Trend Watch June 2020

“The Children Got Better Grades Learning Outside”

Matluba Khan, Lecturer in Urban Design at Cardiff University, redesigned a school in Bangladesh to include outdoor learning elements requested by the students and teachers – and studied the results.

Her research showed that the children’s maths and science improved with teaching and learning outdoors.

“The Grade IV children performed significantly better in maths and science compared to a comparable school which had had no change in the environment,” she writes.

“Hands-on learning outdoors made learning fun and engaging for everyone, but particularly benefited underachievers. We found that children who didn’t interact much in the classroom setting were more pro-active and participated more in their outdoor sessions.”

Read about the project in The Conversation.

Hundreds of Bus Stops Turned Into Bee Sanctuaries:

The Netherlands city of Utrecht has transformed 316 bus stops into ‘bee stops’ to support endangered bee species and biodiversity, improve air quality by capturing fine dust, store rainwater and provide cooling in summer.

The planted roofs are mainly composed of sedum plants, a favourite of pollinators like the honey bees and bumblebees the city is aiming to attract.

Sedum requires little water to survive. The plants are cared for by municipal workers who drive around the city in electric vehicles.

Read more on Bright Vibes.