10 Ideas for Activities
One
Want to make your school more ECO friendly but
do not know where to start? Why not have an Eco Audit . This takes
around an hour and a half (and could be carried out during or after
school) and will provide you with a baseline for where your school
is now and provide a wealth of information and further contacts for
what to do next. The Eco Audit Co-ordinator, along with a group a
few pupils, the site manager and a teacher would walk around the
school on a fact finding tour. The co-ordinator would then produce
a written report and present the school with a certificate of
participation. Contact Stefania Isbell on 01244 402287 for
further information.
Two
If your school would like to improve the
school grounds, why not ask the pupils in the Eco Club to carry out
a mapping exercise of the school grounds and mark on existing
features. A collage of ideas (either from the children’s own
drawings or photos from magazines etc) for improvement could then
be created to act as inspiration for the whole school. For further
information on improving school grounds and a list of organisations
that can help see School Grounds.
Three
There are a wealth of Eco games available that
can either be played outside or others that bring the environment
indoors. The games help the children think about environmental
issues but in a fun way. For some suggestions see Eco Games.
Four
The Out of School Eco Club could have the
responsibility for organising a recycling scheme. This could be for
anything from waste paper to mobile phones. This could be a one off
scheme eg Christmas Cards or Yellow pages or throughout the year eg
cans and plastic bottles. Collecting some recyclables could create
income for the school or the club or provide rewards to
participants or it could help a local charity.
Five
If the school has transport problems at drop
off and collection times then the Eco Club could work on a Safer
Routes to School project. There are even grants available to
produce a School Travel Plans. Further advice can be found at
the Travel Plan pages or contact the
Safer Routes to School Team on 01244 973730.
Six
The Eco Club could discuss the issues
surrounding food eg fair-trade; locally produced food; organic;
food miles; waste packaging; GM crops and then perhaps hold an
after school picnic, trying to take account of as many of the
issues as possible. For further information see Sustainable
Cheshire Food Information.
Seven
Why not sign up to the Eco-schools programme.
Eight
Why not create a
Junk Orchestra. The pupils can make a band made up of
instruments made from bits and bobs and general reclaimed
materials.
Nine
There are a number of organisations and
individuals that work with schools on Eco issues from storytelling
to willow weaving, why not invite one along.
Ten
For inspiration why not look at the wonderful
Education for Sustainable Development Handbook that has been
produced. All schools in Cheshire West have received a free
copy.