A group of volunteers taught about the risks involved when people do not take care of nature. The following explains how the day went.
During breakfast on the morning of Friday the 13th of February all volunteers at SCAO II discussed the upcoming green classes and their hopes and fears relating to the success of the day, and what sort of activities would be undertaken for each class.
For the preschool class one of the volunteers drew a picture showing a tree, some flowers, and animals. All teachers participated and sat together with the children, describing to them the colours that can be found in nature. The students then created their own artworks containing red, blue and pink painted trees. When class finished they hung their pictures on the wall. The children enjoyed this creative activity.
The following lessons involved a combination of two separate classes which made for a large audience in the classroom. To begin the lesson, one of the male teachers from Germany described the function of photosynthesis and its necessity for animals and humans to have life. This was explained in a way that was suitable and engaging for the children. He then demonstrated different ways people pollute the environment and the negative consequences these actions have upon nature and the entire ecosystem. Finally, he illustrated the various methods used to minimize this pollution such as cleaning up, reducing, reusing and recycling waste.
The housekeeper, Sovanred, gave his time and translated the first class, while in later classes local Khmer teachers explained everything in Khmer. This ensured that the students grasped the full message of each lesson. It was great to witness how very eager the students were to learn about ecology and environmental care. They were very attentive throughout the presentations.
At the end of each lesson, the group of volunteers from Germany donated toothbrushes and tubes of toothpaste to every student. The teachers then called the students outside and brushed their teeth together with the children, demonstrating how to properly clean every last tooth. The children were appreciative of these gifts, and had lots of fun playing with the foam made by the toothpaste!
At the end of the day all volunteers agreed that it had been a great success, and that the children better understood why it is so important to take good care of their surrounding environment… and their teeth!
