Getting Involved and Getting Inspired with Kids C.A.R.E.

The young activists of MBTS ready to serve the community!

A wise man once said, “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” Benjamin Franklin’s famous words have since been proven by science; educators now call it “experiential learning.”

Learning by getting deeply involved in hands-on, real-life work is exactly what our Upper Elementary after-school club, Kids C.A.R.E. is all about. The overall focus of the organization is Community Awareness and Respecting the Environment.  The group is very much led by the students: they passionately brainstorm, discuss and share ideas for different areas of focus in our local community. The clear enthusiasm from the these budding activists drives these initiatives forward and into fruition. We have a fantastic group of students who joined Kids C.A.R.E. this term and we are very excited to see what the year will bring.

Our first field trip of the term involved observing the excavation of a turtle nest and assisting in the data collection process. We were fortunate enough to be met by Ms. Jane, a volunteer at DoE, who carefully and knowledgeably led us through the steps of the excavation. We watched as she dug open the nest and, once deep enough, found the remaining eggshells left behind by the hatchlings. The shells were then divided into various categories and the data was meticulously collected and recorded. It was with great excitement that we found four hatchlings still alive and strong!

This experience sparked many thoughtful, insightful questions and created great hooks for deeper learning. The students are now excited to bring what they have learnt into the classroom, conduct further research on related topics they want to learn more about, and then share what they have discovered with their peers.

Learning together about the miraculous cycle of life and how to care respectfully for our environment and our community empowers all of us to be part of change we’d like to see in the world around us.