Rainforests for LIFE!

On Wednesday the 15th of October, the Rainforest Restoration Project worked with Beyond Social Services' LIFE school, to execute fun and educational activities regarding local trees and their importance to the world. Part of the mission of the Rainforest Restoration Project is to spread knowledge and support of indigenous trees, and the group wanted to establish a connection with a local service to help achieve this.

"Link the Pictures" activity- the students were asked to discuss the relationship
 between Forest Fires and the Haze in Singapore

"Five Senses" Activity for Saga

Longan, Saga, and Durian saplings were brought to the learning center, along with their respective seeds. The children had the opportunity to learn about the trees and how to identify them, through a "five senses activity" which allowed them to have a hands-on experience with each species. The students also discussed the negative impacts of deforestation on the environment- from global impacts, to right here at home.

The students at "Beyond social services" may not have had the same access to education, especially in English, as their peers. According to supervisor Ian Moody, the session went very well; the students were fully engaged in the activities and enjoyed taking part in them. The activities also helped to expand the students' vocabularies, as much of the vocabulary used to describe the trees was new to them.

This has been the outcome of a long-running project for the Dover Rainforest Restoration Outreach group, with planning taking place during the majority of term 1. Big thanks to Ian Moody and "Beyond Social Services" for working with us.  We are very happy that the activities went as well as they did, and hope to partner with more services in the future.

New additions to Dover's tree community!

After the planting of a Horsefieldia irya and a Mangrove next to the middle school block, the Dover RRP group got together at the school campus to replace a dead tree and plant two new ones. The trees were planted in our central plaza, where they will form a sheltered avenue of native trees. We replaced the Pentaspadon motleyi, which had unfortunately died. The tree was hardened off in the nursery, however, conditions in this area are often difficult, with poor soils and heavy rainfall. In addition to this, we planted a Lagerstroemia floribunda (Crepe Myrtle), which the school received from a local supplier. The planting was very successful, despite the wet soil due to previous rain. This tree should provide a lot of color when it eventually blooms.

However, these poor conditions may be the reason why the Aquilaria sinensis saplings have not prospered as expected. We will continue to monitor and apply foliar feed/mulch and hope for the best.

These and other trees on both campuses are currently up for adoption through the Adopt a tree project that is run through the UWCSEA Foundation. Proceeds go towards nurturing the tree until it matures and contributing to the Annual Fund. This would be a great way to show your support of environmental protection. In addition to that, a personalised plaque goes up just for you beside your adopted tree! Click on this link to learn more: https://www.uwcsea.edu.sg/adoptatree  

- Written by Devyani, Leah, Mea and Yanda.

Planting the Pentaspadon motleyi 

Preparing the planting holes