Learning outdoors for children of the favelas

This month we celebrated the launch of the Illustrated Story Book of the Aventura dos Sabores. With our partners from Novos Urbanos, we designed a illustrated story book of the step by step actions that we took to make the adventure happen. Each page shows a different part of the journey: mapping the adventure, planning and co-creating with the teachers, guiding the students through the missions of tasting and re-connection, planting in the garden, making their own creative and natural foods, and celebrating their experience. The illustrated book was turned into a series of posters that we put up on the walls at the school so that the students can remember their experience, the teachers can refer to the story, and outsiders wanting to replicate the adventure have a reference for how we were able to succeed. On the day of the launch, the students of of the original Adventure class came to inaugurate the posters, as well as members of Novos Urbanos and American author and creator of the Local Food Challenge, Vicki Robin. We hope that the Illustrated Story Book will help to provide continuity for the Adventure, so that we - and other organizations - can replicate the food-filled adventure in other schools and communities. (To see the illustrated story book, check it out here! https://issuu.com/claudiapires7/docs/aventura_dos_sabores_cartilha_/1 ) 

In other news, the SINAL team continues to improve the SINAL das Criancas living laboratory space. This month, we added a greenhouse where the seedlings for the garden will grow. When students come to SINAL, they will be able to learn how greenhouses protect the young plants before we transplant them in the garden. In our medicinal plant area, we are continuing to add new native plants that the children can learn about. Our local workers from the small town of Santo Antonio in which we are located are experts in the plants that grow around here and help us to choose the plants. We strive to preserve the cultural knowledge of medicinal plants and help connect the experience of the older generation with the younger ones. 

Links:

• Illustrated Story Book