Exciting Progress on Our New Eco Edventure

Earlier this month, we hosted visitors from ADEK and Harvard, who are involved in Project Zero, an initiative focused on reimagining early childhood education. We had the opportunity to walk them through our plans and the build, and they were suitably impressed by our vision and the progress of our Eco Edventure thus far. 

How will Early Years children utilise this space?

As we focus on the EYFS prime areas of learning - Personal, Social and Emotional Development, Physical Development and Communication and Language - our curriculum naturally integrates with frequent access to this outside ‘classroom’. As Early Years professionals, we understand that children learn in different ways and many of them prefer to engage in learning opportunities outside. Later in the Early Years, children are exposed to the secondary areas such as Maths, Literacy and Understanding the World, which can also be effectively taught outdoors. Threaded through our curriculum, is the teaching of the characteristics of effective learning. By allowing children to work and learn outdoors, these characteristics will be effectively embedded and will ensure that children are resilient, meta-cognitive, critical, creative, and curious learners who actively participate in their own learning. Access to nature, the outdoors, and ample space to move will result in a more holistic learning experience.

What about older students? 

Rest assured, all BIS Abu Dhabi students will have opportunities to explore, engage with, and learn in the Eco-Edventure area. 

What will this look like?

Primary and Secondary children will have the chance to attend lessons outside in nature, engaging in subjects such as STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), Literacy, and Music. Duke of Edinburgh and Year 12 CAS students will also utilise the area for their projects. Additionally, Year 10 students will have the opportunity to gain work experience in horticulture. 

As we approach the end of our academic year, we are excited about the progress on the build site. We look forward to seeing the Eco-Edventure plan come to fruition over the summer, ready for all our students to access at the beginning of the 2024/25 academic year.