Looking for plastic waste…

The course involve the participating children for all the steps, and starting by the collection of the raw materials.

Plastics, discarded plastic waste (bags and packagings) are collected in the children’s school/neighborhood community.

This course have always involved underprivilaged children and we experienced that kids have always been excited for going to collect waste including having fun while roaming in dirty communities during the activity. In fact, the purpose ‘why‘ they are going for scraps is very important.

Back to the participating school with our sucessfull collection, time is coming to wash everything up!

Upcycling the plastics

– Now the plastics are cleaned & dryed, we have to cut them to save layers.
– This cutting part is important to make it right. In fact, too much miss cut = lots of plastics back in the bin…
– To make a flower, we teach an easy-to-grasp folding method using the saved layers.
– Add a piece of string to the folded layers to hold them tied, use a scissor to shape everything up and a flower is ready to bloom.

Developping the children’s creativity and interest in artwork

– Definitly, we teach an easy-to-share and fun skill, and this is the main point for us.
– Encouraging them for more thinking before to craft. Using differents: number of layers, colors, width, thickness, and so on, will turn the flower to an uplifted craft.
– There are always a couple of children more skilled than the others in a group. How good is it for these few to be now promoted for helping their schoolmate during the craft making?

Eco-Friendly Awarness

With the children now happy or pround of their creations and confident with the course, we can use that new energy to talk about the impact of the plastic pollution, this same material we have used, wich brought a real unexpected fun and finals charming crafts, involving complicity, friendship, an easy skill to share with friends.. many points that already made 2/3 of our course succesfull.

Now that we had great times during our craft making and excited/sad student for this last course, we use this energy to share a message to these kids and raise their pollution awarness regarding the plastic waste and its issues, this same material we had so much fun with!

Plastic waste environmental issues

– We have already demonstrate, that wastes which cost none can be reused for goods and be a very entertaining activity.

– To the best of our ability: We discuss relevant media, teach, raise awareness and bring questions about the plastic pollution collected in the children’s community.
We are thinking globally but acting locally to demonstrate that this pollution is causing problems to our environment.

Us: “With all this waste covering the water, do you think the fish can live?”
Children: “NOOO”
Us: “So you will not have fish to eat if there is too much waste or we might get sick.”

– Insiting on speacking English and we are definitly teaching new vocabulary targeting the environmental pollution and its issues.

– Impact using local cartoons focusing on waste problems & waste management.

We know the children’s attitude regarding plastic waste pollution and this habit of throwing waste on the ground, will not change from the time the course will end. But throughout its process, the kids have learned new skills, had fun, worked together & help each others, been proud and had encountered that plastic waste can be reused for good and cleaning-out waste will be and at least beneficial for themselve/community and for the animals/environment.