MANILA, Philippines - The two-day environmental science camp organized by the Aguinaldo International School (AIS) for its students was successfully concluded at the Emilio Aguinaldo College–Cavite Open Field on Feb. 28, 2009.
In line with the ideals of the school of making learning fun, student centered and activity-based, the science camp involved the students in fun-filled and challenging activities wherein they applied scientific theories learned in the classroom to the solving of physical and mental challenges as a group, which also taught them camaraderie, synchrony and synergy.
Students were organized into ‘tribes’ and had to accomplish tasks together. Tent pitching, proved to be difficult for some tribes who had to overcome the sunny and windy conditions of the day.
The varied science challenges were dubbed as Science Olympics. Overcoming each was not so easy for some tribes who had to spend time perfecting the way out. Successful completion of a task would mean a hearty meal awaiting the members at the grand grill at dinner. For these campers, who grew up mostly in the bustling metropolis with all the convenience of modern technology at their disposal, creating fire was a major accomplishment.
To test their ability to discriminate and recognize sound in the dark of night, each camper was blindfolded and directed to specific spot at the field for another challenge. The aim was for them to find their tribe members by merely using their tribe’s call. The whole field was filled with different, undecipherable sounds that only each tribe could recognize. Then, chants of the rejoicing tribes were heard which signified that all members had been accounted for.
The first night was concluded by a fashion show dedicated to saving Mother Earth and to further strengthen the lessons they learned about the importance of saving Mother Nature, and on Day 2 there was a tree planning activity where students planted and dedicated seedling trees. Finally, during the closing ceremony, Lester Magnaye, the Science Club president, spoke of how memorable the activities had been and accepted the challenge of continuing the campaign to preserve the environment and promised to uphold the camp’s theme: Keeping the Light of Ecological Stewardship.