Over 400 children have already benefited from the Mata do Pópulo project, which was established a year ago in a 2,000 square meter private space in São Miguel, Azores, by learning how to play outside again in order to lessen their reliance on screens. Situated in the parish of Livramento, Mata do Pópulo is a play area where kids can learn about the island of São Miguel's flora and fauna.

Mata do Pópulo is managed by the mainland-born pair Telma Miragaia and Marco Martins, who chose to live in the Azores after being influenced by the Tribo Terra - Escola da Floresta project in Ovar. “Our goal is to get children back to playing outside, in the open air, in contact with nature, and to stop sitting motionless in front of screens. Many of them arrive in the forest and don't know what to do, because they are so used to computers”, said Telma Miragaia.

Telma Miragaia, a doctor and one of the people responsible for the project, told Lusa that, “It is possible to go back to playing outside like we used to. Mata do Pópulo is a project that allows children to play freely in nature, exploring the mud kitchen and sandbox, building shelters and huts, and getting their dose of vitamin N [Nature]”.


The pair started the endeavour on an experimental basis in April 2023. With the help of monitors and parent attendance, Mata do Pópulo opened to the public on 16 September and held two-hour sessions on weekends. The project follows the methodology of the Forest School in Portugal. As she described “Environments are built where children can explore and learn, such as a mud kitchen or a sandbox. After these activities, children can play freely on the swings or in the huts”.

“As I am a doctor, my goal is to contribute to changing children's lifestyles”, she stressed, recalling that “the Azores have the highest rate of childhood obesity”. As she mentioned, “When we have a child, and that's why we created the Mata project, we want them to live the same happy childhood we had. In my case, in Guarda, and my husband in Macedo de Cavaleiros. We played in the street our entire childhood. But now it's the opposite, as children spend their days glued to screens. And society still hasn't seen the gravity of the situation”. According to Telma Miragaia, the project has been well received, including several private schools that intend to transfer the ideas to the school space.