Why a Naturalist Educational Program?
One of the primary goals of this science education program is to help kids and youths develop critical-thinking and problem-solving skills that they can use throughout their lives.
Science education is unique in academics in that it not only conveys facts and skills; it also cultivates curiosity and creativity. For this reason, this science program is an active process that cannot be fully conveyed by passive teaching techniques.
The students need to be actively involved in science, learning it through experience. Science students are encouraged to go far beyond the textbook and to ask questions, consider novel ideas, form their own predictions, develop experiments or procedures, collect information, record results, analyze findings, and use a variety of resources to expand knowledge. In other words, students cannot just hear science; they must also do science.
Natural systems are balanced, healthy, and long-lived. The activities of humans are upsetting the complex, natural stability of organisms and energy in ecosystems, tipping the scale. An understanding of ecology can help us reestablish the equilibrium needed for long-term sustainability.
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What is The Naturalism School Program?
The Naturalist training program at the School of Naturalism is not simply an educational initiative, but a deep immersion into the heart of the natural world. Its philosophy rests on the unwavering conviction that science is an active and dynamic process that demands the active participation of its students. For the School of Naturalism, students actively "do science."
The objective transcends knowledge of biodiversity, aiming to help young people and children develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills that will last throughout their lives.
The training is a dynamic hybrid of theory and intensive practice. Participants learn concepts of ecology, mimicry, ecological relationships, food chains, metamorphosis, and taxonomy through film screenings and direct discussions with experienced scientists and naturalists, as well as field trips.
On Naturalist expeditions, students explore the field, search for organisms, take photographs for identification, and use digital applications to report their findings to citizen science platforms. The goal is twofold: to enrich their knowledge and to contribute scientific data for academics and researchers worldwide.
The children and teenagers have shown great enthusiasm, curiosity, and strong teamwork, even assuming leadership roles and sharing their observations. Their skills have been significantly strengthened, improving their ability to observe details and identifying diverse species.
The Naturalism School is a great legacy for conservation. Its impact is reflected in compelling figures that demonstrate a real contribution to citizen science. In Nicaragua, approximately 120 children and teenagers have recorded 10,885 observations and identified 2,352 species.
Beyond the numbers, the most significant outcome is the profound emotional connection and increased appreciation and sensitivity that the children and young people have developed toward the natural environment, forging in them an explicit desire to protect it and a deep scientific interest that continues even after the course ends.