Activities
0. Building up the Ecohappy-Rural Committee MITOS Preparation
Thematic blocks:
1. Project management
2. Project financial monitoring
3. Project assessment
4. Introduction to climate change
5. Water
6. Waste and responsible consumption
7. Nature and biodiversity
8. Energy and mobility
9. Children’s environmental education
10. Local community involvement
Target Group: TEACHERS, FAMILIES and AUTHORITIES
– design, costumes, puppets and other equipment for labs and plays,
– preparation of the contents of the labs and plays
– lab rehearsals and stage plays; 20 days, 10 days in Portugal and 10 days in Spain,
– preparation of teaching materials for artists and public
The project will be contributing to make local communities able for measuring their daily life recycling capability. We will try to immerse Eco-values in every daily activity, therefore, the participation and real and active involvement of the local community is a must.
Building knowledge, capacities and attitudes in relation to climate change and sustainable development in a population sector, the rural one which faces numerous obstacles and which is often left out of major geopolitical decisions.
– Build up the leading working structure to develop the project where the local community will be integrated.
– Adults will be encouraged to engage in their environment by allowing them the opportunity to actively protect it. It will start in the project, it will be expanded to the local families and will foster change in the community at large.
– The participating adults will be displaying positive changes in their perception, behavior and opinion leadership with regard to litter, waste and recycling due their participation and their kids’ participation in the project.
– All participants will drop less litter, recycle more, reuse more, discuss litter & waste more often in more settings, encourage others more to recycle and not drop litter.
– They will also be more interested in and bothered by litter & waste.
– The impact of the campaign is also evident on the wider community.
– They will have had a very positive experience on the campaign and will be a key fulcrum to the project sustainability.
– They will recommend it to a friend.
– It will be evident that EcoHappy Rural initiatives will provide a solid platform for the Litter Less Campaign with good step wise methodologies and global reach with local adaptability.
– Through this project, kids will experience a sense of achievement at being able to have a say in the environmental management policies of their families, schools, communities ultimately steering them towards certification and the prestige which comes with being awarded a GreenHappy Flag.
– First hand eco-situation assessment at local level from adults.
1. LAB 1 - Crossroad parade: how to raise kindergarten kids’ awareness about climate change CIFA
The training of trainers to organize of a “pasacalles” with the children in this first activity, aims to attract teachers, the youngest and their families and institutions to the communal participation in the development of this project.
The 2 hour street program, will introduce and attract our following methodological approach for children grouped into different thematic blocks to be selected.
These funny, artistic and participatory parades will inform the local community about the project and request their participation.
These activities will also give us a ground hand information about existing awareness and habits on recycling in the chosen local community.
– Involving local community in the project: following labs and gathering families and institutions into the local committee.
– Selection of the staff and trainers involved in the activity
– Workshop involving the local communities
– Dissemination of the Activities
2. LAB 2 - Environmental Education Methods for Kids MITOS
The realisation of a laboratory and an interactive show to teach teachers from the assumptions of occupational therapy.
To discover “Who am I”: by building an object, something, children learn to understand how the object is composed, but mainly experience their commitment, constancy, determination, attention and concentration, the motivation to achieve a satisfactory outcome, understand themselves and the mechanisms that support learning by protecting self-esteem, dignity and psychological health.
We will focus our lab on HOW TO EDUCATE KIDS IN RESPECT OF THE ENVIROMENT, by Doing nature activities:
– being in close contact with the environment will make schoolchildren more aware of how important it is to protect it.
– Visiting local farms and garden centres: spending time surrounded by plants and animals is a great way to make children feel at one with nature and learn to care for it and respect it.
– Collecting waste: investing a few hours in clearing waste from woodland as and riversides will help children to realise how harmful it is for the environment
– Separating waste: having different-coloured waste bins at home is extremely useful for teaching children how to recycle
-Talking about environmental problems: holding debates to discuss simple ecological matters is an interactive way of inviting schoolchildren to think about the causes and come up with potential solutions
– Having fun while doing all those activities will fix all the new Eco knowledge and skills
To make teachers more aware and conscious of environmental problems.
To boost their interest in caring for and improving the environment.
To enhance their ability to learn about their surroundings.
To broaden their ecological knowledge in subjects such as energy, landscapes, air, water, natural resources and wildlife.
– Didactic materials
– Interactive show
– Travels of 5+1 participants CIFA to MITOS
3. LAB 3 - Drawing public recycling containers CIFA
The design of a new method-lab to be run in the street and throughout an interactive show: how to paint public recycling containers with children will make visible the participation and commitment of the local institutional and educational community and children.
TEACHERS will learn about how to organize this activity in pedagogical terms.
KIDS will paint, share, enjoy and learn.
SCHOOLS will be engaged through the local committee to integrate the activity into their schedules.
LOCAL AUTHORITIES will be involved by granting our access to the public recycling collectors
– Street Art Materials
4. LAB 4 - How to make toys out of waste MITOS
– Toys and Materials
5. LAB 5 - How to Story telling for children about recycling CIFA
There will be 4 pilot laboratories. Each session will be organised in micro 20′ sessions organised in two parts: story-telling and children’s voice, giving them the opportunity to recreate the story together.
This work aims to make storytelling visible as an effective communication tool against the growing inattention of children in learning processes. But especially, it seeks to define storytelling as what it is: an art, the art of telling stories, which implies freedom for the educator in the way of conceiving his work and a willingness to make teaching alive.
– Didactic materials
– Travels of 5+1 participants MITOS to CIFA
6. Happy Green Charter an Happy Green Flags
Creating a local charter to be set up by the project Committee with the participation of the whole local community and a flag to show the individual our compromise will be some important landmarks of the project.
HappyGreen Flags (badges) will be produced and distributed among participating kids and adults to disseminate their engagement and active compromise with real local sustainability. This Charters and Flags will be shown and distributed to remind ourselves how each of us can contribute to preserving our precious planet and keeping it safe and healthy for the generations to come.
– Creation of the local charter
– HappyGreen Flags (badges)