GLOS Educatief Lesson Packages Outdoor Learning Biology

‘Nature’s Helping Forces’ lets groups 4, 5 and 6 truly experience nature

Published Jan 15, 2019

Truly experiencing nature. That is the starting point of the educational programme ‘Nature’s Helping Forces’, with seven varied activities for pupils in groups 4, 5 and 6. The programme was developed by Koppert Biological Systems, a company that breeds beneficial insects for horticulture, in collaboration with Naturalis to mark KBS’s 50th anniversary.

‘Nature’s Helping Forces’ lets groups 4, 5 and 6 truly experience nature

With the educational programme, KBS wants to inspire children to become enthusiastic about nature and encourage them to go outside on discovery trips more often. In this way, the company also hopes to promote cooperation with nature in the future.

The programme consists of seven parts:

Snack on the table (1)
Ingezzzzzzoomed on your food (2)
Experiment: the mystery of the failed strawberry (2b)
Panic in the classroom (3)
On an expedition outdoors! (4)
Nature’s Helping Forces LIVE (5)
Closing (6)

As part of the programme, pupils discover, among other things, where their food comes from and sow plants (1), dissect flowers and take pollination quizzzzes (2), conduct a real experiment (2b), think along about the problems of grower Dennis (3), go outside on an expedition (4), study real live insects (5) and play a fun game to test their knowledge (6).

Each activity lasts 45 minutes. Activity 2b is an exception: you can spread it over several sessions, lasting 10–30 minutes each. You can shorten or extend the programme. The manual also includes extension assignments and suggestions for shortening the activity.

‘Nature’s Helping Forces’, which was launched in September 2017 by Dolores Leeuwin of Het Klokhuis, is now being used in more than 80 schools. The programme is a suitable implementation of SLO’s Science & Technology curriculum framework and meets core objectives 39 to 44 and 50.

Want to know more? Then visit stand 01.B133 during NOT, from 22 to 26 January, at the Jaarbeurs in Utrecht.

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