In a time of climate change, Singapore’s young future leaders are still lacking sufficient opportunities to meaningfully engage with nature and to think critically about solutions and innovations for environmental sustainability.
How can we improve environmental literacy and sustainable action among children and youth in our community?
Earth School Singapore is a non-profit school for green education which aims to increase environmental literacy, awareness, and action among children and youth to inspire and enable them to build a greener and safer tomorrow. Their initiatives include:
Learn Green: Making environmental literacy accessible for all by breaking down complex and scientific environmental issues into easy-to-understand and engaging lessons.
Experience Nature: Bringing students out to green spaces and maker-spaces through volunteering opportunities.
Act & Impact: Stimulating students’ creativity and equiping them with problem-solving skills through mentorship and incubation programmes.
In response to "How much would you be willing to pay for a half-day environmental education programme (either for yourself or your child to attend)?"
$25
In response to "With regards to environmental issues and sustainability, what do/did you wish you could learn about, experience, or be exposed to while you are/were in primary/secondary school?"
Greater community based solutions, how policies are formulated, evaluating individual/corporate/government actions, intersectionality of issues
In response to "What kind(s) of learning format(s) would you like to see in Singapore\'s environmental education scene? (e.g. small class sizes, hands-on activities, etc.)"
Immersive experiences, projects to apply knowledge with sufficient resources and support provided
In response to "How much would you be willing to pay for a half-day environmental education programme (either for yourself or your child to attend)?"
$25
In response to "With regards to environmental issues and sustainability, what do/did you wish you could learn about, experience, or be exposed to while you are/were in primary/secondary school?"
To appreciate nature more, I think the best way is to appreciate nature through staying in nature environment like camping site and learning about nature, wildlife through experience camps about nature.
In response to "What kind(s) of learning format(s) would you like to see in Singapore\'s environmental education scene? (e.g. small class sizes, hands-on activities, etc.)"
I will like to see hand on events like vegetable gardening, herb planting, butterfly and nature, and the impact of our conduct on nature such as weather and soil.
In response to "How much would you be willing to pay for a half-day environmental education programme (either for yourself or your child to attend)?"
$0
In response to "With regards to environmental issues and sustainability, what do/did you wish you could learn about, experience, or be exposed to while you are/were in primary/secondary school?"
GARDENING! our parents are good at it, but i don\'t think we are
In response to "What kind(s) of learning format(s) would you like to see in Singapore\'s environmental education scene? (e.g. small class sizes, hands-on activities, etc.)"
hands on activities, suggest to be at the farms
In response to "How much would you be willing to pay for a half-day environmental education programme (either for yourself or your child to attend)?"
$25
In response to "With regards to environmental issues and sustainability, what do/did you wish you could learn about, experience, or be exposed to while you are/were in primary/secondary school?"
The broader impacts of waste and the importance of conservation and not using it the first place
In response to "What kind(s) of learning format(s) would you like to see in Singapore\'s environmental education scene? (e.g. small class sizes, hands-on activities, etc.)"
videos and hands on activities kids needs more interaction to keep them stimulated
In response to "How much would you be willing to pay for a half-day environmental education programme (either for yourself or your child to attend)?"
$0
In response to "With regards to environmental issues and sustainability, what do/did you wish you could learn about, experience, or be exposed to while you are/were in primary/secondary school?"
Be introduced to non-disposables immediately, starting in school canteens.
In response to "What kind(s) of learning format(s) would you like to see in Singapore\'s environmental education scene? (e.g. small class sizes, hands-on activities, etc.)"
Small tour-group
In response to "How much would you be willing to pay for a half-day environmental education programme (either for yourself or your child to attend)?"
$0
In response to "With regards to environmental issues and sustainability, what do/did you wish you could learn about, experience, or be exposed to while you are/were in primary/secondary school?"
how to be more environmentally friendly by doing simple tasks that require little effort
In response to "What kind(s) of learning format(s) would you like to see in Singapore\'s environmental education scene? (e.g. small class sizes, hands-on activities, etc.)"
hands-on activities
In response to "How much would you be willing to pay for a half-day environmental education programme (either for yourself or your child to attend)?"
$0
In response to "With regards to environmental issues and sustainability, what do/did you wish you could learn about, experience, or be exposed to while you are/were in primary/secondary school?"
Daily habits leading to destruction of environment
In response to "What kind(s) of learning format(s) would you like to see in Singapore\'s environmental education scene? (e.g. small class sizes, hands-on activities, etc.)"
Hands on activities or trips
In response to "How much would you be willing to pay for a half-day environmental education programme (either for yourself or your child to attend)?"
$25
In response to "With regards to environmental issues and sustainability, what do/did you wish you could learn about, experience, or be exposed to while you are/were in primary/secondary school?"
Wish I was more exposed to our bio-relationship in living areas! such as how Bishan-AMK park has a waterway that integrates preciousness of water and provides a place for plants and animals.
In response to "What kind(s) of learning format(s) would you like to see in Singapore\'s environmental education scene? (e.g. small class sizes, hands-on activities, etc.)"
small group learning journeys would be nice -- with a little bit of competition element to it! I found myself to learn more during mini challenges.
In response to "How much would you be willing to pay for a half-day environmental education programme (either for yourself or your child to attend)?"
$25
In response to "With regards to environmental issues and sustainability, what do/did you wish you could learn about, experience, or be exposed to while you are/were in primary/secondary school?"
How to balance physical and digital usage of books or any paper usages
In response to "What kind(s) of learning format(s) would you like to see in Singapore\'s environmental education scene? (e.g. small class sizes, hands-on activities, etc.)"
Small class or sustainable DIY class activities
In response to "How much would you be willing to pay for a half-day environmental education programme (either for yourself or your child to attend)?"
$0
In response to "With regards to environmental issues and sustainability, what do/did you wish you could learn about, experience, or be exposed to while you are/were in primary/secondary school?"
Food ecology
In response to "What kind(s) of learning format(s) would you like to see in Singapore\'s environmental education scene? (e.g. small class sizes, hands-on activities, etc.)"
Anything that will hit them in the gut
In response to "How much would you be willing to pay for a half-day environmental education programme (either for yourself or your child to attend)?"
$25
In response to "With regards to environmental issues and sustainability, what do/did you wish you could learn about, experience, or be exposed to while you are/were in primary/secondary school?"
Easy tips on living a sustainable lifestyle with utmost convenience as well.
In response to "What kind(s) of learning format(s) would you like to see in Singapore\'s environmental education scene? (e.g. small class sizes, hands-on activities, etc.)"
Hands-on activities captures my attention a lot especially Creative ones.
In response to "How much would you be willing to pay for a half-day environmental education programme (either for yourself or your child to attend)?"
$0
In response to "With regards to environmental issues and sustainability, what do/did you wish you could learn about, experience, or be exposed to while you are/were in primary/secondary school?"
How recycled materials can be processed into other things, so that they will see the value of circular economy
In response to "What kind(s) of learning format(s) would you like to see in Singapore\'s environmental education scene? (e.g. small class sizes, hands-on activities, etc.)"
more hands on or learning journey to recyling plants
In response to "How much would you be willing to pay for a half-day environmental education programme (either for yourself or your child to attend)?"
$25
In response to "With regards to environmental issues and sustainability, what do/did you wish you could learn about, experience, or be exposed to while you are/were in primary/secondary school?"
To be exposed to the damages climate change has done to the environment
In response to "What kind(s) of learning format(s) would you like to see in Singapore\'s environmental education scene? (e.g. small class sizes, hands-on activities, etc.)"
More hands on, children tend to find interest in hands on activity
In response to "How much would you be willing to pay for a half-day environmental education programme (either for yourself or your child to attend)?"
$25
In response to "With regards to environmental issues and sustainability, what do/did you wish you could learn about, experience, or be exposed to while you are/were in primary/secondary school?"
There is no lack of environmental/sustainability education. However, most of these are one-off class emphasising importance of environmental objectives. Perhaps it would be useful for the team to explore how to engage communities systematically over the long term for a more meaningful impact.
In response to "What kind(s) of learning format(s) would you like to see in Singapore\'s environmental education scene? (e.g. small class sizes, hands-on activities, etc.)"
Weekly weekend classes/outings that are more like CCAs. It can also be within neighbourhood.
In response to "How much would you be willing to pay for a half-day environmental education programme (either for yourself or your child to attend)?"
$50
In response to "With regards to environmental issues and sustainability, what do/did you wish you could learn about, experience, or be exposed to while you are/were in primary/secondary school?"
More trips into nature to understand how our ecosystem works, how we need to act in a symbiotic manner, perhaps even OCIP trip just for environmental education and conservation efforts
In response to "What kind(s) of learning format(s) would you like to see in Singapore\'s environmental education scene? (e.g. small class sizes, hands-on activities, etc.)"
Hands-on kinesthetic activities
In response to "How much would you be willing to pay for a half-day environmental education programme (either for yourself or your child to attend)?"
$25
In response to "With regards to environmental issues and sustainability, what do/did you wish you could learn about, experience, or be exposed to while you are/were in primary/secondary school?"
Singapore\'s biodiversity.
In response to "What kind(s) of learning format(s) would you like to see in Singapore\'s environmental education scene? (e.g. small class sizes, hands-on activities, etc.)"
VR games.
In response to "How much would you be willing to pay for a half-day environmental education programme (either for yourself or your child to attend)?"
$25
In response to "With regards to environmental issues and sustainability, what do/did you wish you could learn about, experience, or be exposed to while you are/were in primary/secondary school?"
Learn about the reality of the current global situation, like how global warming is a serious thing but many still seem to take light of it.
In response to "What kind(s) of learning format(s) would you like to see in Singapore\'s environmental education scene? (e.g. small class sizes, hands-on activities, etc.)"
May be costly but small-scale interactive ‘exhibitions’ around the whole school
In response to "How much would you be willing to pay for a half-day environmental education programme (either for yourself or your child to attend)?"
$25
In response to "With regards to environmental issues and sustainability, what do/did you wish you could learn about, experience, or be exposed to while you are/were in primary/secondary school?"
Ways to reduce, reuse and recycle and put them into concrete actions, places of conservation in singapore and site visits.
In response to "What kind(s) of learning format(s) would you like to see in Singapore\'s environmental education scene? (e.g. small class sizes, hands-on activities, etc.)"
hands on workshops, dialogues as well as site visits.
In response to "How much would you be willing to pay for a half-day environmental education programme (either for yourself or your child to attend)?"
$50
In response to "With regards to environmental issues and sustainability, what do/did you wish you could learn about, experience, or be exposed to while you are/were in primary/secondary school?"
enjoying nature
In response to "What kind(s) of learning format(s) would you like to see in Singapore\'s environmental education scene? (e.g. small class sizes, hands-on activities, etc.)"
a camp to appreciate nature and having it put in relevant terms how sustainability impacts me today
In response to "How much would you be willing to pay for a half-day environmental education programme (either for yourself or your child to attend)?"
$25
In response to "With regards to environmental issues and sustainability, what do/did you wish you could learn about, experience, or be exposed to while you are/were in primary/secondary school?"
How greatly our marine life is affected because of the harm we cause to our environment, why environmental issues are affected by every one of us and not a distant issue.
In response to "What kind(s) of learning format(s) would you like to see in Singapore\'s environmental education scene? (e.g. small class sizes, hands-on activities, etc.)"
Small class sizes which include visual activities such as videos, researches done, nature trips, changes in our Earth in the past few decades.
In response to "How much would you be willing to pay for a half-day environmental education programme (either for yourself or your child to attend)?"
$50
In response to "With regards to environmental issues and sustainability, what do/did you wish you could learn about, experience, or be exposed to while you are/were in primary/secondary school?"
How our actions can accelerate the climate change problem for example excessive consumerism instead of the usual electricity and air conditioning.and what actions we can do
In response to "What kind(s) of learning format(s) would you like to see in Singapore\'s environmental education scene? (e.g. small class sizes, hands-on activities, etc.)"
hands-on activities.
In response to "How much would you be willing to pay for a half-day environmental education programme (either for yourself or your child to attend)?"
$50
In response to "With regards to environmental issues and sustainability, what do/did you wish you could learn about, experience, or be exposed to while you are/were in primary/secondary school?"
I think the schools have done a lot in imparting environmental knowledge to the students. However there seems to be a lack of getting the children involved. I would like to have eco volunteering opportunities to be connected to the nature and to give back to the environment. At higher levels, I would love to have more debates on environmental issues. This would have encouraged me to do more research on the different perspectives on the environmental issue and not just take in one narrative. This will also cultivate more passion in environmental issues.
In response to "What kind(s) of learning format(s) would you like to see in Singapore\'s environmental education scene? (e.g. small class sizes, hands-on activities, etc.)"
Smaller mentor to student ratio. More feedback to be given for students’ ideas and proposals. Hands on activities.
In response to "How much would you be willing to pay for a half-day environmental education programme (either for yourself or your child to attend)?"
$25
In response to "With regards to environmental issues and sustainability, what do/did you wish you could learn about, experience, or be exposed to while you are/were in primary/secondary school?"
I wish I was exposed to the alarming rate at which ecosystems are being destroyed, as well as the direct links between environmental destruction and other aspects like people\'s livelihoods and economic growth.
In response to "What kind(s) of learning format(s) would you like to see in Singapore\'s environmental education scene? (e.g. small class sizes, hands-on activities, etc.)"
Definitely experiential learning, I think learning in nature would help a lot, so that kids can see the impacts of human activities. (e.g.: beach clean ups)
In response to "How much would you be willing to pay for a half-day environmental education programme (either for yourself or your child to attend)?"
$25
In response to "With regards to environmental issues and sustainability, what do/did you wish you could learn about, experience, or be exposed to while you are/were in primary/secondary school?"
Looking back on my own education journey, I think I would have appreciated learning about environmental sustainability in relation to one\'s health. I think the correlation between sustainability and wellbeing is very strong - however, it\'s often overlooked in favour for more \'hard science\' (e.g, environmental pollution) which are no doubt equally pressing issues, but are often more abstract and generally less relatable for youths. Wellbeing is very personal and it is something that even youths can take charge of. To learn about the effects of sustainability and the importance of a health environment on wellbeing, it makes the topic at hand more personal and therefore easier to digest. It is easier to make one feel that they have a stake in the health of the environment, and also understand the dynamic and symbiotic nature between the environment and humans.
In response to "What kind(s) of learning format(s) would you like to see in Singapore\'s environmental education scene? (e.g. small class sizes, hands-on activities, etc.)"
Small group sizes for nature walks to make it more personal. To use arts & craft to help children better understand the issues/topics at hand.
In response to "How much would you be willing to pay for a half-day environmental education programme (either for yourself or your child to attend)?"
$25
In response to "With regards to environmental issues and sustainability, what do/did you wish you could learn about, experience, or be exposed to while you are/were in primary/secondary school?"
The impact of incessant consumerism
In response to "What kind(s) of learning format(s) would you like to see in Singapore\'s environmental education scene? (e.g. small class sizes, hands-on activities, etc.)"
Hands on, excursions
In response to "How much would you be willing to pay for a half-day environmental education programme (either for yourself or your child to attend)?"
$50
In response to "With regards to environmental issues and sustainability, what do/did you wish you could learn about, experience, or be exposed to while you are/were in primary/secondary school?"
How to walk around safely in nature, how to use wood to build useful things
In response to "What kind(s) of learning format(s) would you like to see in Singapore\'s environmental education scene? (e.g. small class sizes, hands-on activities, etc.)"
Small class sizes, a lot of hands-on activities!
In response to "How much would you be willing to pay for a half-day environmental education programme (either for yourself or your child to attend)?"
$25
In response to "With regards to environmental issues and sustainability, what do/did you wish you could learn about, experience, or be exposed to while you are/were in primary/secondary school?"
Identification of animals and plants, to actually interact with them than learning about them.
In response to "What kind(s) of learning format(s) would you like to see in Singapore\'s environmental education scene? (e.g. small class sizes, hands-on activities, etc.)"
More emphasis on environment in the education syllabus, perhaps make it graded.
In response to "How much would you be willing to pay for a half-day environmental education programme (either for yourself or your child to attend)?"
$0
In response to "With regards to environmental issues and sustainability, what do/did you wish you could learn about, experience, or be exposed to while you are/were in primary/secondary school?"
Honestly, going out seeing the environment for myself is the best way to learn
In response to "What kind(s) of learning format(s) would you like to see in Singapore\'s environmental education scene? (e.g. small class sizes, hands-on activities, etc.)"
hands on activities, no use of technology, and always engaged
In response to "How much would you be willing to pay for a half-day environmental education programme (either for yourself or your child to attend)?"
$25
In response to "With regards to environmental issues and sustainability, what do/did you wish you could learn about, experience, or be exposed to while you are/were in primary/secondary school?"
learn about how some of our habits are affecting the environment
In response to "What kind(s) of learning format(s) would you like to see in Singapore\'s environmental education scene? (e.g. small class sizes, hands-on activities, etc.)"
excursions as well as workshops to kickstart innovation thinking for the environment
In response to "How much would you be willing to pay for a half-day environmental education programme (either for yourself or your child to attend)?"
$0
In response to "With regards to environmental issues and sustainability, what do/did you wish you could learn about, experience, or be exposed to while you are/were in primary/secondary school?"
The damage it has to the environment.
In response to "What kind(s) of learning format(s) would you like to see in Singapore\'s environmental education scene? (e.g. small class sizes, hands-on activities, etc.)"
Hands on activities. Excursions to learn the impacts we have as a fellow human.
In response to "How much would you be willing to pay for a half-day environmental education programme (either for yourself or your child to attend)?"
$50
In response to "With regards to environmental issues and sustainability, what do/did you wish you could learn about, experience, or be exposed to while you are/were in primary/secondary school?"
More learning journeys to places that support sustainability and the environment.
In response to "What kind(s) of learning format(s) would you like to see in Singapore\'s environmental education scene? (e.g. small class sizes, hands-on activities, etc.)"
Planting trees, going up close to nature and learning about how everything works in the environment.
In response to "How much would you be willing to pay for a half-day environmental education programme (either for yourself or your child to attend)?"
$25
In response to "With regards to environmental issues and sustainability, what do/did you wish you could learn about, experience, or be exposed to while you are/were in primary/secondary school?"
The dangers and preventive measures
In response to "What kind(s) of learning format(s) would you like to see in Singapore\'s environmental education scene? (e.g. small class sizes, hands-on activities, etc.)"
Hands on
In response to "How much would you be willing to pay for a half-day environmental education programme (either for yourself or your child to attend)?"
$0
In response to "With regards to environmental issues and sustainability, what do/did you wish you could learn about, experience, or be exposed to while you are/were in primary/secondary school?"
Learn more about climate change and how one can help to make a difference.
In response to "What kind(s) of learning format(s) would you like to see in Singapore\'s environmental education scene? (e.g. small class sizes, hands-on activities, etc.)"
Hands-on activities
In response to "How much would you be willing to pay for a half-day environmental education programme (either for yourself or your child to attend)?"
$0
In response to "With regards to environmental issues and sustainability, what do/did you wish you could learn about, experience, or be exposed to while you are/were in primary/secondary school?"
More excursions/incursions, exposure to good international environmental practices, and connecting with students worldwide on the matter.
In response to "What kind(s) of learning format(s) would you like to see in Singapore\'s environmental education scene? (e.g. small class sizes, hands-on activities, etc.)"
1:4 Teacher-to-student ratios, necessitating class gardens and farms in schools, monthly outdoor excursions (e.g. to the zoo, nature parks, the beaches)
In response to "How much would you be willing to pay for a half-day environmental education programme (either for yourself or your child to attend)?"
$0
In response to "With regards to environmental issues and sustainability, what do/did you wish you could learn about, experience, or be exposed to while you are/were in primary/secondary school?"
What I can personally do to live a sustainable life
In response to "What kind(s) of learning format(s) would you like to see in Singapore\'s environmental education scene? (e.g. small class sizes, hands-on activities, etc.)"
Definitely hands-on activities that are fun and Creative , sceneries
In response to "How Can We Improve?"
Great initiative! How can this project collaborate with other existing organisations doing similar work to pool resources and scale impact?
In response to "How Can We Improve?"
Can have events such as recycling projects, Singapore ecosystem, Events that allows people to commit to protecting nature on a continuous basis.
In response to "How Can We Improve?"
check out ongoing initiatives at school and industry level, and identify the gaps from there. i think gardening and having the students to own individual plants help cultivate the habit from young
In response to "How Can We Improve?"
keep going on what you are doing letting kids love nature and want to protect it is the best thing as kids can influence a family p.s your first question, asks how much one would be willing to pay please make it as low as possible people whom are poor are the one whom are the most resourceful and tend to reuse things and much as they can so they don\'t have to spend on newer things plus if there\'s a high cost only the rich would be able to enjoy it / people with more resources
In response to "How Can We Improve?"
more learning journeys for students to experience and appreciate our environment
In response to "How Can We Improve?"
Would also love to see you guys build a repository for young kids to e-learn -- before getting their hands-on experience!
In response to "How Can We Improve?"
This program is awesome! Can\'t wait to sign up for this class. Also, it would be much exciting if you can have environment issues in Asia or the world. Recently, I found a news that Woodpecker bird (I\'m sure you know Woody Woodpecker cartoon) is officially instinct. So, you can share the damage of this situation and give the images of other animales that younger generation nowadays will not see them in the future. Last but not least, you can create a digital archive of Singapore\'s sustainable issues (could be photos or videos) so everyone Can access easily (you can put a membership to get more earnings).
In response to "How Can We Improve?"
Price needs to be justified.
In response to "How Can We Improve?"
I Guess you might be investing in people to lead this programmes right. You can consider tapping onto volunteers who are quite abundant in Singapore. Especially schools and colleges with volunteers club. You can also partner with the environmental clubs in schools who can then provide y’all with resources that are already at hand.
In response to "How Can We Improve?"
Hand out posters to students (cool ones) about the environment/ recycling/ reusing etc.. They can hang in their house as a reminder. Give them meaningful shirts too
In response to "How Can We Improve?"
Would it be useful to start small (e.g. teaching communities how to take care of plants in their neighbourhood) and also partner with NEA/NPARKS on similar initiatives (e.g. community reps to monitor the health of plants in neighbourhood)? For walks and outings to Sungei Buloh, perhaps can partner with PA to offer subsidised tours if participants assist with picking up litters along the way, etc. Generally, I think most young families are happy to participate in such guided tours, etc.
In response to "How Can We Improve?"
There are growing number of nature field trips in Singapore for students. Schools are doing more and bring their students out too. I would think that if you could do it in the form of VR where the player is brought to a nature area that is not accessible, it would be incredible. (The area not accessible - for example in BTNR there are areas that are not in the route and are explored only by researchers).
In response to "How Can We Improve?"
Why not expand this programme to students belonging in the higher level institutions (e.g. JC, MI, Poly, ITE etc) as well?
In response to "How Can We Improve?"
I think that this is a wonderful initiative where by you guys can actively reach out to schools to partner with them and organise workshops, on site tours and visits actively and I believe that schools will also react proactively to these programmes for their students to instill environmental values and curriculums to their students.
In response to "How Can We Improve?"
target the parents as well
In response to "How Can We Improve?"
It is possible that many participants or people in SG may not realize how our actions are capable to create a good change and effect on the environment. Many other countries in the world are becoming more concerned about their plastic usage and are also taking effective measures to counteract that. Maybe through these workshops/programmes you will be conducting, you can encourage people to take the step to actually change their lifestyle when it comes to this so that they will be able to influence their friends and family as well. Young children are also a good audience to target since they are more susceptible to change and influence. To get kids to be more involved, workshops conducted could be more fun and light-hearted but yet impactful to get children to have a better mindset towards environment. For example, play games with cartoon animals so that they will not be upset with actual images of wildlife being affected but the message is still driven across. - Singi Das, singi.das.7@gmail.com
In response to "How Can We Improve?"
Make the posts on Instagram interactive by using polls and other features.
In response to "How Can We Improve?"
You can also consider reaching out to families as the nature walks are also good bonding opportunities for them. Customise CCA programmes and activities for the primary and secondary schools. Nowadays there are many environment or science clubs in school who are looking out for meaningful activities to engage the students. Thank you for enhancing environmental literacy in Singapore!
In response to "How Can We Improve?"
This would be a scale-up from the current status of your project but I think it\'d be great if you guys can collaborate with MOE and bring workshops and initiatives into schools! These could take the form of building a composting site and getting students involved or planting herbs and veggies in the school garden - it\'ll be pretty cool if there was a CCA which focuses on environmental sustainability.
In response to "How Can We Improve?"
I like the idea of nature walks, but if I may suggest, I would suggest doing it at locations closer to home. I think places like the parks, and Tampines Eco Green, are places that are more accessible for families. This will increase the chances of people turning up (i.e, transport is more readily available as compared to further flung locations). Biodiversity is also great in these areas, and it will be very nice to learn more about the parks around our homes! I would also suggest arts and craft activities, or something more \'dynamic\' such as theatre and movement to help children learn about environmental literacy. I\'m a strong believer in arts education and I believe that the arts can be a very useful medium to help increase environmental literacy. These activities can be conducted in parks post-walk too - for example, a facilitator can encourage children to pick up things like twigs or some leaves on their ecowalks, and after the walk, the children can use the materials that they\'ve gathered to recreate the living environment of a particular animal that they spotted on the trail. These hands on activities will make learning more fun for the children, and if anything, leave them with positive memories of their morning out! I would also say to check out New Zealand\'s green schools. I think there is a lot to learn and adapt from their curriculum. It is great that you are teaching the next generation how to respect the land that we live on. It is very important - living in a concrete jungle means that we tend to forget that we were never the original inhabitants of the land we are living on. We need to respect the biodiversity around us and ensure the sustainability of lifeform diversity around us!
In response to "How Can We Improve?"
I like the idea of nature walks, but if I may suggest, I would suggest doing it at locations closer to home. I think places like the parks, and Tampines Eco Green, are places that are more accessible for families. This will increase the chances of people turning up (i.e, transport is more readily available as compared to further flung locations). Biodiversity is also great in these areas, and it will be very nice to learn more about the parks around our homes! I would also suggest arts and craft activities, or something more \'dynamic\' such as theatre and movement to help children learn about environmental literacy. I\'m a strong believer in arts education and I believe that the arts can be a very useful medium to help increase environmental literacy. These activities can be conducted in parks post-walk too - for example, a facilitator can encourage children to pick up things like twigs or some leaves on their ecowalks, and after the walk, the children can use the materials that they\'ve gathered to recreate the living environment of a particular animal that they spotted on the trail. These hands on activities will make learning more fun for the children, and if anything, leave them with positive memories of their morning out! I would also say to check out New Zealand\'s green schools. I think there is a lot to learn and adapt from their curriculum. It is great that you are teaching the next generation how to respect the land that we live on. It is very important - living in a concrete jungle means that we tend to forget that we were never the original inhabitants of the land we are living on. We need to respect the biodiversity around us and ensure the sustainability of lifeform diversity around us!
In response to "How Can We Improve?"
Good to start them young. Team can also consider organising excursions related to green topics (e.g., waste management, upcycling workshops, urban farming, tree-planting)
In response to "How Can We Improve?"
I absolutely love this idea. I just wish we had more unexplored/untouched land in Singapore, everything is very manufactured here.
In response to "How Can We Improve?"
Activities like these are often put on weekends and end of year because they are deemed unimportant. To take it a next level, perhaps to appeal to make this a compulsory subject that can be done in school hours.
In response to "How Can We Improve?"
Have more activities planned and perhaps conduct these with schools so you can get some money to continue the programmes longer.
In response to "How Can We Improve?"
more substantial ideas for incubation process
In response to "How Can We Improve?"
This definitely seems more like a project than a business plan right now. It would be tough and far-fetched for some parents to want to pay for their kids to learn about environmental education right now, especially in these sensitive times. Have to find ways to make this a possible business project for it to be sustainable.
In response to "How Can We Improve?"
To have more nature walks at other nature parks like pulau ubin, Tampines eco garden etc
In response to "How Can We Improve?"
Collaboration with existing Environmental Agencies in Singapore and International Countries. (E.g. NEA, WWF)
In response to "How Can We Improve?"
You guys could think about the sustainability of your project in the Long run. Some element in your project that would allow you to earn better money. For example, any Creative hands-on activity that people would eagerly sign up for. Also , you guys might want to look into connections like NLB library or even science centre where you can actually Conduct your lessons. They have much resources as well and NLB has a huge group of audience to participate in their monthly activities. Often children participate in activities here. If you guys succeed in this, you might have enough credentials to move onto educating and conducting lessons in schools
