When children became agents of transformation
In 2015, when our preschool began visiting Rosebay beach as part of our Out and about program, we were shocked by the overwhelming amount of rubbish we found there. We even began to question whether it was a good idea to continue using the area as our nature playground…
The frequent sight of rubbish at the beach left us, disheartened and disappointed. We even considered cancelling our trips there. But after just few visits, that stretch of sand had already become the children’s favourite play spot and they were not keen to give it up. When we shared our concerns with the children, they were very vocal insisting that we should try to clean up the beach rather than abandoning it altogether.
Inspired by such decisiveness, the educators in consultation with families decided to embrace the problem and fight against it instead.
Following their suggestions, we started to do regular clean ups, made signs, talked with beach goers, contacted local government and like little hummingbirds, little by little the children turned the tide, and started to change the situation becoming incredible agents for transformation.
Over the years we managed to engage local authorities to do more to keep the beach clean, inspired other groups to also do clean ups and transformed the way we perceived and manage waste in our school.
Our “Clean up the Bay” project has been a great way to increase environmental awareness for all involved, especially our children. Our preschoolers now feel a sense of ownership over “their” beach and are passionate about taking action to improve the situation. Their enthusiasm and drive to tackle the problem has inspired positive changes in everyone around them.
Writing to the council to ask them to clean the beach more often (After our pressure the beach started to be cleaned more often.)
We contacted the local paper and they featured our story on the front cover, attracting the community’s attention
Children made signs to tell people to take care of their rubbish.
Over the years, we’ve seen a significant increase in awareness about ocean pollution throughout our learning community. This has encouraged us all to adopt more sustainable habits and practices in our homes and beyond.
As we delved further into the issue, we naturally began to focus on plastic. We learned about the damage this problematic material is causing to the ocean and it’s creatures. And so, our crusade against plastic began…
Important: Safety is our priority when organizing beach cleanups. We conduct risk assessments, provide protective gear: gloves and pickers – to all participants and ensure an appropriate adult-to-child ratio for a safe and meaningful experience.
Beatriz Ferreira
“Taking children to Nature it’s not just about play; it’s about nurturing a lifelong bond between children and the environment, fostering a sense of responsibility for its preservation.”
The ocean is in trouble art project
Art has being empowering children to voice their ideas and feelings on the problem of excessive plastic in oceans. Their art speaks loudly, acting as an excellent vehicle to amplify and broadcast their discoveries and opinions on the issue. Their art works provoke and inspire our learning community to take responsibility tackling the problem and helping to generate solutions.