The project “Garden of Birds, feeders and sustainable drinkers”, of the Kindergarten “Cruz del Sur” of Talcahuano, won the Education for Sustainable Development in early childhood award “Mi Patio es el Mundo” 2021 edition, which benefits 48 children, of the establishment.
The initiative consists of the development of feeders and drinkers of birds, sustainable, created with waste materials that the same kindergarten generates, which has been increased in time of Pandemic. We worked with containers of alcohol gel, chlorine, detergents and cleaners.
In addition, the project has a link with the territorial context, since the educational unit is located in the vicinity of the urban wetland “Rocuant-Andalién”, El Morro sector of the commune of Talcahuano.
Sara Rivera, director of the Garden that is part of the National Board of Kindergartens (JUNJI) and coordinator of the initiative commented on the genesis of this work: “It was born from the idea of the children themselves, from their interest in observing the birds that come to the Garden, to know them and we realized that this caused them a lot of calm. So with the conversations we had with them, we were intentionally the work that led us to develop this project.”
How do you evaluate the impact of the project in contributing to the care of the environment?
From this project, behaviors and learnings are generated that contribute to the care of the environment. With the drinkers, the birds come to drink water and that allows the children to get to know them more closely, while developing caring behaviors towards the birds. Therefore, all these early childhood learnings have a profound impact because they help the care and conservation of birds.
How important is the development of this type of project in early childhood?
It is tremendously important because it not only talks about conservation, biodiversity, environmental care, recycling, but also talks about collaborative learning, working with the other. The child is empowered by their leading role where they are the actors and artifices of their own learning. It has a multiplicity of learnings, not only environmental, but also valuable.
How about being winners of the Mi Patio es el Mundo award?
It is a pride, it positions us as a powerful kindergarten that from simple tools, from listening to the voices of children, generates projects that win and rub shoulders with other educational establishments in Latin America. It makes us visible that with very simple things you can get great ideas, which we will undoubtedly continue to replicate.
The fourth edition of the Award was held by the World Organization for Preschool Education – OMEP – together with Grupo Arcor in Uruguay and Paraguay, Arcor Foundation in Argentina and Chile and Arcor Institute Brazil, seeks to give visibility to projects of institutions dedicated to early childhood care and education, which are creative and innovative and whose good practices contribute to the installation and / or improvement of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) for early childhood.
At the country level, the “Cerro Ñielol” Kindergarten in Temuco was also awarded an honorable mention, with the project “With water we soak up life: Let’s reuse from childhood for a better future”.
