Date of Event: September 29th
Participants: Class 1 Students and their Families
Location: Semmozhi Poonga, Chennai
Objective: To foster appreciation for nature, encourage observation skills, and promote family engagement in an outdoor, educational setting.

On the morning of September 29th, the Class 1 students, accompanied by their enthusiastic family members, embarked on a refreshing nature trek at the Semmozhi Poonga. The outing successfully blended physical activity, environmental observation, and social interaction, aligning with the class’s focus on experiential learning.

The Trek and Exploratory Activities
The trek commenced promptly at 9:45 AM. The children walked in small groups alongside their friends and family, promoting peer interaction and shared discovery. The route was strategically planned to cover diverse botanical sections of the park, including:

The Bonsai Garden: Where the students were introduced to the short variety of plants.

The Herbal Plants Garden: Making them aware that plants provide medicine.

The Pond-side Walk: A delightful section where the children watched ducks waddle past them.

Midway through the activity, children took a short break to enjoy packed snacks. They were then given a practical assignment: to collect naturally fallen items such as various shaped leaves, dried flowers, small shells, and seeds. This activity served as an engaging way to practice close observation and tactile learning. The beautiful natural souvenirs created from these collections were subsequently brought to school the next day and proudly displayed in the classroom.

Learning Reinforcement and Conclusion
To maximize the educational takeaway, the students were issued pre- and post-activity worksheets. These tasks were designed to reinforce concepts covered during the trek and were assigned as homework, which the students accepted with great enthusiasm.

The successful morning concluded at 12:00 PM, when the entire group gathered at the open gallery for a shared happy lunch. This communal meal offered a final moment of relaxed fellowship among the friends and families. The students departed with their parents at 12:30 PM, having enjoyed a successful and memorable field trip that strengthened their bond with both nature and their community.

The Class 1 Nature Trek to Semmozhi Poonga was deemed a valuable and enriching experience for all participants.