3 Interesting Topics for the Classroom!!!

Foreign Language of Laughter

Scientist all over are beginning to see the evolutionary importance of laughter. Would you guess that it is a language?! Being a social animal laughter is the cue that the company is safe and fun.

I did not like Spanish in high school and after getting immersed in the Costa Rican culture for 14 years I have to say I absolutely love Spanish! The Costa Ricans are considered some of the happiest people on the planet and learning Spanish with them is often pretty easy because they have a great sense of humor and laughter is very prevalent.

I started to think after reading an article in Psychology Today that maybe just a few minutes a day of laughing in class would ease students' nerves to use their new foreign language. This is to also say that if you laugh you can now say your bi-lingual! Ok, that might be stretching it, but it is still an interesting topic.  Read below the comments from the article in Psychology Today:

"Given the universality of the sound, our ignorance about the purpose and meaning of laughter is remarkable. We somehow laugh at just the right times, without consciously knowing why we do it. Most people think of laughter as a simple response to comedy, or a cathartic mood-lifter. Instead, after 10 years of research on this little-studied topic, I concluded that laughter is primarily a social vocalization that binds people together. It is a hidden language that we all speak. It is not a learned group reaction but an instinctive behavior programmed by our genes. Laughter bonds us through humor and play."


Chocolate

My mom always says we have to save this planet because it is the only one we know of that has Chocolate. We have started a fund-raiser with a women's group here in Costa Rica. They make the organic chocolate from the cacao tree and our student guests sell the bars. They could not compete with the larger companies of Nestle which are now here in Costa Rica.

A neat lesson might be using Chocolate and this example of this womens group to teach your kids about locally grown food. It is a bit more attractive to talk about than organically grown vegetables for most kids.


Nature Awareness through Mindfulness

With the age of technology we live in and the idea that we are always doing something it is actually very beneficial to your health to stop and do nothing for a bit. There are many great activities to do in the classroom to get kids to slow down (while you have a chance to slow down too as a teacher).

You can find many activities on the web or a great book is Child's Mind: Mindful Practices to help our children become more Focused, Calm, & Relaxed.

Give it a try you will be glad you did and so will your kids. This ultimately is something that can be applied to the classroom and in nature. ENJOY!

Most Important Romance on Earth

Seasons Greetings from CRR

Another digital greeting card by Smilebox

This Year's Favorite Costa Rica Student Adventure

Day 1 ------------ Arrive and drive to La Cusinga (La Cusinga Ecolodge)

Today we will meet you at the airport and take you to one of our favorite spots in all of Costa Rica. The name is La Cusinga and the area the southern Pacific. Here you will find a location that is unmatched by any other place in Costa Rica. This ecolodge sits on a point out over the Pacific that lends itself to the most amazing views you will find. That is why when we stay here with student groups we get the two top suites. They are actually bunks but there are two that fit 15 students each.

La Cusinga is 200 acres of primary rainforest and here we will be surrounded by nature for our stay and it lends itself for a real chance to have some full days of learning. (Meals: Dinner)

Day 2 ------------ Nature Hikes & Intro to Rainforest (La Cusinga Ecolodge)

Learning in the jungle

Today the entire day will be around the grounds of La Cusinga. We will do everything from visiting the different nature trails, the beaches, organic farms, and an evening of bonfire activities. Today is an excellent day to set up an intro of hands on activities and getting kids aware of the rainforest and the tropical region. We have a number of games, scavenger hunts, and activities we will be doing on the nature trails where each student will be spending time observing, noting, and later reflecting on the day in the jungle. (Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner)

Day 3 ------------- Zipline, Banana Plantation, & Night Hike (La Cusinga Ecolodge)

We will start the day out with a little bit of adventure as we enjoy one of the best ziplines in Costa Rica. We will make our way into the mountains where we reach an elevation of 1,000ft and breath-taking views of the coastline below. This is full morning of zipping through the rainforest.

After the zipline we will make our way to the nearby banana plantation where we will get the kids running with over 25 hands of bananas. This will give them a feel for what the journey of banana goes through. We will also talk about the topic of local foods, large monocultures, and some of the difficulties of life on the workers of the plantation.

In the afternoon we will be doing a night hike where we will have the chance to learn about the rainforest during it's night hours. (Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner)

Day 4 ------------ Enter Cave Hiking & Waterfall Rappel (Sleep Behind Waterfall)

Get ready for an adventure as we make our way to the base of a ridge where we will begin our hike into the cave. This is actually just a cavern that is tucked behind a waterfall but without question one of them most unique and beautiful places you will ever see in in your life. The hike is intense but worth it by all means. We will hike for around 2 hours as we make our way up the ridge and then down into the canyon. On our way to the waterfall we will pass by a permaculture garden where we can learn solutions to large monoculture plantations.

Upon arrival to the cavern we will have lunch and then get geared up for the 120ft waterfall rappel. This is a perfect rappel that literally ends right where you will be sleeping. After the rappel we will take one more small hike to the top of one of the tallest waterfall in all of Costa Rica measuring 600ft where we can watch the sunset over the pacific ocean. (Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner)

Day 5 ------------ Leave Cave & Drive to Turrialba (Casa Turire)

You will wake up and the first thing you will see is three waterfalls forming a wall that flow over where we will be sleeping. There is nothing like this that we can compare it to. After breakfast we will then make another hike to some more waterfalls and pools. The kids will have a chance to jump off a 15 ft waterfall into a beautiful pristine pool. After the hike it is back down to the cavern for lunch and then time to hike out. After we hike out of the cave we will make our way to the area of Turrialba by way of the Paramo of Costa Rica which is one of the most unique areas of the tropics. The Paramo is what comes after the cloud-forest in high elevations of the tropics below the snow line.

When we arrive to Turrialba we have a real treat planned for everyone. You will be staying in the Casa Turire hotel. (Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner)

  Note: This itinerary would also have the option of doing two nights in the homestays if you wanted to add a night or remove the overnight river trip and just do a day river trip.

Day 6 ------------ Enter Pacuare River (River Tent-Camp)

After a delicious breakfast in your Casa Turire hotel you will make your way back to the jungle. This time your adventure will be by raft. The Pacuare River is listed as one of the top 5 on the planet. We will be starting our adventure in the entrance known as La Cruz and raft down for around two hours stopping for a river lunch along the way. After we finish our lunch we will make our way to the camp site. This is not roughing it by any means and all of your camping gear is set up and meals prepared for you. There are bathrooms and showers at the camp-site. (Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner)

Day 7 ------------ Leave Pacuare & Drive to Airport Hotel (Airport Hotel)

Waking up in the jungle with the sound of the river and surrounded by primary rainforest is a morning you will never forget. We will get some breakfast and geared back up for the most intense two hours of rafting you will have on the river. Today we will take on the Pacuare Canyon which is filled with some of the best rapids in all of Costa Rica.

After we make our way out of the Pacuare canyon we will take out of the river and make the short drive to the area of San Jose putting us close to the airport for a day 8 departure. (Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner)

Day 8 ------------ Fly Home!

Transfer to the airport and Fly Home! You can extend this itinerary more days and include the area of Sarapiqui which is lowland rainforest and the area of Arenal Volcano making it an 11 day trip.

Time to Play Kids

Growing up and loved basketball and found myself playing almost everyday out in the school yard until I realized I was not going to grow up much taller than 5 ft 7 inches I better look elsewhere for a way to make a living. It is much the same today that kids during their school hours of "recess" have the option to go outside and play on the basketball court, volleyball, or an industrial looking slide and swing. This all caught my attention working in the outdoors now for the last 10 years and being surrounded by kids and nature trying to get kids to make humans part of the landscape of the natural world and not just something we are here to exploit.

The idea of playing outside during school hours was made clearer to me in something called the "loose-parts theory". This theory is to say that playing in a more natural setting like a forest or a field with trees, rivers, or ponds has many more loose-parts than just a basketball court. These loose-parts allow the imagination to soar and begin games invented in the childrens mind.

It was while I was reading the book "Last Child in the Woods" that I learned about a Swedish study that found children on asphalt playgrounds had play that was much more interrupted; they played in short segments. But when in a more natural playgrounds, children invented whole sagas that they carried from day to day to day -- making and collecting meaning. (Source: Richard Louv)


Basically to put it short for kids playing outside in natural settings can have endless positive affects on our society that are just beging to be discovered. Unfortunately one of the reasons kids have to be on artificial playgrounds is because of the ear of law-suits and schools afraid of getting sued for having a kid really enjoy and get the benefits of being outside.

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