REGUA celebrated its 6th annual tree planting event with Miraflores Bilingual School from Rio de Janeiro.   The children are up to around 8 years old and they have often woken up at four in the morning in sheer anticipation of their day visit to REGUA.

The children are very excited and most interested in the activities presented.    One can easily reach them by holding their attention.   Miraflores requires that the entire visit is conducted in English and the children readily follow the explanations.

Arriving at REGUA they have breakfast and then depart for Amanda’s hide followed by a walk to the observation platform.   Although they are looking for caimans and capybaras in the wetland, they make a lot of noise thereby frightening off all wildlife!

They then walk around the yellow trail which can take another half an hour and we explain the importance of trees as we walk along.   Eventually they reach the Conservation Centre very thirsty.

After refreshing cold water they are taken to the tree nursery where they learn about our tree planting programme.   They learn that the seeds are collected from the forest then planted in seed boxes and nurtured.   The young plants are later transferred to earth filled plastic bags.   Then the fun comes when the children are taken to our tree planting area where they help to plant the saplings out, creating a new forest.

The children complete each process agog with interest and compete to water the plants in the field.     Even the teachers and headmaster get teary-eyed as he explains that the forests around him are fruit of earlier groups visiting REGUA.

We are so pleased to be able to offer them this area which they cherish and call their own forest.