Outdoor learning plays an integral part of a student’s education at
CIS. No matter the age or subject, we aim to extend lessons into the
outdoors whenever there is an opportunity for students to learn in a
purposeful manner.
Outdoor learning plays an integral part of a student’s education at
CIS. No matter the age or subject, we aim to extend lessons into the
outdoors whenever there is an opportunity for students to learn in a
purposeful manner.
The length and focus of our outdoor learning programmes varies
depending on the age. In Kindergarten, it takes place in our Outdoor
Discovery Centre while in the older grades it involves activities
such as Open Minds (hands-on learning experiences in settings such as
Fort Canning) and Excursion week.
Excursion week involves all students in grades 4 to 11 spending a
week in Singapore or other countries in the region and learning to be
independent, take risks, show initiative, lead, work in teams and care for other communities.
In May, fifty grade 9 students went on an expedition to Sedili Besar
in Malaysia. During the trip, they took part in a variety of
meaningful environmental, team-building and service activities. The
objective was to help them develop an international mindedness and
sense of responsibility, and understand how small actions can make a
meaningful contribution to the community.
“We did lots of cool outdoor activities like kayaking, a ropes
course, orienteering and mangrove exploring,” explained student
Rafael Gubbels . “We also visited a palm oil plantation (wow, what
a complex issue facing our region!) and an organic fruit farm where
we learnt how to create organic fertiliser and protect fruit without
using pesticides.”
“Another highlight was volunteering at a local Rohingya refugee
school where we facilitated two different art therapy exercises; one
designed to break down negative feelings and the other to strengthen
group bonds and identity. Afterwards, the children built their dream
houses out of lego - it was fascinating to see what they believed was
necessary and desirable! I really enjoyed visiting the school. I was
able to learn about the situation the children are in and how they’ve
coped with it. I greatly benefited from the experience and would love
the chance to do it again.”
For more information about CIS and their Excursion Week programme
visit https://www.cis.edu.sg/learning/outdoor-learning
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