Forestry Unit hosted Splash Robo Club

The official commencement of the “Spring” season was on 20th March and coincidentally the “International Day of Forest” was celebrated worldwide on 21st March. Here on Antigua those of us who are into our environment and nature can recall on the said day the Forestry Unit within the Ministry of Agriculture commemorated this celebration with several activities the main one being a hike and tree planting exercise in the Body Pond.

This was not an ordinary event, on the contrary, all the participants were on a learning and reforestation expedition coupled into one. However, the Forestry Unit has not stopped there rather their 2023 mission includes an outreach component. Therefore, all and sundry will be targeted and no one will be left out nor behind. In keeping with their quest on Wednesday 5th of April the Unit hosted the campers of the Splash Robo Camp.

The youngsters were in for a delightful treat. They thought that they would be hopping on a bus for a drive somewhere in the countryside but never had they imagined a Scavenger Hunt was organized by the Forestry staff in the form of a quiz. The goal was to put clues at particular trees, then have the children try to identify these trees. In addition to the game, they were shown the correct way to hold and care for plants and they also planted some trees. The little campers were happy to assist with this activity, some carried young plants and seedlings while others fetched the water and implement. One of the trees emphasis was placed on was the Cashew tree and its many uses.

The Splash Robo Camp is a stem-based extracurricular activity that is geared towards teaching four years to twelve years old children about coding, mechanical engineering and problem-solving. Simply put, it is a Robotic Club, it is the first of its kind on the island and the brainchild of Tiffany Azille and her sister. Living in this new era and one of technology the sisters felt strongly about the need to expose and involve the youth from a young age.

Forty curious minds accompanied by eight counsellors thoroughly enjoyed the day in the outdoors. The Forestry staff that were responsible for this successful, fun-filled day were Camellia Wallace-Tonge, Kadeema Ambrose, Kerson Casimir, Vashawn Jarvis and Karim Joseph.