Be careful where you tread,

The teacher said,

Guided us toward the trees.

The trees stand so patiently,

Waiting for us, 

With the branches standing strong and proud, 

With roots that anchor it to the soil.

The trees breathe longer than us, 

Giving life to our school,

When our hearts are full of miseries

When our souls need a cure. 

The trees have magical presence, 

Where our thoughts could find rest,

Where our whispers could find home,

Where we just need a place to belong. 

Be friends with the trees,

The teacher said,

The trees will wait for you,

The trees will bloom for you forever.

The existence of nature in a school setting gives freedom for children to create a connection between themselves and nature. From a very early age, children tend to be curious about the world around them. Therefore, when the children have been given the freedom to explore, they will end up learning more than what the teachers can teach them. Plus, exploration of the natural world could create a lasting attachment to nature. For instance, teachers can organise unstructured-experiences activities that include self-initiated exploration or discovery in the school garden and familiar environments. As a result, children can engage with nature which cultivates a sense of wonder and inspiration. 

Other than that, nature can defuse stress and boost concentration. A school’s buildings and environment play a crucial role for the children. Learning in the natural environment or even having access to nature through plants and windows in the classroom has been linked to better concentration in children. This also can improve the learning of the children. A number of studies suggest that children can experience emotional and cognitive enhancements just by merely looking at scenes of nature. For example, in Muhibbahraya Primary School, each of the classes provide windows where the children can view onto trees, a human-built environment, and other greenery. Thus, it is a way to relieve stress when the children are feeling stressed or need to relax their mind during the teaching and learning (T&L) process. 

Moreover, due to the outbreak of COVID-19 across the globe, the children’s lives have been spent indoors even more. It is an alarming situation as children need regular time outdoors in order to improve their mental health and wellbeing. Spending time with nature could improve issues such as Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) / Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), myopia, and Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) among children. For instance, the messy play is often being conducted where teachers encourage children to touch mud, long grass or peebles. These mindful practices allow children to ‘be in the moment’. 

As a conclusion, everyone plays an essential role where the school authorities should keep trees and green areas around the school setting. Plus, the teachers should incorporate outdoor learning into their daily teaching. By doing so, children will get a number of benefits which may inspire them to be a better person in the natural world in the future. 

The sky blazed that day. The bees buzzed and hummed among the beautiful flowers. And the winds came through the fields of Muhibbahraya Primary School, rousing the students to get into their classrooms. Elisheba fastened her steps as she reached closer to the head of the student affairs room, holding tightly a goldfish bowl in her tiny hands. From the far, a boy dressed in a prefect uniform was running towards her. He was so thrilled when he saw his friend Elisheba was holding a thing that he has waited for a long time. The goldfish. 

Izzat looked into the bowl. His eyes were sparkling as he noticed the movement of the fancy goldfish, or known as Jikin. The pale white body with vibrant red fins was swimming graceful around the bowl with its bubbly looking eyes bulging out from its head. The Jikin Goldfish has a split four-lobed tail, which was referred to as a butterfly or peacock tail. The movement of The Jikin Goldfish provides an extreme aesthetic appeal to any person that is looking at it. 

As they arrived at the head of the student affairs room, they were welcomed by Miss Arya, who is also a part of the committee of environmental protection outside the school. As part of the committee, Miss Arya has contributed a lot for the school and even the community outside the school. Her contribution included creating a few mini gardens filled with diverse flora and fauna, fish ponds, mini waterfalls, and gazebo. She was astonished with The Jikin Goldfish that she never saw before. 

Miss Arya along with Elisheba and Izzat, who were the members of The Goldfish Club, were gathering together around the fish pond. There were around seven gold fishes that were placed in the fish pond. It has been two years since the club was created by three of them. Although the club did not get much recognition from the school and the students, however with their persistence to protect the lives of goldfish, they finally made it to the end. The last goldfish which was The Jikin Goldfish was placed into the pond. The tears filled up their glasses as they reminisced the memories that they have created throughout the years, from taking care of the goldfish until protecting them by giving them a home for them. 

The bells by the door rang, signalling someone had opened the door. Two figures that were very familiar to Miss Arya walked in wearing masks because of the current regulations of COVID-19. They both looked so much better and mature than they used to be. Even though their appearance was changed, Miss Arya can still recognise them from any distance. She knew them too well. Elisheba and Izzat walked into the cafe. It has been 10 years since their last meeting at the fish pond of Muhibbahraya Primary School. Both of them have further their studies in agricultural science in different higher institutions. 

“Shall we reopen our club?” Asked Miss Arya to start the conversation. 

“It is a pleasure for us, Miss Arya. It has been a long time.” Answered Izzat. 

“Let’s do it, The Goldfish Club!”