'Forest schools' help nature education branch out

Night treks

In January, Li Runyue, a primary school teacher from Kunming, Yunnan province, took about 20 students on a seven-day nature program in the Sun-River National Park in Pu'er city, Yunnan.

The program was organized by the Pu'er Red Panda Manor Forest Experience Center, a nature education facility for people of all ages.

Since it was established in November 2017, the center has offered a host of forest-based activities, including night treks, handicrafts, painting classes and tea ceremonies related to the renowned Pu'er brand grown in the area.

Li said her students, ages 8 through 9, had become more independent and less timid after they walked through a forest at night.

"Their task was to find insects hiding in the forest. The children were excited because they found many insects they had seen in their textbooks. After walking for two hours, we decided to turn off our flashlights and enjoy the moonlight," she said.

She noted that without the flashlights, the children felt their surroundings were quieter and their ears had become more sensitive to the sounds of nature.

They also bathed in the beautiful moonlight that silhouetted the trees and students. On the return journey through the woodland, the children loudly recited poems about the moon.

"After we returned to our rented cottage in the forest park, the electricity was accidently cut off. At first, the students were scared, and some even screamed. But they calmed down very quickly because they remembered the wonderful experience they had just had, which made them happy and gave them courage," Li said.

"Natural beauty is raw and harmonious, which can inspire children's artistic imaginations and improve their observational abilities. They can also learn that everything in nature is trying to grow strong, so they need to protect nature and love it."

Jiang Yalin's 9-year-old son was one of the students who took part in Li's night class. She said the boy's analytical abilities improved noticeably as a result.

"I registered him for the class because he showed great interest in biology, and I want him to develop this hobby into a career in the future. This course was instructive and effective. The teachers asked a series of questions before setting tasks, and the children needed to find the answers by themselves and then provide explanations from the natural world," Jiang said.

He Yiran, a teacher at the panda center, said the role of a forest educator is to gain an appreciation of nature, understand the diversity of living things and appreciate the greatness of life and nature by interacting with other people in the forest setting.

"Sometimes children like to catch bugs, but we persuade them to release them, and repeatedly emphasize the importance of environmental protection," he said.