BREEF Hosts Teacher Workshop

Experiential education is catching on here in Eleuthera. Last week BREEF (Bahamas Reef Environment Educational Foundation) held a teachers workshop in Savannah Sound. Local teachers came from far and wide to take part in the one day coral reef training workshop. Educators gained a plethora of lesson plans to connect students to the coral reefs in their surrounding environments. Those attending the workshop participated in a number of skills based learning techniques such as, games, reef mapping and a field trip. The field trip took place along the beautiful Savannah Sound coastline in the shallow mangroves. Leno, a naturalist from the Nature Conservancy, provided identification and bush medicine knowledge on terrestrial and marine plants in the area. Teachers than took to the water, donning snorkel gear, in search of coral and marine organisms. Scientists from the Cape Eleuthera Institute assisted with the identification of sea life and snorkeling. For some of the participants this was their first experience snorkeling! Cape Eleuthera Institute and The Island school are partners with BREEF, together trying to spread the movement of coral conservation throughout The Bahamas. The Bahamian teachers took away supplies and lessons which they can now incorporate into their current science curriculum. It was a very fun and informative day had by all.