National Park Field Trip

Today we had the opportunity to go on a one-of-a-kind field trip, Costa Rica style! I received a phone call from the director of Kids Saving the Rainforest, asking if our kids wanted to take part in a demonstration of their program for a local tv channel.

Kids Saving the Rainforest was started by a young girl and her mother in order to raise awareness and help protect the natural habits in Costa Rica. Since then, the organization has grown, and has its own animal rehab center that works with sloths, monkeys, and other animals native to the Manuel Antonio area. They were even highlighted on Extreme Home Makeover! It is a great organization that loves working and empowering kids to help do their part in conservation.

We brought the kids to the Mono Azul Hotel, the Kids Saving the Rainforest headquarters, where they learned all the reasons why we should NOT feed the monkeys... including our ability to make them sick by our germs. (Check out all 10 reasons on KSTR's website, www.kidssavingtherainforest.org)

After learning all about it, we went to share it, visiting the National Park. There our students brought information to tourists in the park, explaining why feeding the monkeys is harmful. A film crew followed us around, documenting the event and El Puente students will be on National TV next Monday night! Our kids did a great job, doing their part to raise awareness!

Above: at the park enterance, handing out fliers and talking to individuals about what we had learned.

Below: walking through the park and sharing with more park visitors

For a few of our students, this was their first time in the National Park! It was a great opportunity for them to see why the park in their hometown is the second most visited National Park in Costa Rica! We saw monkeys, sloths and frogs!

Looking for the sloth... can you find it?

Looking for the red-eyed tree frog... can you spot it?