Vamos al Mariposario.....
A two week school
vacation was coming up and the team in Quepos wanted to do something special
for the kids in El Cocal. There such a wealth of exciting opportunities here in
Manuel Antonio, right on their doorstep, that these kids do not get a chance to
experience. So we decided to organize a field trip!
We got in touch with the ‘Refugio
de Vida Silvestre and Mariposario’ which is a private wildlife reserve funded
and operated by the Si Como No resort right here in Manuel Antonio. We
explained our project and they very kindly offered us free entry and a personalized
guided tour. The property consists of a 25 acre reserve boasting the same plant
and animal life as the Manuel Antonio National Park. They also have a butterfly
garden and reptile lagoon consisting of rescued, caiman, crocodiles and
tortoises.
Once the
kids got wind of the idea we knew it would be a success as in the weeks leading
up to the trip, every day in the centre they would ask ‘vamos al mariposario
manana?. We had such a good response
that we had to organize 3 trips so that everyone could go. The first day we
took 1st and 2nd graders, the second 3rd and 4th
and the third 5th and 6th and even some kids in high school
asked if they could come and how could we say no.
In the week
leading up to the trip the community centre activities were very much focused
on butterflies and nature activities. The volunteers were just as excited as
the kids and put together some great activities for each day. Each excursion
was lead by a team of 4 volunteers, they organized age appropriate activities
for each group based on what they would learn and observe during the trip. We
had art projects, creative writing, word searches, quizzes, butterfly life
cycle games…
A total of
44 kids attended over the 3 days! We were even accompanied by some of the children’s
family members, which was great way to strengthen our bonds within the community
and share a lovely day out together. These kinds of activities can only serve
to make our program more integrated within the community itself and we hope to
develop similar extracurricular activities in the future.
The staff
at the refugio were absolutely fabulous, giving us their time and expertise. We
are hoping to collaborate with them in the future. http://www.wildliferefugecr.com/
Quepos Community Development Program
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