When most people think about education, they think in terms of school buildings, libraries, textbooks and teachers. But education does not just apply to formal education. It is very much a part of daily life and encompasses what is heard, read, seen and touched.
It's this learning beyond the four walls of the classroom that had year-three St. Andrew's School students recently visiting Junkanoo World Museum & Arts Centre, where they were able to engage in hands-on learning about Junkanoo after learning about the cultural art form at their school.
The seven and eight-year-old students engaged in an escorted tour of the center, located on Horseshoe Drive, by proprietor Quentin "Barabbas" Woodside. And through the Junkanoo exhibits on display they were able to capture the culture and art of Junkanoo. The core exhibit of the museum concentrated on telling the story of the evolution of Junkanoo through the ages from early slavery days to the present day parades on Bay Street. The students viewed exhibitions that depicted the many changes to the costumes and the various developments in musical instruments over time.
Students also participated in a hands-on drumming session, pasted a Junkanoo souvenir and enjoyed a "rush" to the bus.
"As an international school, we want our students to appreciate and be tolerant of all different cultures, but you can't do that if you don't appreciate our own Bahamian culture," said Karen Carey, the school's director of admissions, as to why the school finds it important for its students to visit Junkanoo World annually.
Looking at different cultures is a part of the year-three students' unit work, and delving into Bahamian culture, she said, is important.
"After learning about Junkanoo they actually go there to see the art and all the work behind the scenes that goes into the pieces themselves," said Carey. "The students enjoyed making masks. They learned about how cowbells are made and they enjoyed beating the drums."
Carey said the field trip added value to what the students had learned in their classroom setting.
"In the classroom you can teach something, but when the students go out on a field trip like this they can actually see and touch. The artwork comes alive. It adds that three-dimensional experience to education. It takes them out of their environment in the classroom and seeing a picture to an actual place where they can see it in its beauty," she said. Classroom teachers accompanying the students included Vashni Carey and Tasha Bethel.

Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian