Kinderland’s Hands-On Approach to Sustainability at Earth Week Carnival

More than 300 preschool children came together to celebrate Earth Day at the Earth Week Carnival hosted by Kinderland Serangoon. Gracing the event as Guest-of-Honor was the Minister for Social and Family Development, Mr Tan Chuan-Jin. Part of the President’s Challenge “Start Small Dream Big” Initiative (SSDB), which encourages the creation of authentic platforms for children to give back to society, the carnival saw the children learning the importance of recycling, re-using and reducing.

Adopting Kinderland’s hands-on approach by directly involving children in the learning process, the children made use of recyclable materials such as cereal boxes and milk cartons to create terrariums (Terrarium-making), build miniature garden cities (City in the Garden) and play games made out of these materials (Karang Guni Boy Game). Working with these materials put into practice concepts and ideas learnt during the school curriculum on using recyclable materials to save the planet.

Minister Tan, together with the children, completed a recycle art piece.

Taking into account interactive elements to enable increased reinforcement of knowledge and hands-on experience in children, the educational board game, The Karang Guni Boy Game was specially designed by Kinderland teachers to educate preschoolers during lessons on the environment. Such creative engagements offer children a greater understanding and connection to the world around them, igniting an active desire and eagerness to investigate and know about their environment.

Minister Tan and the children had fun playing with the board games made out of recycled materials

Creating a “multiplier effect” where children are able to widen their level of impact on a bigger scale, children were encouraged to gift their mini terrariums and crafts made from recycled materials to friends and families, spreading the message on environmental protection.

Adopting our hands-on approach, the children made their own terrariums with bottles and milk cartons

Also understanding the importance of family involvement, Kinderland came up with their very own Earth Day Journals, where children were able to work with their families at home to document their green efforts. To be done in the entire month of March leading up to Earth Day, this enabled to continuity of learning at home, complementing it with what students learn and do in school to celebrate Mother Earth.