Expedition 01 · August 2026
Who will carry the hotpot?
Yathirajaswamy Betta, Karnataka
We had planned breakfast at the top. Then someone asked who was going to carry the hotpot.
Read the JournalNature • Wonder • Becoming
Step Outside.
Discover Within.
Step outside the classroom and into experiences that help children discover something about the world and themselves.
What is InVANA
What is InVANA?
InVANA is an educational initiative exploring how people learn through nature, experience, conversation and reflection.
What does this mean?
InVANA brings together five interconnected ways of exploring, learning and sharing.
The philosophy
We don't always need to teach. We can create environments where learning can happen.
We can give children space to observe, wonder, question, explore, try, fail, adapt and reflect. And slowly, through these experiences, something begins to develop.
What we believe
01
Learning happens everywhere.
From a quiet trail to a shared conversation, every environment holds the possibility of discovery.
02
Learning doesn't happen only when someone is teaching.
A curious question, a careful observation, or a mistake can teach as much as any lesson.
03
Children need space to observe, wonder, question, explore, try, fail, adapt and reflect.
When given time and trust, children learn to think, choose and grow in their own way.
04
Every decision comes with a responsibility.
Choosing together means owning the outcome — and caring for what comes next.
05
A place that welcomes us should look the same after we leave it.
Respect for the places we enter is part of respect for the communities we share.
A moment from Expedition 01
We had planned breakfast at the top.
Then someone asked who was going to carry the hotpot.
Decision
Serve breakfast before the climb, or carry the hotpots to the top so everyone could eat hot food with a view. The group chose the summit.
Responsibility
Then the next question followed naturally: if we want hot food at the top, who will carry it? The children shared the load and carried the hotpots up together.
Shared experience
Food was shared. Water was shared. Stories were shared. Perhaps that's what community looks like.
From the journal
Stories from the expeditions
“If we want hot food at the top… who will carry it?”
We'd rather tell you what happened on the mountain than list what your child will learn there.
For parents
Your child is not just going on a trip.
As educators, we often wonder how children develop qualities such as responsibility, resilience, respect and community. Perhaps these qualities are not always taught through lessons.
They grow through experiences. Through conversations. Through making decisions together. Through carrying a hotpot because you chose hot breakfast. Through sharing snacks because you wanted everyone to enjoy them. Through making sure a mountain looks the same after you've left it.
Thank you for allowing them to step outside the classroom and into nature.
Where would you like to begin?
Look through the expeditions, or simply tell us a little about what you're looking for.