Everyday during their lunch breaks, children from San Anton School in Mgarr wear their cardigans and run off to the nearby wild garden. Their curiosity spurs them to look for interesting insects and plants, comparing them to what they would have read about in books.

The wild garden is conveniently located on the grounds of the school, and is looked after by flora and fauna expert Joe Attard, property manager at San Anton. Every day, weather permitting, schoolchildren join Mr Attard to help him in the running of what has been named the Backyard Habitat.

Their wildlife experience is not part of their curriculum. Yet, the knowledge they gathered supplements with a multi-sensory experience what they would otherwise only see on books or the Internet. The schoolchildren pay full attention to Mr Attard's teachings on names of cultivated plants, wild plants and trees, moths, soil bugs, and tiny animals that have made the Backyard Habitat their home.

Meeting Mr Attard and eight Grade 7 students at the Backyard Habitat showed how enriching their everyday visits are. Mr Attard said that students learn about the four important elements of habitat - water, food, shelter and space - and learn how to respect them. They learn about the cycles of nature, how to distinguish indigenous plants and the hidden places insects are most likely to seek shelter in. They learn basic gardening techniques and how to use the tools.

"Children are learning first-hand what they read from books. They have a very good opportunity of comparing the pictures to what can be seen in real-life. They deepen their perspective and become more aware of their environment," Mr Attard explained.

Three student leaders attending Grade 7, Nicky Debono, Nicholas Attard and Thomas Magri, enthusiastically explained how fun their mid-day strolls are. "Going outdoors gives us a break from lessons, and makes us return to class more eager. Knowing that the Backyard Habitat is waiting for our attention makes coming to school more fun. We concentrate more and learn more.

"We need to keep our environment clean, and it all starts from our everyday surroundings. We encourage other students to keep the area they play in clean, by making use of litter bins. We also clean our Backyard Habitat from litter that may be swept in by the wind, because we find it important to preserve the wildlife as nature created it."

Over the past year, the students have been helping Mr Attard build an elavated wooden track to safeguard plants from being stepped over. They also help their dedicated teacher sow indigenous plants, and prepare compost, from earthy debris, which they sell on open days to raise funds for more plants. Occasionally on Saturdays, they accompany Mr Attard to Gaia Foundation to buy plants for their Backyard Habitat.

Their love for nature and the environment has grown beyond their school habitat. In fact, on a recent outing to Bingemma, they undertook to go back again to help remove a dumped appliance.

The Backyard Habitat serves an even broader scope. Ongoing research is being conducted by chemistry and biology teacher Godwin Degabriele, who has discovered a large variety of brightly coloured dragonfly and damselfly species around an artificial pool that was built to encourage species of freshwater fauna and flora to inhabit the area.

Mr Degabriele explained that around seven of the 15 species found on the Maltese Islands have been noticed in the Backyard Habitat.

"The occurrence of these insects also tends to attract even more species of fauna to frequent the area. A number of European chameleons (Chameleo chamaleon) were observed hiding between the reeds growing out of the pool and stalking the dragonfly specimens in order to make a meal out of them, while these were at rest on the pool vegetation."

Backyard Habitat has also been used as an allotment for younger students, who have helped their teacher sow potatoes and peas. Other students have had lessons carried out in the habitat, which encouraged them to learn more about the physical environment.

Yet, the lessons they learn are not limited to nature and ecology. The children learn team work, how to brainstorm and discuss ideas among them; they develop new skills and become more aware of areas in which they can excel more.