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Starting at a young age
By Tania Mansfield |
April 29, 2013, Monday
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Print Edition
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AS Western International School of Shanghai is part of the IB program, one of our units of inquiry focuses on sharing the planet. All of our students from our three-year-olds through to our 12-year-olds in Grade 5 focus on this inquiry, which explores our rights and responsibilities in the struggle to share finite resources with other people and with other living things; communities and the relationships within and between them; access to equal opportunities; peace and conflict resolution.
As young as three years old, our Nursery children are exploring the needs of living things within the environment around them and discussing our responsibility toward ensuring these needs are met. In Kindergarten, our five-year-olds are investigating the impact humans have on the waters of the world and looking at ways to educate our community on ways they maintain the health of local rivers.
Last month, Grade 1 students were inquiring into the ways people can establish practices in order to sustain and maintain our resources. This led our six-year-olds into creating recycling stations around the school.
Grade 3 investigations led young Yasmin Lee to create a 3D model of the school and present her idea of introducing solar panels to campus buildings to the school's director. The student council organized a green day where all classrooms were encouraged to think about the ways we were wasting energy and resources within the school. One of our younger students recently asked, "Do we have a green policy at WISS?" The short answer was unfortunately, no, but the discussion led to ideas of how we can move forward to build and develop a green policy. This has led to the introduction of a "green wall" where students can share concerns and contribute ideas. It is hoped it will result in the development of a student generated green policy.
Our children will inherit the planet and the problems we leave behind. It is wonderful to watch as they come up with practical ideas and solutions toward making their future and our planet a better place.
As young as three years old, our Nursery children are exploring the needs of living things within the environment around them and discussing our responsibility toward ensuring these needs are met. In Kindergarten, our five-year-olds are investigating the impact humans have on the waters of the world and looking at ways to educate our community on ways they maintain the health of local rivers.
Last month, Grade 1 students were inquiring into the ways people can establish practices in order to sustain and maintain our resources. This led our six-year-olds into creating recycling stations around the school.
Grade 3 investigations led young Yasmin Lee to create a 3D model of the school and present her idea of introducing solar panels to campus buildings to the school's director. The student council organized a green day where all classrooms were encouraged to think about the ways we were wasting energy and resources within the school. One of our younger students recently asked, "Do we have a green policy at WISS?" The short answer was unfortunately, no, but the discussion led to ideas of how we can move forward to build and develop a green policy. This has led to the introduction of a "green wall" where students can share concerns and contribute ideas. It is hoped it will result in the development of a student generated green policy.
Our children will inherit the planet and the problems we leave behind. It is wonderful to watch as they come up with practical ideas and solutions toward making their future and our planet a better place.
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