Playtime Seychelles wrote a blog some time ago, with the title was “Let litter into education”, The blog inspired us to initiate a small project with the same name. This project could give all children the opportunity to acquire an ecological and caring approach to their surrounding environment and to nature and society. An understanding of how people, nature and society affect each other, and also of how different choices people make in everyday life can contribute to sustainable development. The project is also in line with Playtimes’ beliefs that education should be defined as a belief in the future.
This project also addresses a real world issue, gives the opportunity for students and adults to work together, a hands on experience, that teaches respect for the environment responsibilities, recycling, sustainable development etc.
We like to give you the opportunity to use this project, you can use parts of it, rewrite, use it as an inspiration source.
This project does not need to cost a lot of money, but more of voluntary work. There is a lot of material both for adults and students, that you can download for free from the internet. Contact the local waste management company and ask them for help with garbage bins, recycling bins, gears to pick litter with etc. They will surely help out. Involve the parents but also other adults that live in the neighbourhood, local governments, media etc.
If you start the project, please email us about your progress, project description etc. and please send some photos. We will publish the material on the blog. This can inspire others to follow your example.You find our email in the sidebar
Let us share our knowledge with each other for the benefit of our children’s future.
You can read the project below and download it as a PDF for free.
Project name: Let Litter into Education
Preface:
Littering is a huge environmental threat one can witness in all urban areas. Streets, sidewalks, parking lots, roads and highways are mostly covered with food wrappers, soft drink and water bottles, plastic bags, handbills, cigarette butts, tissues, papers etc. Litter affects the environment negatively and the major impacts involve the danger to public health,endangering, or killing wildlife and serious damage to waterways, oceans and marine life. Based on recent data, 7 billion tons of debris enter the world’s oceans annually and most of it is long-lasting plastic.
Background
As an educator I know that education is one of the most effective tools when it comes to shaping the future. Our youngest generation is the future, so it is extremely important that we encourage good habits in children from a young age and educate children on the importance of reducing litter and waste from an early age.
Target Groups
Students in school, preschool and creche
Purpose
To put litter into the curreclicum will give children the opportunity to learn about the environment and the role they can play in improving it. A concrete and important environmental issue such as littering is a good pedagogical starting point in learning for sustainable development. To educate students about the effects of litter and influencing attitudes are key steps towards behaviour change and litter reduction in the community as a whole.
Project Goals
To keep the schools-preschool and neighbourhood litter-free. To give students a hands-on experience that teaches them responsibility skills and gives a respect for the environment and their surroundings. To encourage children to take pride in their school and neighbourhood.
Activity Goals
Here are some ideas that could be done in schools. preschool and creche, anywhere to prevent littering.
Set up a Clean School, Preschool or Creche program together with the students, to change the littering behaviour.
- Children can be encouraged to create posters which they can put up around school or preschool also in corridors, classrooms, staff rooms and in the local community. The posters could encourage everybody to dispose of their litter correctly.
- Children can come up with their own litter slogans.
- Raise public awareness regarding litter, by letting the students making a ”This is a Litter Free Zone” sign to be displayed outside the school.
- Plan litter picking activities in and outside of the School-Preschool frequently.
- Have recycling bins in every room, including staff rooms, kitchen and also outside on the yard. Recycling will introduce students to the three environmental R’s recycle, reuse and reduce and also to a circular economy. The recycling and waste bins should be labeled clearly to avoid that the waste gets mixed up. The students can help to make labels to the bins.
- Let all students become Litter-Free Ambassadors to take the message home to their siblings, parents and grandparents.
- The school /preschool can initiate programmes like” Adopt a place, a park or street” in the neighbourhood and the staff and the students can spend some compulsory hours every week doing community work to clean up the area.
- Involve parents to take action in the preschool/school/creche/ neighbourhood litter free programmes.
- Pedagogical material for different ages
- Fact material for teachers
- Media involvement
- Emigrate the ideas to neighbouring schools, preschools and creches
- Study visits for students to landfills
- Study visits for students to recycling centers
- safety aspects and risk assessment.
Playtime Seychelles blog 