A large school with a group of enthusiastic 3–4th graders greeted us in their classroom for a brief introduction to scientific sketching and using field guide resources to identify plants and animals in their schoolyard. They had an exciting and high-energy time exploring their schoolyard and making drawings and notes in their journals. One child preferred to work on his own and sat alone, quietly engrossed with his journal and drawing the plants and animals he saw. Later in the classroom, using the bird field guides and other resources, he carefully drew an incredibly accurate illustration of a bird. The colored pencils were a big hit for all of the children who laid on the floor and were immersed in adding color to their field sketches.
The Mayor of Pedasi, H.A. Miguel Batista, generously arranged for a municipal bus to transport the Los Asientos classes to a private ecological reserve, Reserva Ecologica Panamaes. All 32 children and 3 teachers joined the PICC team at the Reserve and we divided up into small groups, each group with a camera, binoculars and 1-2 adults. Everyone had different experiences as we spread out in the reserve. All of the children were able to see the endangered Azuero howler monkey family, and some were able to photograph it. Others had the rare experience of seeing and photographing a Crimson-crested woodpecker. One group, led by PICC Team instructor, translator and social media development intern, Madison Soule, took advantage of the howler family remaining in the area and learned from watching their feeding and social behavior while using the binoculars, camera and the field guides. Madison had a deep conversation with them about the meaning of extinction and how they could protect the endangered species in their area.
Other groups stayed with the Reserva Ecologica Panamaes forester guide to learn as much as they could about the forest habitat and biodiversity. In spite of the extreme midday heat, everyone was really excited about the experience!
Los Asientos May 2023
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