Education
Ahhh… Is An Educational Paradise
With Tamika an educator and Ian an art teacher, it is the perfect place to offer field trips for schools. At Ahhh…, we use art and the garden to teach about science, geography, math, language, history, and life. Teachers inform Tamika of the subjects that have already been introduced to the students. Ahhh.. then prepares a lesson which is taught using art and hands on experiments in the garden. Anything that is created by the student during the lessons is for them to keep.
Students, parents, and teachers arrive and are given information on the property. Students are engaged in discussions on the relevant topic for the group, then taken on a tour of the garden.
Ian, Ayale, or Tamika then offer an art class. Students then draw any emotion or thing seen in the garden, what stands out most in their minds. Lunch follows with a question and answer session of the day’s events. The hardest part is saying goodbye as the children have likely never experienced a place like Ahhh…Rasnatango Gallery and Garden. These field trips are also offered to the children of visitors who would like their children to experience the art and culture of Jamaica.
Teaching Art
Ras Natango teaches art in our local school, The Buckingham Primary School. He volunteers his time fortnightly teaching art to the students who had no exposure to art before. Recently Ahhh… received much needed Art supplies from a group of visitors to the attraction. The art supplies were presented to the school and has been welcomed by the principal, staff, and students.
This is his way of not only contributing to the education of our children through art, but also by giving back in appreciation of all that Ahhh… stands for. Together we can and must.
Eco-Gardening
At Ahhh…Rasnatango Gallery and Garden, we are environmentalists – it’s just our way of life – from the way the building has been constructed in the hillside without excavating, to the lack of chemicals in the gardens. For instance, with the rocks and stones during the wet months, we have a large amount of snails. They are pests that come out and eat the plants. Instead of using chemicals to control them, we use raw cornmeal. Their shells are then worked into the soil for aeration. Nothing is wasted in our garden. We willingly educate visitors on our practices to recycle and repurpose everything on the property.
