The power of nature

The participants experienced the culture of the Iceland and school life in Álftanesskoli. The trip began by meeting some students and teachers. Each participating school made a Power Point Presentation of their country and schools and presented this to the students of Álftanesskoli. Participants experienced the history of Álftanes, the Turkish raids and had a walk around the area. All participants, both students and teachers, were welcomed by the First Lady of Iceland, Eliza Reid, at her residence; Bessastaði. She talked about Álftanes and their way of life. Everyone had refreshments and spoke informally about their countries. 

All participants visited a National Park in Þingvellir. The tour guide spoke about the power of nature within the National Park, including the waterfall and the layered lava rocks encapsulating the area. Next stop was the Geysir and everyone had the opportunity to witness an active geyser. A further opportunity to experience the power of nature involved a visit to Perlan, experiencing ice caves and exhibitions show casing the eruption of volcanoes and different types of rocks, animals and the history of Iceland.

The children engaged in an outdoor lesson when returning to Álftanes. They had to build a volcano on the beach and use baking soda and vinegar to show how a volcano erupts. The children also experienced school life and took part in several art lessons, making a wooden puzzle and sewing cotton bags to store fruits and vegetables. 

BSO Buitenwijs from The Netherlands, led teacher training and a workshop on outdoor activities and learning. All teacher participants took part in the training, alongside other teachers from Álftanesskoli. During the mobility week, BSO Wijs held a teacher training workshop for outdoor lessons. The aim of these workshops was to plan, implement and evaluate outdoor lessons. Children from the host school taught guests a traditional Icelandic outdoor game. This was followed by a visit to Reykjanes to see the bridge between two continents, then to Geldingadalir to see the new lava followed by a final visit to Seltun to see the colourful high-temperature geothermal area. 

The final day of the visit involved more actionbound outdoor games, involving all participants and students. A visit to Reykjavik involved experiencing the Whales of Iceland museum and fly over Iceland. Finished with and outdoor party and presentation of certificates. During the visit, participating students from other countries stayed with host families and experienced their way of life and culture first hand.