Greetings! this unit the trans-disciplinary theme is “Sharing the Planet” and PYP 6 went to the Mangrove Forest Wonorejo to observe the biodiversity and ecosystem of the Mangrove. We felt so lucky to have the opportunity to be in the open exploring the Mangrove. We really enjoyed the trip and already want to go back, so now let me share our adventure with you.

Our journey started at 7am at school.  It took around one hour to reach our destination. Each group had to take at least 1 sample – it could have been a water sample, dirt sample, etc. When we first went in, we instantly observed many examples of biodiversity in the mangrove. There were crabs, trees and even a crowd of mudskippers. This year for the first time we took samples of creatures which were crabs and snails.

We then took a boat to track 3, from there we sat in a gazebo asking our inquiry questions and the instructor shared his knowledge of all the products they can make from the mangrove fruits. We bought some products made by mangrove apples and they were very sweet due to the amount of sugar added. We even learnt how to plant a mangrove tree called Rezopora; the tree can grow 70m high and the roots can grow 200m underground. We had lunch together, took pictures – it was fun to be in this outdoor environment with our classmates.  Then it was time to plant some Rezopora trees. First we had to remove the poly bag surrounding the soil and roots. Next we placed it in the hole and finally tied the rope to the tree and ‘ajir’. Sekolah Ciputra planted more than 250 trees this year.

On track 2 there were hundreds of crabs and mudskippers that were up to 30 centimeters long. As we walked along the jogging track practicing our observation skills, we saw snakes, snails and birds and some of us were left behind (with a teacher) attempting to find incredible beautiful crabs but no luck.

Finally, it was time to head back home. It was hard to leave but at least we found out a lot of information and gained a better understanding of the Mangrove ecosystem and about biodiversity.

From Sekolah Ciputra, we hope for the best to help save the forest.  Let your time with nature lead you to yourself – Shikoba.

Tymmy PYP 6A

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