Will take care of the environment – plant trees

“There are ideas that have been brewing for years, but the stars don’t “align” in such a way that they come to fruition. And then, one fine day, everything happens, because someone stepped on those stars as they should,” says class teacher Jolanta Briša about the tree planting campaign for the 4th and 5th grade students of Cēsi New School and their parents.

Together with her colleague, science teacher Una Dreiblati, she invited the children to an unusual lesson in the fresh air – planting trees in the forest.

“I have been working in the profession for at least 30 years. I really like and think that it is very useful to take children to nature. At the Cēsi New School, we learn a lot outside the school walls as well. Relationships and the way we communicate with each other when we are in nature, in the forest or by the river, are formed in a completely different way than in the usual environment,” says J. Briša.

The idea to create an opportunity for children to plant trees has been around for several years. “But then came the time of “Covid-19″ restrictions, foresters could not join, finally we managed to implement the plan, we agreed on it together with our colleagues,” says J. Briša. The 4th and 5th grade students studied trees and their symbiosis with mushrooms already during the project week, together with the landscape architect, they studied tree species in the Cēsis city park and created an exhibition where other primary school students can get to know trees. By planting birches, firs and pines, the students already knew a lot about these trees.
“Students noted everything about the day’s events in their written reports. Taking care of the forest is not easy, because you have to walk long distances, be outside all day, dig holes and fight with forest pollutants. But the most valuable thing on this day, the children admit, was the fresh air, good food and the work done,” said the teacher. She says a big thank you to Edgars Birkas, head of forestry at SIA “SCA Mežs Latvija”, who helped provide an unforgettable experience.

“We are very pleased with Edgar’s response, he met us in one of the forests on the Rauna side together with his helpers – six female employees of the company. We divided the students into groups, each of the girls acted as a mentor for each group. During the entire lesson (two to three hours long), we talked about both work and life, about real everyday life, also about issues related to planting and caring for forests. The children were told about tree seedlings, they had the opportunity to learn a lot of information that could not really be told in the classroom,” admits J. Briša. “One student planted thirty trees, another ten – another even less, but everyone contributed. The children also experienced drones in action and how these technologies can be used in forest management. We also learned a lot of information about what the soil should be like, how to properly plant a tree seedling, how to make furrows, what tools to use.”

The teacher emphasizes that feedback about what has been seen, experienced and learned is always important. “It is an essential part of the learning process at our school, allowing children to reflect and, above all, to formulate for themselves what they managed to learn, learn, what was gained from this experience. Reflection is very important,” says J. Briša.