| TWO DAY WORKSHOP FOR SCHOOL CHILDREN |
Two day workshop is being organised at Rustom Choksi Hall, IISc Campus on 20 and 21st April 2002 by Karnataka Environment Research Foundation (KERF) and Centre for Ecological Sciences (CES), Indian Institute of Science.
The purpose of this workshop is to enhance children's awareness towards their surrounding natural ecosystem. This workshop is based on the assumption that understanding comes only through learning and learning motivates to conserver.
Day 1:
8:00-9:00am - Registration
Name tags will be handed to the children
(Tags will have the following information Name, Age, School)
By - Ruma Chattarji (5 minutes)
View Video
(This is to give clear instruction to the children regarding their groups and groups leaders. Followed by the entire days programme)
Each group leader should have the entire program in their hand
Each volunteer will handle each game. if case of less volunteers Ruma and Ahalya will handle more games.
Group leader - Ahalya
Pollution
(she talks to them about pollution different types of pollution, how they take place, effects of pollution, effect on health, effect on plants and animals, what can be done to reduce pollution)
activity:
children will look at a few pictures and then mention what kind of pollution they can identify
Group leader - Bharathi
What is waste, There are two types of wastes, Talk about bio and non biodegradable wastes, What happens when they are not disposed properly.
Game: separate bio from non biodegradable products
Group leader - Kanchana
About recycling
What is recycling, Why is it important to recycle, talk about earth resources - they are finite and therefore recycling is important so that we don't run out of things, what kind of things can be recycled.
Go around the campus (defined area)
And find out things that can be recycled
Group that finds the most product gets a prize
What is tree
Group leader Meena
About tree
Importance of having trees around us, Different parts of trees, talk about leaves, barks, trunk,
photosynthesis, How to identify trees by leaves or fruits
Bark impression with crayon
Collect leaves and fruits of trees
Talk to measure the height of a tree
Know some trees by their names
Ozone puzzle
Talk about atmosphere, What is Ozone in the atmosphere, How ozone was formed, Importance of ozone in the atmosphere.
Solve the ozone puzzle
Are you doing the right things
Group leader - Ruma
Talk to children about their daily habits, How do they use water electricity, How do they throw garbage, Do they clean up
their neighbourhood, Do they know what happens to all sewage water, How many times you pollute the air by riding a car by using
air-conditioned other electricity gadgets
1:30-3:30pm
What is water pollution, How can you test your drinking water, What is soil,
Different types of soil.
What can you do to reduce waste composting, What is composting, How is it done, Children learn how to compost kitchen waste
Recycle paper, Learn to make some paper products
Take a 20 minutes tour of the campus and learn about local trees
Ready for a quiz, Children will be divided into two groups, two sets of quiz for two groups
Day 2
8:40-9:10am - Poster display on the side walk of IISc regarding earth day
9:20-10:00am
A walk around the campus, Know more trees, Learn about birds, Fruits, Leaves, Collect some samples and take them home.
10:00-10:30am snacks
1 cupcake, one banana
10:30-12:00am
Learn about vermicomposting, learn about potting plants
12:00-1:00
Lunch (idli, vada, sweet)
1:00-2:30
Conclusion, What have they learned some worksheets their feedbacks. certificate of participation
Conclusion remarks by a guest speaker
Draft 1
Know your Ecosystem Programme
A two-day workshop for children between 7-12 years.
Purpose of this project:
The purpose of the workshop is to enhance children's awareness towards their surrounding natural ecosystem. Most of these children are born and brought up in an urban environment with little understanding of their natural surroundings.
We, the city people, pay very little attention to the natural processes present in the city. We are used to seeing water coming out of the faucet and
garbage getting carried by the maids and conveniently disappearing from our sight. we spray pesticides and herbicides to grow beautiful gardens and get rid of those plants that we feel are unwanted. Food is
something that is readily available in stores as nicely packaged product.
Amongst all this the very essence of our coexistence with other plants and animals within the ecosystem looses its meaning all together as we define and redefine our urban lifestyle. the existence of other animals and plants
species, the importance of clean air, water and soil take a backseat to our urban needs.
Now we have an entirely new generation of children whose lifestyle are rapidly
changing through globalization and free market economy. If these children are not made conscious of their surrounding natural environment early in their lives - changes are they will further perpetuate current patterns of mindless consumerism and wastages that will worsen the situation and eventually jeopardize their own future survival.
Therefore, this workshop is based on the simple assumption that understanding comes only through learning and learning gives way to love and conservation.
As a teacher of environmental science I feel that every single child should be given the opportunity to understand their surrounding so that in the future they can make an informed choice about their lifestyles.
In the end we will conserve only what we love. We will love only what we understand. We will understand only what we are taught.