To mark International Environment Day

Fourteen girls from a pre-vocational school to the NGO SPES Vocational & Multimedia Centre our Vocational Teaches selected “the Banana Tree and its multi-uses” as they fun-learning theme to make them aware of the value and how to become environment a friendly oriented and appreciate all the marvellous facets and functions of plants, etc.

First the group collectively learnt with our nurse and teacher Myriam all about the banana fruit properties and how to use the banana plant fibres to make crafted mats and beautiful baskets.

May our teacher best story writer encouraged the girls to write and showed them new computer techniques e.g. to use an e-Microscope connected to a computer they could views intricate cell maze system of the banana leaf enlarged on the computer screen.

The girls were more & more amazed as they went to learn about different soils compositions and they had great fun moulding Mauritian clay watch how Maryse, one of our potters uses the turning wheel.

The proceeded to the silkscreening Unit and actually silkscreened a Banana plant for the front page of a scrapbook in order to encourage each one of the girls to start collecting daily souvenirs and record them in writing and also to the decoupage of scraps and glue also photos of interest.

What the girls seemed to like best was to view joyful virtual photos of their active learning participation and to learn how our SPES Design Unit was going to email these photos to their school teacher, so they could personalize their “Banana scrapbook” and perhaps never forget that: “Nature is our Best Daily Teacher and Friend to preserve”!

Whilst waiting for their bus they gladly munched away banana cakes baked in the SPES canteen and some decided to include health recipes in their “scrap-booking” activity, which the girls vowed to continue…