Kids used to be able to play outside but nowadays unfortunately kids spend more and more time in front of a screen. In the cities children are almost totally divorced from nature and even in a rural area like our own it’s rare to see children playing in a natural environment. There is also the fact that many parents are almost scared to let their children play outside in a natural environment. So it’s great to see that there are possibilities for children to grow up and play with things that nature can offer us.
In Gatika Patricia Rapson has for many years been offering after-school activities centered around nature with the possibility of learning English at the same time. Patricia is a qualified Forest School teacher and is an excellent gardener who likes to let the children have the freedom to enjoy the natural surroundings of her home in Atxuri. You can contact Patricia at 690 81 96 18 for more information.
In Barrika Haitzuri Hondar Eskola Libre has been going for a number of years now and caters for kids from the age of 4 to 12. Playing, enjoying and learning about science, art and music through nature is the aim of this nature school. In fact, a couple of times some of the parents and their children have come to Mungia to clean the river-banks and enjoy the outdoors. You can contact them by filling out this enrollment form and find out more about them on Facebook or by phoning Mirentxu at 652 72 29 11 or Mertxe at 607 38 35 46.
And this year in Gorliz the Zubitxu Natura Eskola is a new Forest School which aims to give kids the opportunity to enjoy nature with a certain level of freedom. The organizers of this project also stress the importance of the Basque language but to know more about the school project why not watch this video by Plentzia Telebista. For more information on the project and enrollment you can send an email to zubitxunatura@gmail.com. Best of luck with this new adventure!
In Garai Umerri Eskola Aktiboa is a free school where love of nature is one of its main pillars of the education it delivers. The school is a cooperative formed by parents and three years ago it finally was officially homologated by the Basque Government. The school accepts children from the age of 3-12 and you can phone them at 902 22 22 65 for more information or just check out its web-page.
And of course no article on Nature Schools would be complete without mentioning our own Idoia Zuluaga`s Katiuska ta Katilu creativity project for children which brings together art, music and nature. Idoia`s group can provide tailor-made projects for schools and groups and indeed during the Covid crisis they were awarded first prize by the Laboral Kutxako Gaztenpresa Fundazioa in its “Reinventarse para seguir” competition. You can contact Idoia at 671 62 69 48 or by emailing the group at kaixo@katiuskatakatilu.eus and to get an idea of what they can offer, why not watch the following video?
Finally, if you are taking your child to any local school make sure you ask them to what extent they believe that it is necessary for children to have contact with nature and what the school does to ensure that.
