Students head to Saadiyat for outdoor learning

Students at Al Muna Primary School visited the beaches of Saadiyat Island on Monday to participate in a day of learning about the natural desert environment.

ABU DHABI // Pupils at Al Muna Primary School took their classroom to the beach on Sunday for a field trip to Saadiyat Island.

The outing was part of the Desert Schools Programme, where Year 1 pupils spent three days learning outdoors as part of a seven-week project to study the world’s habitats.

Sunday’s visit to Saadiyat Beach Club was the third and final outing in which the five and six-year-old students, their teacher, assistants and parent helpers, focused on physical fitness.

Their day began with a visit to Manarat Al Saadiyat museum to see artwork and take part in a “shadow drawing” workshop.

At the beach, the children got to swim, build sand castles, run relay races and enjoy a picnic.

Jane Langton, a Year 1 teacher, said the programme was a great opportunity for students who did not thrive in an indoor environment to head outdoors, where they could build on a variety of skills.

“They get excited about it,” she said. “They don’t feel like it’s school.”

During a bowling game, Ms Langton said, the students improved their mathematics by keeping track of their scores.

During a treasure hunt, they relied on reading skills to solve riddles and find hidden treats.

“This is a fun end to the project,” said Ms Langton said.

Sunday’s trip followed visits to beaches at Al Bateen and the Corniche.

Parent helper Tareq Sirhan said the outing was a great way to provide an alternative method of learning.

“It’s fantastic,” he said, while his son, Rebhi, 5, splashed in the water.

“The children get to go out and experience nature first-hand.”