It’s that time of the year again when students are back in class, teachers are looking for exciting experiential learning opportunities and parents are back at work and out of holiday mode. At Deira International School, this is also a great time for our returning teachers to show off what Dubai has to offer to the ‘newbie’ staff!
As well as the usual revision of important policies, procedures and exam results, our induction and inset week dedicated a full day to staff team building and experiencing some of the latest attractions to hit Dubai. With nearly 200 participating staff, it was important to make sure that there was something for everybody to enjoy, and that we weren’t just going to the usual haunts.
With particular attention to locations that teachers could use as class trips for enhancing learning and fun, a route was devised across the Emirate. Each of the 10 groups would discover new things on offer while trying to complete a list of around 20 challenges with photo evidence. Some of these challenges included asking teams to get a group selfie in a forest, a group shot of everybody in National UAE dress and even of somebody in the group holding a snake. From the exciting to the absurd, this action packed day provided plenty of laughs!
One of the stops along the way was to the new City Walk of Dubai. Located just a stone’s throw from the Dubai Mall and Burj Khalifa, there’s plenty already operational, although there is heavy construction continuing on many other projects. However, one of the new attractions that is open for business is ‘Hub Zero’. With innovative experiences geared towards young gamers and the inner child in adults, Hub Zero blurs the lines between the real and virtual worlds.
Upon arriving, our group were impressed with the range of immersive activities and were treated to a few hands on experiences such as at Double Agent, where we were asked to race against the clock while dodging a maze of lasers! With other attractions inside Hub Zero named Battlefield, Resident Evil and Hack Attack, there is plenty for entertaining youngsters with a penchant for high octane fun. Parents with younger ones can also set their little adventurers free in the awesome soft play area and toddler karting track while enjoying a coffee at the Hub Café. In true teacher fashion, there were already learning outcomes and lesson objectives being formulated to tie in with a class trip to this virtual playground!
Also located at City Walk is the impressive towering white building that houses 4 levels of tropical rainforest! With ‘The Green Planet’ not quite open to the public at the time our group visited, it was amazing to see what is on offer within this huge bio-dome. Boasting the world’s largest indoor artificial yet life sustaining tree, there are thousands of living plants and animals inside this first-of-its-kind structure in the Middle East.
People of all ages will enjoy exploring the different levels of the indoor tropical forest, from the flooded floor to the canopy tree house. On site are purpose built classrooms to cover the many topics which can be covered throughout the year. Catering served to school groups, families and individuals, The Green Planet has guided tours for those wishing to delve into the education side of things or simply stroll around the various exhibits at their own leisure.
Our final stop within City Walk was ‘Mattel Play! Town’. This magical place is open for parents to bring children and experience any or all of the themed attractions including Barney, Thomas and Friends, Fireman Sam, Bob the Builder and Angelina Ballerina all under one roof! More for the younger kids, Mattel Play! Town has loads of dress up and action stations that reinforce positive values through play. Their large team of fun staff will ensure a great time for groups and individuals that visit. Even some of our own staff couldn’t help themselves around the sand pit play areas!
As our group moved on from City Walk to other locations around Dubai, the new teachers were more and more impressed with the attractions that were available with a focus on fun, education and adventure. As a resident of 10 years in Dubai, I have also been impressed at the number of projects coming online for students in recent years. It was refreshing taking newcomers to the region; places that were also new to me.
A tour of major Dubai attractions wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the world famous Aquarium at the Dubai Mall. With King Crocs and the official Discovery Channel Shark Week exhibit, this place never ceases to evolve with Curator and General Manager Paul Hamilton at the helm. With groups of teachers that had visits to the Dubai Mall Aquarium ranging from zero to literally hundreds, all agreed that the latest instalment for Shark Week is cutting edge visually and educationally.
A lot of careful thought is being poured into ventures that are enhancing the UAE experience for not only the tourists, but also for the residents who continue to settle here. From an educational point of view, this is an exciting time as these new activities provide a reenergised approach to planning experiential learning outside of the classroom.
Our staff groups managed to cover many other Dubai experiences, such as taking Abra rides across the Creek. We watched as the dhows were loaded full of goods, and one of the challenges was to see if we could get involved! The friendly faces all along the waterfront welcomed our teams and shared some laughs along the way. Whether stepping into the iFly suits and spinning out of control, or throwing on the Ski Dubai outfits to complete other challenges, our staff got to hang out together in a range of fun environments.
So many adventures await those who wish to try new things and learn about how play can be super educational. Whether parents want to show children the new wonders of Dubai, or teachers want new activities for class groups, or a team of adults want to make some sort of competition out of exploring new attractions, there’s definitely lots more on offer these days. Exciting times!
Words + Photos by: Haydon Kerr
