We are excited to share a recent story of such international collaboration that involves much creativity, critical thinking and hands-on learning, and is fully student-led and typical of Montessori education.
For years, students in Groesbeek, The Netherlands, have been crafting soapbox cars under the expert guidance of Max Wagener, providing students the freedom to explore technical skills like welding, cutting, and applying real-life math in the construction process.
This year, as part of a unique exchange program, the students of Montessori College Nijmegen and Groesbeek took this a step further and collaborated with friends from Davinci Montessori in Bergen, Norway, to make this an cooperative learning experience with shared goals and success.
The students created a full soapbox car DIY kit and, through partnership with Mark Huisman Logistieke Dienstverlening, shipped two of them to their Norwegian partners. During this experience they managed the entire shipping process, including logistics and filling out the CMR forms independently.
And the best part? The students later travelled to Bergen to join their Norwegian peers to assemble, test, and race these soapbox cars together.
A big thank you to Max Wagener and Roe Lauvås Jr. and everyone involved for making this fantastic project happen.
We are excited to see the ongoing impact of these meaningful, out-of-the-box (or rather, out-of-the-soapbox) educational projects, and our participants putting Peace Education in practice – working together as a global community.
PEACE,
Global Montessori Education and Sport
