Neohumanist Education Association, Portugal
By Dalila Lucas
Pequena Ilha Verde – Neohumanist Education Association, with its headquarters in Ananda Kalyani Master Unit, develops activities to support and promote education that encourage and improve areas related to the integral development of human beings in the physical, psychic, spiritual spheres, at the individual, collective and social levels. It operates at “Bosque das Bolotas,” a beautiful cork tree forest in Ourondo, a local village, 4 minutes by car from the Master Unit. There we apply the Forest School methodology in conjunction with the Neohumanist philosophy.
At the moment the Association welcomes children from 3 to 6 years old, and we plan to be able to give support to homeschool children in the near future. We just started the 3rd school year. We have 5 children, and more are joining soon. We have for now 2 full weekdays where we do our activities with the children. We are also in the process of adding a new educator in our team, which will allow us to provide more days of kindergarten. A strong and passionate team is needed, and we have it! Our team now consists of 2 people. Dalila Lucas – mother of 2 children, Forest School Leader and Neohumanist Educator – and Justine Pissarra – Environmental Educator.
The combination of Neohumanist philosophy with Forest School methodology is a perfect match! The Forest School methodology assumes that activities with children take place outdoors, free in nature. This methodology aims to develop the emotional intelligence (Soft Skills) and ethicsof the child, through regular contact with nature, particularly in the forest. It helps to develop emotional intelligence by providing experiences that bring up self-awareness, self-development, self-regulation, social skills and empathy.
The land that we are based on is almost half a hectare in size. The river is very near. We can take the children there with a 2-minute walk and they enjoy it a lot. We want to create a safe space for children to explore and learn through contact with nature. Focusing on the needs of each age, we are prepared to welcome little nature explorers.
At “Bosque das Bolotas” (acorn woods) we have some basic structures that help us. We have a teepee where we do our morning circles, our quiet and resting time and reading books time, and where we keep some wood chests that allow us to store all our pedagogical materials and books.
We have a dry toilet, and we aim to have a 12-meter diameter geodesic dome. The structure will serve to support activities, providing a sheltered and welcoming space where we can store all our teaching materials (puzzles, books, toys, painting and drawing material, etc.) in safety and away from the rainy winter.
We also aim to have a small support kitchen for meals and a wood shelter for garden tools. What we have now already is: Our compost station where we deposit all the peels of fruit and leftover food, to then be able to feed our vegetable garden; a vegetable garden, that the children help to take care of; a spiral garden with fruit trees and aromatic herbs; and a flowerbed created with children where we have raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, currants, tomatoes, and physalis; hammocks where children can relax, rest or read stories; a meal and activities table where we paint and do the more artistic works; an evolutionary obstacle course that awakens the challenge in children; swings that help with balance and teach them to position the body in space; and a mud kitchen where there are no limits to children’s cuisine creativity!
There is a sandbox where the most beautiful castles are created by magicians of the Forest, worthy of Kings, Queens, princesses and princes!
There are several Forest School projects in Portugal, but none in our municipality. There is demand from local parents and even parents who intend to change their area of residence, and the existence of a Forest School is a decisive factor for the family.
We will continue implementing both Forest School and Neohumanist Education at our project, and through this help to spread physical health, practical skills, integrity and moral strength, emotional balance, awareness, socio-ecological responsibility, intellectual knowledge, creative expression, intuition, spiritual understanding, and development of a sense of universal love and inclusion.
Visit our Website:
http://www.pequenailhaverde.pt
