The sun shone in every way on the My School Ticino Mountain Week this year.
Guests at the picturesque and tranquil Alpe di Pazz scout house in Novaggio, we discovered the beautiful Alto Malcantone area on foot and by public transport over five blissful late summer days.
On arrival a real sense of community was created with the children involved in all aspects of daily organisation from cleaning and tidying to the preparation of the delicious menu created by our chefs at MST. They learnt to respect shared spaces and time schedules for showers, meals, trips and bedtime, how to look after themselves and their possessions and help others who found it challenging.
During the mountain week, for year 4 and 5 pupils, learning is taken out of the classroom into nature to discover our local territory providing the perfect chance to bring the study of the environment of the newly revised Canton Ticino Curriculum to life through experience of the link between nature, humans and society. Also, at the heart of the Montessori philosophy for older children is the process of going out where children participate in the organisation of their own trips as part of their education to become citizens of the world. In fact, the educational focus began at school with year 5 creating personalised maps in tech lab for each day trip.
So, integrating all four pillars of learning at MST through the planning and presence of a selected team of specialist staff the week flew by: we learnt about local flora and fauna, symbiosis and geodiversity, went orienteering to discover the murales and public services of our local town and the architecture of a local sanctuary. We learnt about the practices and products of an ancient trade at a forge and the delicious production process at the Alprose chocolate factory.
There was also plenty of time for games and relaxation in the beautiful grounds and on Wednesday evening we were joined by a team of parents that helped us to organise a fantastic family barbeque.
Around the campfire on our last night, we to took time to sing our songs of the week (Essere Umani and The Magic In Me ) and reflect on the four special words / concepts that had been at the heart of our wonderful week as a group consolidating old friendships and making new ones – diversity, respect, sharing and being together.
“In this time of ours where everything is so fast-paced and where we often witness the phenomenon of the ‘accelerated’ child, experiencing nature helps children to wait and learn that the unfolding cycles of nature have their own times to learn “ “The Discovery of the Child” by Maria Montessori.
On our return to school our study has continued with reflection on our experiences and writing facts, feelings and memories in our personal diaries linked to this very special and unforgettable time together.
