If ever there is a need to take a water sample from the alligator pond at the Bermuda Aquarium & Zoo there’s at least one child in the Ironshore Wild Explorers afterschool programme who is ready and willing.The Royal Gazette visited the Aquarium where 15 Whitney Middle School students were participating in the afterschool programme designed to promote an interest in science and Bermuda’s environment.When we arrived, programme coordinator Alex Amat was rushing to assure the students that the alligator pond was off-limits.“Don’t go there,” she said. “You can take samples from many other places around the Aquarium, such as the pond in the play area, or the North Rock tank.”The boy who had made the offer slumped back in his seat, looking disappointed.After collecting samples the students put the water through a number of tests, looking at salinity, acidity and temperature. Some of them were only 11 or 12 years old, but thanks to the programme they were ready for the average high school science class.The programme was launched by Bermuda Zoological Society (BZS) and is sponsored by Ironshore Reinsurance. Every Tuesday the Aquarium sends its bus up the hill to collect the students involved.This year the programme was run along an earth, wind and water theme. Activities involved taking water samples, plankton tows, building longtail igloos along a nearby stretch of coastline, and growing vegetables on the Aquarium property.“The corn has been the hardest thing to grow so far, because it took a long time” said Husna Farooqui, 13.After the afterschool programme is over, the Aquarium plans to donate the vegetable plants to a school to create a garden.“The programme offers the opportunity for students to have intimate, hands-on experiences with Bermuda’s natural environment,” said Whitney science teacher Leone Samuels. “Unfortunately, we live in a world where children have less and less contact with their natural environment. As a result, many lack a personal connection with nature and an understanding of why it is so critical to protect.“Students participating in this programme are engaged in activities that will build lifelong memories and a genuine appreciation for the world they live in. Through their square-foot gardens, for example, many will experience for the first time the pleasure of eating food they have grown themselves. I know all who participated have had experiences that will move them towards becoming lifelong learners, stewards of our environment and hopefully, there’s even a few budding veterinarians, environmental scientists and biologists in the bunch.”“I think the Wild Explorers Afterschool Programme is fun,” said Devonte Fox, 12, who had collected some very yellow looking water from a pond on the property. “You can learn a lot from it. For example, I learned how to make longtail nests and square-foot gardens. I’d like to become a junior volunteer at BAMZ.”The junior volunteer is open to students 15 years and older.“I decided I wanted to do this because I like animals and I like going to the Aquarium,” said D’Undre Seymour, 12. “I also like science in school, although I don’t know what I want to do as a career, yet.”Said Dr Amat: “These students have embraced everything we’ve done. They really enjoy the hands-on work and their energy has been channelled into tangible results. As well as connecting them to nature, it teaches them responsibility. The activities cannot be completed in one day students need to follow up and devote lots of time and effort. So it teaches commitment and focus, and shows them how to see projects through from beginning to end. Many of the students cannot wait to turn 14 and apply to the BZS Junior Volunteer Programme. That speaks for itself.”Joseph Furbert, education officer, said this was just a pilot programme and they were already looking at ways that they could expand it into other schools in the future.“Initially, we approached Ironshore Reinsurance with the idea for the afterschool programme and they thought it might be something they would be interested in funding and providing for,” he said. “We had a commitment from them to support it and it was up to us to develop it. We have a facility here that is kind of unique, and as such, it is our responsibility to use it for programmes like this. We are actively trying to find more opportunities to help our young people, whether it is at-risk children, children in general, children who like science or children who may not like the environment. We understand the responsibility we have with this facility.“We want children to be fully engaged in the programme. We want students to become more environmentally aware. The last result would be that the skills gained in the programme would translate to other areas in their lives and lead to greater scholastic achievement. We realise everything isn’t about academics, but they are a huge part of their job as students.”