OPENING OF THE EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT CENTER IN GRABIK ILOVI MARKS A MILESTONE FOR OUTDOOR LEARNING

The Rural Household "Ivel" in Grabik Ilovi near Prnjavor has inaugurated the Educational Development Center, offering outdoor education. This pioneering initiative is aimed at enhancing students' skills and knowledge through practical outdoor lessons.

PHOTO: K3

As the first center of its kind, the project's creator emphasizes the goal of enriching students' learning experiences through hands-on outdoor activities. The curriculum includes vegetable gardening, forest walks, seasonal stations, nature exploration, and outdoor games, shaping a unique learning environment.

The center welcomes students, providing workshops on healthy eating, vegetable gardening, handicrafts, and sports activities. These workshops aim to familiarize children with the workings of a rural household.

- We wanted to enable children to learn about nature while being in nature. Our idea received support from the Ministry of Education and Culture and the Republican Pedagogical Institute. We believe that such a free space allows children to apply the knowledge gained in the classroom, said Aleksandra Samac, a representative of the Rural Household "Ivel."

According to project initiator and teacher Branka Lovrić Bosnić, the objective is to enhance students' skills and knowledge through practical outdoor learning, serving as a complementary approach to classroom education.

- This is my dream because I believed it was necessary to take children out of the classrooms, not just to the schoolyard but to such an environment. The focus is on outdoor learning. This is not a substitute for the classroom; it is a place where students can acquire new knowledge, reaffirm old ones, gain new experiences, think differently, develop their attitudes and self-confidence, and is adapted to all primary school students, explained Branka Lovrić Bosnić, a teacher at "Dositej Obradović" Elementary School in Banja Luka.

Source: K3