Goose Green Primary School and Nursery wants to kit its kids out with virtual reality headsets, so they can travel the world and visit the moon without leaving the classroom.
The East Dulwich School is now fundraising for a class set and are two-thirds of the way towards their £2,054 target – but with just a week to go are hoping News readers will help chip in.
The school says when its pupils tried the headsets the response was ‘overwhelming’, as they could see and experience places and things they would never normally be able to see.
But it’s not just for fun, as the headsets help children develop their speaking and writing skills.
Teacher Ms Seminerio said virtual reality helped “immerse the children in a new world”.
She said: “For example, we may be writing about a desert island; some children may have never been to the beach or even know what sand and the sea look like.
“By submerging them in a virtual 3D world they can gain vital experiences and exposure to sights, sounds and reality that were previous unavailable and unknown to them.”
After watching a National Geographic about endangered lions, pupil Kaim said “I felt upset because such beautiful creatures are being killed by poachers”, while Omarie described shivering as the lion bared its teeth.
Ms Seminerio explained: “Many of our children do not have life experiences that enable them to gain the vocabulary and lessons in order to learn effectively.
“The VR headsets are a step in the right direction and allow us as educators to provide children with some of these missing life experiences.”
To pledge a donation, visit https://rocket.fund/p/VR-for-Goose-Green-Primary/