This week, we started our tree nursery program in the school of Santo Tomas. It was the first day of a 4-session program with the school. We went once this week to do a lesson plan and start the tree nursery. Next week, we will spend 2 days to create an educational mural on the importance of trees, and once in the 3rd week to do a follow-up quiz.
Our lesson plan consisted of 3 main modules: the water cycle, the carbon cycle, and the economic & environmental importance of trees. After we completed the lesson, each student participated in soil preparation and planting of tree seedlings. It was refreshing to see how the kids were interested in learning about reforestation and were active participants in the lesson. As we gave them each a tree to take care of, our goal is for them to gain a sense of ownership of the tree and its importance to not only their life, but also the life of the rainforest.

Here is a general update on the happenings at Madre Selva:
– We are receiving and planting tree seeds and seedlings from the locals. Our tree nursery is growing by the day, but, unfortunately, we have lost some along the way 🙁
– We continue to talk with the herbalist, Dona Alicia, and collect information on the medicinal plants and are going to collect and plant herbs for the garden on Friday!
– Lastly, we are working on sketching the mural for the upcoming school visit next Tuesday!

We all went to Dona Alicia’s house to collect the herbs for the medicinal garden. When we arrived she took us around her yard and gave us clippings of various herbs. Once we collected them all, we headed to the clinic to begin the planting process. We spent the rest of the morning at the clinic with Dona Alicia and various other community members to plant and label the medicinal herbs. It was great to see the garden finally coming together. Our next step is to put all of the medicinal plant information into a booklet that will be accessible in the clinic and in the surrounding communities.