Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
The Farm of a LifetimeThe adventure of Nature, permaculture, and traditional lifestyle in southern Spain
Through Experiential Learning, visits to La Donaira cover a meaningful range of skills, educational objectives and learning outcomes, with significant links to the national curriculum. La Donaira is also a language immersion experience for those children who are not Spanish native speakers!
Our edutainment plan includes one-day experiences, two to five-day residential trips, digital-detox weekend programmes, and summer camp for students aged 7 to 18.
We aim to inspire an ecologically responsible connection and interaction with Nature, generating knowledge and commitment towards sustainability.
Back to Nature…
Landbio-farming and medicinal garden study, landscape design, eco architecture building, reuse & recycling, and forest exploration
Foodorganic nutrition, healthy nutritional habits, and both traditional & creative cooking
Animalsresponsible and humane animal farming, Lusitano horse & Pajuna cow breeding, Natural Horsemanship, and equine therapy
SportsHorseback riding, soccer, hiking, kayaking,
stand up paddling, and adventure games
Heart & MindMusic, arts & crafts, theater, storytelling,
yoga, and mindfulness
Community AwarenessHarmonious co-existence, volunteering, responsibility and action within a community
CultureLa Donaira, village of El Gastor,
neighbor cities of Ronda, Seville, Jerez de la Frontera,
and Granada. Spain
LAND & NATURESTEWARDISH
LAND TENURE& COMMUNITYGOVERNANCE
HEALTH &SPIRITUALWELL-BEING
FINANCES &ECONOMICS
EDUCATION& CULTURE
TOOLS & TECHNOLOGY
BUILDING
CARE FOR EARTH
CARE FOR PEOPLE
FAIR SHARE
Why should we go back?Multiple experts, such as Dr. Stephen R. Kellert of Yale University, Robert Louv, Andrea Faber Taylor or Roger Ulrich, study the rise up of a number of physical, psychological, social-emotional, and academic disorders directly linked to a deficit or lack of contact with Nature. In this last decade, their studies have shown the benefits of reconnecting with Nature in all stages of human development.
Our proposal…Following the principles of Experiential Education, students and teachers at La Donaira are immersed in direct experiential learning, with a balanced component of free choice and decision-making. Our objective is that every experience generates knowledge, attitudes, values, and contribution. In order for this to happen, experience must be combined with a purposeful reflection process.
Immersed in the gardens and orchards, the farm, the stables and the forest, our explorers live an extraordinary experience in quality and educational value: bio-farming, traditional and creative eco-cooking, elaboration of herbal remedies, responsible care of animals, the incredible human-horse relationship, outdoor sports, development of coexistence and communal living fundamental values…
PermacultureThe farm is the ideal place to explore the rich possibilities that hold the ethics and principles of permaculture: earth care, people care, and fair share. La Donaira is the first and only permaculture based edutainment programme especially designed for children in Spain.
La Donaira is a beautiful organic farm at the heart of the Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park, specialized in experiential tourism and permaculture.
La Donaira: the land
Within the project, horses have a fundamental prominence and, especially, those of lusitano breed—our horse stud, our raison d’être. We currently have more than 60 horses, many of them born at our land, pushing forward the philosophy of our stud. As breeders of the oldest saddle horse in the world, we actively participate in the development and study of the lusitano horse. Activities such as traditional classic dressage or natural horsemanship are part of the pillars of our work with horses.
Lusitano Horse
Pajuna are the oldest known domesticated breed of cow, a direct descendant of the wild Aurochs (Uro). Andalusia has a biodiversity protection programme that includes this unique breed. Only about 500 head of Pajuna remain. This ancient breed indigenous to the region is extremely hardy and easy to keep – winter and summer outdoors, 100% grass fed. Pajuna are not ideal for meat or milk production – but they are optimized for easy keeping in the wild. In addition to being a source of meat and milk year-round, the herd is a key element in our soil fertility management – providing us with the king of bioactive fertilizers – cow excrement!
Pajuna Cow
Our medicinal herb garden is modelled on the concept of old monastery gardens, which served as living pharmacies. It contains over 300 different healing, calming, invigorating, and revitalizing natural herbs. Learning about the powers of herbs and plants is fascinating and purposeful for all.
Medicinal Herb Garden & Greenhouse
Nestled within the Serranía of Ronda and at the feet of Grazalema National Park, La Do-naira has an extension of 250 hectares. It was certified ecologic since 2009 because at our farm we do not till, use chemical pesticides nor fertilizers. At La Donaira we work with ani-mal rotation. Our horses, cows, sheep, geese, etc. participate actively in the conservation, cleaning, and enrichment of our ground. Yes, animals are fundamental for the conservation of our grazing land. Holm oaks, olive trees, vineyards, fruit orchards, and vegetable gar-dens have their main role in the farm also. As a result, we produce wine, olive oil, preserves and marmalades. We feed our community off the fruits and vegetables our land provides us with. We strive to help conserve the biodiver-sity of the area by protecting autochthonous breeds such as the pajuna cow, introducing indigenous breeds of local sheep or develo-ping a programme for placing multi-purpose nesting boxes. We create our own bio ferti-lizers through our organic matter recycling process…
Everything has a purpose; everything alive at our land is for the common good. It is our land, our farm.
Our land, our farm
1. Create an emotionally safe context for purposeful learning, with the ultimate objective of fostering an active ecological awareness.
2. Through immersions in Nature, enjoy an array of cognitive, physical, social, emotional, and creative experiences inspired by permaculture.
3. Explore bio-farming and sustainable agriculture, ecological restoration, and soil building in a youth friendly approach.
4. Cohabit with animals, collaborate in their care, and reflect upon the sustainability of responsible animal breeding and conservation initiatives for endangered local species.
5. Discover the local fauna and flora and reflect upon its role in the context of the natural environment.
6. Appreciate the impact on our well-being of natural spaces and of those designed under the principles of eco architecture and bio-construction.
7. Gain deeper knowledge and practice of healthy nutritional habits. 8. Cohabit productively and peacefully within the diverse human context at La Donaira and the local community. 9. Immerse and connect with Andalusian history, culture, and traditions.
By the end of their visit at La Donaira, participants will be able to:
1. Become an active and responsible participant of a community and cooperative network. 2. Identify the basic principles of permaculture. 3. Carry out basic techniques of biodynamic sowing, growing, and harvesting. 4. Gain awareness and take responsibility in the humane care and well-being of animals.
5. Recognize unhealthy nutritional habits and how to improve them. 6. Describe the process of making herbal remedies from a medicinal garden, as well as elaborate eco-cooking and healthy bakery recipes. 7. Plan a design to allocate and use resources provided by the natural context that surrounds them. 8. Develop an action plan to apply permaculture principles in their individual and closest community. 9. Appreciate and delve deeper into the historic, cultural, and gastronomic richness of Spain.
Edutainment objectives Learning outcomes
Experiences at La Donaira will help our children understand where it all comes from and the importance of growing it clean and chemical free.
Daily routines in the farm include, among many other: -bio-farming: sowing, planting, harvesting, making organic compost, ...-olive oil & wine making-elaborating medicinal herb remedies and teas form our medicinal herb garden-study of the soil and land
Daily active involvement in the care of our animals include: -feeding the livestock-helping in the cleaning chores at the stables and grooming our horses-horseback riding, experiencing natural horsemanship and equine therapy-handling of our portable hen houses-learning the basics of shepherding and behaviour of shepherd dogs
We play and exercise daily in a carefully designed sports plan which includes:-horseback riding-hiking-kayaking and stand up paddling-yoga and directed mindfulness sessions-traditional games and sports
Forest fun includes:-outdoor Visual Thinking Strategy circles-forest theatre, storytelling, arts and crafts-learning the habits and patterns of the forest and its animals-exploring basic tracking and stalking technics -discover and practice bird language skills-map making and orienteering games, treasure hunts, …
The possibilities are endless!
Body, heart & mind: Edutainment plan
Plan your experience
One-day
Two to five-day residential trips
Digital-Detox weekends
Summer Spot Camp
One-Day Experiences Sample Programme:Residentia l Trip and Summer Spot Sample Programme:
07:00
08:30
11: 00
12:00
10:30
11: 00
14:00
16: 00
16:30
20:3022:00
13:30
15:00
17: 0017:3019:30
La Donaira experiences are designed for children and students ranging from 7 to 18. Project-based, Experiential Learning, Montessori and Waldorf-inspired teachers, make up our educational team.
In addition, La Donaira functions as a laboratory to implement and develop different eco-projects at your school: a vegetable garden, a water harvesting plan, eco-composting using organic left-overs, constructing and keeping a portable pen or hen house, etc.
Moreover, all of the activities enrich team building and give students and teachers the chance to develop new skills and interact with their peers in an authentic natural environment. La Donaira is also a language immer-sion experience for those children who are not Spanish native speakers!
We lco m i n g t h e n e w d a y: wa k i n g u p,Y og a /Med it a t i o n & Brea kfa st Buf f et
T h e L a n d & A n i m a l s:-St a b l e s, Ho rs e s & N at u ra l Ho rs e m a n s h i p-Sh e e p & He n s-Med i c i n a l He rb Ga rd e n & G re e n h o u s e
Da i ly Eco - C oo k i n g wo rk s h o p: e l a bo ra t i o n o f l u n ch a n d s n a ck
Sn a ck , R e l a x & Fre e T i m e
Pe rm a-d e s ig n Wo rk s h o p: d e n bu i l d i n g / Fo re st & Adve nt u re Fu n: s i m u l a t i o n, t ra ck i n g, a n d st a l k i n g
L u n ch, R e l a x & Fre e T i m e
Hea rt & Mi n d Wo rk s h o p:A rt s & c ra f t s: st o n e-a rt / Da n ce & M u s i c: t h e l i v i n g f o re st / Mi n df u l n e s s: e m o t i o n s t re e / Fre e w rit i n g: wh at h a ppe n ed h e re?
Sn a ck & R e l a x
Spo rt s & Adve nt u re Fu n: k a y a k i n g
Sh owe r & L a Don a i ra D i a ry
D i n n e r, Fri e n d s & Eve n i n g Fu n: n ig ht ex ped it i o n & LD j a m s e s s i o n
G rat it u d e C i rc l e & Swe et D rea m s
A r ri va l a t L a Don a i ra : We lco m e Sn a ck
T h e L a n d & A n i m a l s:-St a b l e s, Ho rs e s & N at u ra l Ho rs e m a n s h i p-Sh e e p & He n s-Med i c i n a l He rb Ga rd e n & G re e n h o u s e
L u n ch & Fo re st I m m e rs i o n Adve nt u re: T h e l o st f o re st Pe rm a-d e s ig n wo rk s h o p: t h e s ch o o l ve g et a b l e g a rd e n
R e f l e ct i o n & Ta k e Act i o n C i rc l e
De pa rt u re
AccommodationThe children arrive to discover La Donaira’s headquarters: a magical spot under the protection and shade of a centenary eucalyptus tree. Yurts, caravans, and tents build our camp and home here. Every lodge is designed exclusively for our camp, providing the immersion experience of life in nature in a comfortable and hygienic setting with running hot & cold water, toilet facilities, single beds & bunk-beds, enchanting eco-designed covered eating and leisure areas, natural spring pool, our tree-castle, ...
Once upon a time all food was organic, and so it still is at La Donaira! Our land is 100% chemical free, providing us with clean organic food.
The art of cookery is practiced daily at the farm. Students have the chance to learn about traditional cuisine at our chef’s eco-cooking daily workshops. Specialized in organic, vegetarian and vegan cuisine, our extraordinary chef prepares every snack, picnic, and meal with fresh vegetables and fruits from our land, eggs from our hens, and a wide variety of organic vegetable protein. A world of new tastes and sensations to discover!
During residential trips, our menus also include fresh meats and fish delivered at La Donaira.
We cater for all dietary requirements, including all allergies, vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, and dairy free diets.
Healthy and organic food: Nurturing body, heart & mind.
We are located a stone’s throw away from the cities of Ronda, Málaga, Seville, Jerez de la Frontera, and Granada. Visits to the history, culture, and traditions of the pure essence of Andalusia are a privileged bonus we enjoy to its max during our summer camp.
There are several and very convenient options to get to La Donaira. We can provide you with flight or train informa-tion, as well as managing reservations and bookings. Whether by plane or train, members of our educational team greet the children on the spot. Our shuttle transports participants and team to the village of El Gastor, neighbour village of La Donaira.
Location & getting here
We offer school trips with a significant difference: give children authentic back-to-nature experiences they will never forget. Students do not just visit the farm; they become farmers and Nature explorers during their stay, living adventures that will make a change for a lifetime!
In addition, La Donaira is also a language immersion experience for those children who are not Spanish native speakers!
La Donaira is run by qualified and experienced professionals in the fields of Education and Sports, as well as in all the fields related to the farm and agri-culture, horsemanship and horseback riding. All participants are insured and fully covered by our liability and medical insurance.
Please check availability on our online calendar.
Get in touch to discuss your school’s requirements and we will put together the perfect programme for you!
telephone: +34 951 39 00 59 / 658 99 31 [email protected]/ldspot
Book your Experience: Why us?
Lat: 36°50’57.87 ″NLon: 5°17’55.38″ W
Our participants can fly into any of the two major international airports, Seville or Málaga.
PlaneSeville and Málaga Renfe stations are part of the very convenient national rail network.
Driving to El Gastor, neighbor village of La Donaira, is a very pleasant drive. Roads are safe, in good condition, and signposting is clear.
TrainCar
Finca La DonairaApartado de Correos 581
CP 29400 RondaEspaña
GPS:Lat: 36°50’57.87″NLon:5°17’55.38″W
email: [email protected]
tel: +34 951 39 00 59
www.ladonaira.com/ldspot
fb: www.facebook.com/ladonaira
Contact
