This action plan focused on the development of the children's creative thinking through the effort to protect the trees in the school yard, to solve the problem of paper waste and to search for solutions on how they can contribute to its rational use. Preschoolers created a board game, while using digital tools and robotic devices. Combining sustainable education with STEAM education and Open Technologies, students fostered skills related to creativity, critical thinking and collaboration.
Purpose and Goals
This action plan was designed and implemented in the 4th Kindergarten of Kalamaria during the school year 2022-2023 and 20 students aged 5 and 6 participated in it.
The purpose of the action plan was to raise awareness of preschool students to what is worth protecting near their school and encourage them to take active action through the creative solution of an environmental problem that directly concerns their everyday life at school through the construction of a board game.
• Collaboration, communication among students
• Sharpening of students observation and formation of a critical attitude
• Connecting the school with the community
• Adoption of attitudes and behaviors, which will contribute to the rational use and saving of paper.
Methodology
The data collection of the present activity was based on the method of Direct Observation, while its design was based on the method of Problem Solving. STEAM was used in the paper recycling process and board game construction and Open Technologies through all the steps of the implementation and mostly with Makey-Makey kit practice, to cultivate computational thinking, critical thinking and creativity. Learning through Play was used in the creation of the board game to practice and reinforce useful guidelines for recycling and proper paper consumption.
Implementation
Students talked about planetary health, ecosystems, biodiversity and the food chain. They did a field study and in small groups observed the yard, discussed, photographed with a padlet’s camera and drew the elements of the school yard that favor human and planetary health. They, also,read books, watched various videos and talked about the importance of trees, talked about paper production and noticed that their classroom's bin was full of paper so they wanted to do something about it. Students created a recycling station and created their own paper, decided that they should also inform the students from next class about proper paper management and tree protection in a creative and fun way. For this reason, they decided to create a board game with the recycled paper we made.
Throughout this process a lot of ICT tools.Students suggestions about planetary health were recorded with a mobile app and a video was created with Animoto.created a sound repository with our ideas of what the trees offer with Thinglink. com. They, also cretaed a board game, recorded its rules and collaborately programmed the Makey-Makey with the audio instructions using the programming language Scratch - Imagine, Program, Share (mit.edu) and the creation of tangible interfaces with wires and plasticine on the board game. Once the programming was complete the connections, instructions and the entire program were checked and the game was tested from students. Finally, the game was included in children's activities.The classrooms's paper bin was never full of paper again.
Results
This activity helped students express themselves, develop cooperation and cultivate their critical thinking and creativity. Students were able to understand the consequences of human actions on the environment, to solve real problems and became aware of sustainability issues. They created opportunities to observe and critically evaluate the environment and familiarized themselves with new knowledge through creative ways while utilizing computational thinking and the programming process.
Tree Cheers! Well done!
very nice and helpful project
What a nice project!
Well done Katerina!!!
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