Guarujá, São Paulo, Brazil

ACTIVITIES: GUARUJÁ, SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL

Hikes: Hikes through the coastal forest reveal the high biodiversity of flora and fauna that makes up this complex ecosystem. Students learn that biodiversity is necessary for the ecosystem to thrive, and therefore these forests and their inhabitants should be protected and preserved. On night hikes, students learn about nocturnal animals of the coastal forest.

Mangrove Explorations: Elevated walkways lead students on an adventure through the coastal mangrove forests of Guaruja. They learn about the amazing adaptations that allow these trees to live in saltwater and how mangroves are connected to offshore fisheries, migrating birds and coastal protection.

Snorkeling: Students snorkel along the Guaruja coastline, exploring the sandy and rocky bottom of Brazil’s beautiful coast.

Green Building and Architecture lessons: The camp itself serves as the classroom for this activity! Students learn about how architects designed the buildings throughout the camp to minimize environmental impact.

Tide pooling: Explorations of tide pools reveal the amazing adaptations critters need to survive in this surprisingly harsh environment.

Composting: Students get some dirt under their fingernails as they learn about different types of composting - recycling in a very basic form! They compost their leftovers after every meal and see how that compost is used in the camp’s organic garden.

Organic gardening: Students learn that being organic is tasty! They discover what it means to be organic and the benefits of growing and eating organic food. They use the soil created in the camp’s composting system to grow food that will become ingredients in the camp’s kitchen!

Eco art: Taking inspiration from nature where nothing is wasted, students use unlikely objects such as plastic water bottles to create works of art and useful items like planters and paper dispensers.

Sustainable Living lessons: Guests learn about solar technology and other renewable energy sources, the three R’s (reduce, recycle and reuse), and what they can do at home to lead a sustainable lifestyle to minimize impact on the environment.

Videomicroscope lessons: Students explore the microscopic world with a videomicroscope, examining tiny critters such as plankton and insects up close on a video screen.

Solar technology explorations: As part of their lessons about sustainable living and green building technology, students discover how sunlight can be harnessed with solar technology.