As part of the project Small Steps for a Sustainable Society – Journey towards Environmental Awareness funded by the Ministry of Science and Education, educators from Sunce have designed workshops for children to introduce them to the concept of the environment and ways to preserve it. The program’s focus is on educating children in the area of responsible creation and handling of waste, with the aim of introducing positive behavior patterns in direct work with children.
From the beginning of the year, we have been spending time with the preschool age group of Kindergarten Kadujica and their educators. Read on to find out how it went.
1. Workshop: My Compost Jar
At the first workshop, we focused on making compost in a jar using the organic waste collected by the kindergarten. The produced compost was recorded in journal for tracking the level of decomposition, along with weekly notes on moisture, temperature and odor.
2. Workshop: Playing With Waste
During the workshop, the children and kindergarten teachers collected toilet paper rolls, which were used to create various animals, encouraging creativity and environmental awareness among the children. Most of the children chose to make a bee, a ladybug, a crab, a shark and an owl. You can see how the works turned out in the pictures.
3. Workshop: Bird Feeders
We continued to educate ourselves about the importance of reducing biowaste by repurposing it for other uses. We made bird feeders from orange peels that were intended for biowaste after preparing healthy juice. The feeders are simply tied with strings through pre-punched holes and filled with seeds. Finally, we hung them on the kindergarten yard fence to provide food for our birds during the winter season.
4. Workshop: Clay Animals
We continued our activities by making animals out of clay, using materials we already had, along with collected egg cartons, which were used to make ears for the bunnies. This way, we encouraged the children’s creativity and raised awareness about utilizing different materials to create interesting items.
5. Workshop: Sustainable Flowers
As usual, we engaged in repurposing waste. During the fifth workshop, we used disposable cups and bottle caps to create creative “flowers in pots”.
6. Workshop: Recycled Games
To ensure it wasn’t all just work, during the sixth workshop we learned about waste separation through a game. To start, we had to distinguish between natural and unnatural items found in the environment, emphasizing what is good and what is not good for our planet. We also had the opportunity to discuss the biodiversity of the living world. We learned how to differentiate between various materials and how to separate waste in a fun way using waste type cards.
7. Workshop: Plants – Aromatic and Medicinal Herbs
Throughout the previous workshops, we learned about autochthonous species of Mediterranean herbs. Children learned how to recognize and use Mediterranean herbs. We learned how to dry herbs and make scented sachets. We also found out how to sow seeds and continue monitoring the plant’s growth.
8. Workshop: Herbarium of Mediterranean Plants
According to the expressed contentment, we decided to dedicate the next workshop to continuing our work with plants, so we made a herbarium – which is an excellent opportunity to educate children about indigenous plant species.
Children showed great interest in working with plants, and after completing the herbarium, we also discussed creative ways to use pressed plants. One of the methods was creating artistic expressions on paper combining drawing and pressed flowers.
9. Workshop: To Live in the Sea
We educated the children about the marine food web, the marine life found in the sea, and the challenges that marine organisms face daily. We began with the issue that comes from the land – of course, it’s about plastic, specifically microplastics, which we observed in a sample of sand under a magnifying glass. Additionally, we learned how fish get caught in nets, as well as other organisms that accidentally end up in them. Finally, we played the game “Who Ate Whom?” where children took on different roles of marine organisms (sharks, fish, sponges, sea snails, plankton, etc.), as well as humans. Guided by storytelling, the task was to interweave the food web by guessing “who ate whom.” Through play and storytelling, we familiarized the children with the concept of the marine food web.
Our workshops within the Small Steps for a Sustainable Society project have proven to be extremely successful in educating and raising environmental awareness among children. Through games, creative activities and practical involvement, children have learned important lessons about environmental preservation, recycling, waste reduction and caring for plants and animals. The enthusiasm and interest they displayed during the workshops confirm the importance and success of this kind of approach.
We are confident that children will transfer the acquired knowledge and skills into their daily activities and that our little ones will continue to develop positive ecological habits. This project is just the beginning of their long-term journey towards a more responsible and sustainable society. We thank to all the participants, educators and parents for their support and collaboration. We are looking forward to future projects and gatherings.