A day discovering the old West with nature excursions, animal encounters and cowboy games.
PROJECT OBJECTIVES
The goal of this project is to offer students an immersive experience in the culture and lifestyle of the old American West, promoting environmental awareness and respect for animals through interaction with horses, the surrounding nature and more.
The game activity, in a team and alone, the approach with horses and their whole world are an opportunity for growth. Measuring oneself with one's own limits and having to put into play a proactive attitude of cooperation with a group, of humans and non-humans, pushes participants to interesting food for thought.
Approaching the horse is an excellent way to discover the sense of responsibility in relating to such a large animal, but it is also an opportunity to reflect internally on more complex concepts such as the dynamics of the "herd".
If this attitude is completely natural for these incredible animals, sometimes it is complex to deal with in groups of friends and who knows ... maybe our 4-legged friends will be able to help us understand some situations better. We work on the concept of sense of belonging, on the idea of "the other" who is outside the herd and how, in the case of the horse, the human being _ who in this case represents the different, the intruder _ must approach to gain the trust of the animal and its group. An experience that works in a proactive way on self-esteem, on the acquisition of greater confidence in communication and management with a consequent contribution to the development of leadership skills.
Emotional control, patience, calm, perseverance, these and many other skills must be put into practice to gain the official certificate of true Gaucho!
Logistics and contents
Students from 3 second-grade classes will participate, for a hypothetical total of approximately 50 children accompanied by 6 teachers.
In order to optimize time and follow each activity in the best possible way, the group is divided into 3 teams, each supported by 2 teachers.
The first part of the day includes 3 types of activities that each team – made up of approximately 15/17 children – tackles in an alternating manner.
This allows for no queues or inactivity, stimulates all the children on multiple levels and facilitates coordination.
The planned activities:
- IN THE HERD WITH HORSES: approach to the horse through short theoretical lessons, stories, demonstrations and activities such as American riding _ for short rides in a limited area _ brushing the animal and discovering its needs, saddling, unsaddling and so on. At the same time it will be possible to watch the practice of shoeing the horse performed by a real farrier according to tradition.
- FARM TREKKING: the kids are taken by bus to the nearby town of Setri _ distance 2 km _ where they can admire the adorable alleys and the surrounding nature. The adventure continues from Setri with a trek of about 30 minutes on a delightful path that leads to the nearby town of Peneggi. During the route an expert environmental guide leads the group to discover the local flora and fauna. The walk ends in a real farm that is located right on the outskirts of the town. The group is welcomed by the young, but wise, Stefano who will guide the kids on a visit to his farm. They will admire beautiful examples of grazing cows, the fields worked by the various crops and they will be able to discover all the secrets of the work in the countryside between land and livestock.
- WILD WEST GAMES: games, single or in teams, with a vintage flavour and strictly western-themed, such as tug-of-war, sack races, hitting targets with targeted throws, lasso throwing and much more, until you put on the clothes of a real cowboy to pose for a fantastic souvenir photo!
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