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by Eleanor Zucker
In Mexico, not only are mothers and fathers honored with their own day, but children are too. El Día del Niño is celebrated on April 30. To celebrate this special day, the students of Otoch Paal were taken on a field trip.
 The kids arrived to school half an hour early and by 7:45 were getting on a bus destined for the El Dorado Royale Hotel in Puerto Morelos. There the children were given a tour of the hotel's plant nursery where they picked tomatoes and were treated to some strawberries. Since it was such a hot day, they had a chance to cool off in the special watering system set up at the nursery for the plants, after the nursery staff explained to them how the system worked.
Then the children got back on the bus and went to Otoch Paal's sister Montessori school in Cancún. Once there, they had lunch and cake, played with the Cancún students during their recess and participated in some dancing. Before leaving, each child was given a toy. Then they made the long journey back to Akumal. The children arrived around 3 p.m., very sleepy but happy to have participated in such a big adventure for their special day!
Educational field trips are rarely a part of the experience that most children have at public schools in México. This is yet another way that the Otoch Paal experience is a unique one for the children who attend this wonderful school. Not only does it broaden their horizons, it gives them an opportunity to put into practice all the skills they've learned in school, not least of all, how to function independently of their families outside of the school environment.
To see a Montessori preschool in operation, come visit Otoch Paal Community Center in Akumal Pueblo. Otoch Paal welcomes visitors who are interested in seeing how a Montessori center operates. Classes are in session from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., Monday through Friday. Visitors are asked to come between 8:30 and 10 a.m.
How you can help. As a non-profit community-based learning center, Otoch Paal does not generate sufficient funds to pay for all necessary school improvements. Monetary donations and donations in kind are always welcome. Donations can be made directly at the school or contact the school Director, Gabriela Ortega.
Are you associated with a Montessori school that could donate used learning materials for the preschool/kindergarten classroom or support the school in some other way? Contact Graciela Avila, school principal.
Directions to Otoch Paal: The school is located near the back of Akumal Pueblo, on the northern edge of town. It can be reached by following the Pueblo's main street (avenida) to the fourth block on the right-hand side of the street. After passing the secondary and kindergarten schools (which are on the main street), turn right at the corner where the kindergarten is located and continue to the next corner. Otoch Paal is next to the kindergarten and the entrance is at the far corner, near the town's edge.
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