Art in the BEN: Creative internships promote environmental education

A Creative Internship

Meet Roseangela Hartford, a junior at Ursinus College in Pennsylvania, USA. Rose is a study abroad student with the CIEE Sustainability and the Environment program. During the month of March, all of the CIEE students had an internship within the area of Monteverde. Rose chose to teach environmental art to the 7th grade class at Monteverde’s Cloud Forest School.

Rose’s internship supervisor was Carla Willoughby, art teacher at the Cloud Forest School and MCL Board member. Thanks to Carla’s creative mind, this unique internship integrates art education, environmental education, and community service.

Getting Started

On her first day of teaching at the Cloud Forest School, Rose asked the students what they knew about the Children’s Eternal Rainforest (or “BEN”, after the Spanish “Bosque Eterno de los Niños”). The students were a little shy at first, but warmed up quickly. Through art class, a few history lessons, and creating products, the students learned about the environment in a creative, fun, and engaging way.

One of Rose’s goals was to raise awareness about the BEN and to teach the students relevant terminology such as: deforestation, non-profit, conservation, watershed, and life zone. After talking about and using the term “BEN”, at the end of class one student finally got the courage to ask, “So… who is BEN?”

Field Visit, Final Product

The class took a field trip to the Bajo del Tigre Reserve, where Rose introduced them to the map of the BEN. The students spread throughout the trails, each coloring his or her own version of the map in preparation for the next step: the creation of a new activity for the Children’s House at Bajo del Tigre.

The activity is an interactive puzzle of the BEN, with emphasis on the topographical features of Costa Rica’s largest private reserve. Thanks to Rose, Carla, and the CEC students for this creative and fun contribution to the Children’s Eternal Rainforest! You can see it for yourself at the Bajo del Tigre Reserve, located in the heart of Monteverde.

– Text and photos by Kaylee Grunseth, CIEE intern