(P) Outdoor learning: A campus where nature meets nurture

Set in the heart of the Banesa forest, the Cambridge School of Bucharest’s (CSB) campus is where nature meets nurture. Now with the addition of an Urban Farm students can interact with, and learn from, the natural environment even more.

Children can spend a huge amount of time indoors at school or home, and it is important to encourage them to go out on a regular basis, both during summer and other seasons.

Having already planted more than 1,300 trees on and around the campus, the addition of an Urban Farm will allow students to explore the sights, sounds and wonders of nature as part of the school’s curriculum and beyond.

“Our students are very excited. The Student Union has already listed many ideas of how we can use the urban farm as part of our extra-curricular programme. They want to grow fruits, vegetables and host ‘Farmers markets’ to showcase what they have grown to the community. Next year our students plan to hand out the flowers they have grown to their family and teacher on special days such as Mother’s Day and International Women’s day” said Becky Roberts, Student Union Coordinator at CSB.

“The Urban Farm will provide an amazing resource for all of our subjects. In Science our students already explore the natural world, but this allows all our students to experience ecosystems firsthand. In English we use the farm as inspiration for creative writing, our Maths team are tracking and charting the growth of fruit and flowers along with our Design and Technology teachers who have many delicious recipes in mind for the fruits and vegetables we grow. The Computer Science department has incorporated sensors to the garden showing learning in action. It truly is the ultimate cross-curricular project”, adds Katie Shannan, CSB’s Head of Teaching and Learning.

The Urban Farm has quickly been integrated into the life of the school. We believe that this is an amazing opportunity for students to take responsibility by caring for the plants, and other produce, that they grow. Also discovering new things about plant life, animals, the impact of the weather, and nutrition. It will provide a great, additional, physical activity for our students, and help develop their planning and cooperation skills. Lastly, it will be a lot of fun!”, Heath Renfroe, Deputy School Director at CSB.

The great thing about Urban Farms is that there is something for the entire community, and your imagination is the only limit on the possibilities. “Our entire community will be involved in the new Urban Farm. Parents will be able to see what their children have grown whilst collecting them from school and have conversations about what steps they took to grow the fruits, vegetables, and flowers. We will also hold special events where parents see what the children have grown” says