Vermij of Group 5 of Het Baken is in any case enthusiastic now that she has tried out all the lesson components with her class. “I recommend it to all schools.” Earlier this month NH News accompanied the scavenger hunt that tested her students.