Love of life

10 December 2025

Our youngest students' project for term 1 2025/26 is centred around the idea

When we care for the world around us, we learn to care more deeply for one another

Students explored the connection between the outer world of nature and the inner world of self, identity, and community. Through art, storytelling, and time spent outdoors, the process cultivated confidence, curiosity, and trust in children’s creative instincts.

Real people

The students worked with several educators and guests, including:

• Jennifer, a visiting educator, supported children in their art endeavours: portrait collages, hammered eco-prints, mask-making, and the development of their theatrical tableau performance.

• A visiting parent, who shared with the group about the Sikh celebration of Gurpurab, created the space for conversations around diversity and different cultural traditions.

• The Air Dragons - after watching their class performance, the students practised giving feedback that was kind, helpful, and specific to their schoolmates.

These encounters helped children reflect on belonging, friendships, and shared connections within their classroom community.

Real places

Through direct observation of local habitats in Budapest—including forests, rivers, and urban green spaces—students learned about the diversity of animals, plants, and birds in their environment.

Over the term, the children:

• Frequently visited Óbuda Island for nature half-days, walks, and outdoor activities.

• Explored the riverside edges of the old Gas Factory site.

• Visited Margit Island for bird watching and observational drawings.

• Travelled to Róka-hegyi Kőbánya (Fox Mountain Quarry).

• Took an excursion to Rómaifürdő.

• The youngest students also visited Vissza a Vadonba site every Monday for outdoor adventure sessions, deepening their relationship with local natural spaces.

Real products

The curriculum introduced key concepts of interdependence among living beings, empathy, and environmental stewardship, inspired by a Native American story that frames nature as something humans are responsible for rather than separate from. Students then applied this understanding by collaborating to create public and tangible outcomes.

• They crafted masks embodying elements of the natural world.

• They developed a theatrical tableau - a powerful, silent image - to express core messages such as respect for nature and interdependence. By performing this tableau in a public space, students turned their learning into environmental storytelling, aiming to spark curiosity and reflection in the wider community.

Alongside this, students:

• Began designing a sensory path for the school’s backyard, creating a miniature prototype as they explored different natural textures, materials, and sensations. This hands-on investigation helped them understand how elements of nature can support wellbeing, mindfulness, and connection. In Term 2, they will continue developing and constructing the full sensory path, aiming to complete it by the end of the term. Once finished, the path will give students a daily opportunity to engage with nature through touch, movement, and quiet observation.

• Created portrait-collage pieces, a self-reflective activity inspired by Frida Kahlo.

• Produced hammered eco-print artworks, using plants and natural materials to create visual records of the environments they explored.

Together, these products show how children can participate in real community change, building a growing commitment to protect the natural world that sustains them.