Dear Friends,
OVERVIEW
“Never Too Young To Have An Experiential Learning”
Bring the kids out to the open! The outside world is a classroom too! There is never a better time and place to get your kids to learn about the outdoors, and to be precise, the natural world and how to take care of it. Specifically, involving them in litter picking is a good start as this is a very simple activity to show them the importance of keeping the environment clean and safe. This is more important especially in Singapore for them to know why we need to keep our waterways as clean as possible.
This week the Singapore American School did just that. Over a period of four days, they brought the whole cohort of K1 kids together with their teachers and parents to Waterways Watch at Kallang and had a wonderful interactive and experiential learning time; learning about the importance of keeping our waterways clean and safe and getting involved in litter picking. They even had an outdoor picnic by the waterfront.
Our volunteers who were facilitating the activity helped the kids to appreciate and understand the problem of littering. One volunteer said, “Though it was a funtime for many of them but, in their willingness and enthusiasm to participate and put their hands in to clear the litter, they were doing their part helping to save the earth.” Certainly, through the interaction with our volunteers, the kids would have learned as they asked questions, as pointed out by another volunteer, like “Why do we collect a wooden (painted) broom handle? Why is all the rubbish in the water?”
We hope to see local junior schools take on this approach to get their kids to learn about the outdoors, and to be precise, to show them the importance of keeping the environment and our waterways clean and safe. A great initiative by the school and we hope to see them more often.
Lastly, thank you to all the volunteers who were there for the kids. Your presence and interaction with the kids are important to lay the foundation for a more informed and motivated young generation to want to ‘save the earth’ and our waterways.
Summary of Activities conducted for the week
We saw the following activities being done for this week:
- We conducted 4 CSR and 4 VIA programmes which were attended by 82 participants and 390 participants respectively, and together they collected a total of 168 kg of litter.
- We participated at the Marina Bay Sands (MBS) Sustainability Action Day 2022, a full-day Bazaar/Marketplace where MBS and their partners would showcase their sustainability initiatives to reduce environmental impact. 3 WWS staff were represented in the morning shift and another 2 joined in the afternoon. As a result of this event, we managed to make a few bookings for their CSR in Jan. 2023!
Well Done! - This week a total of 120 members were involved for CSR/VIA programmes, talk, patrols, administration, housekeeping duties and training and, the total trash collected = 216 kg.
- Boat Patrol. A total of 5 Boat patrols were carried out; 3 at Marina, 1 at Punggol and 1 at Lakeside.
- Bike Patrol. A total of 3 Bike patrols were carried out; 1 each at Marina, Punggol and Lakeside.
- Foot Patrol. We conducted 1 Foot Patrol at Pang Sua.
- Pedal boat Patrol. No Pedal Boat patrol was conducted at Marina.
Once again, we thank all members and volunteers, who came for patrol or for facilitating the CSR/VIA programmes, for your time and dedication to the task.
ACTIVITIES AND REPORT
1. Educational Programmes
2. Volunteer Patrols & Activities
a. Marina
b. Punggol
c. Lakeside
d. Pang Sua Pond
e. Yishun Pond Patrol
| No patrol |