When the Sentrum Preschool in Kvinesdal, Norway wanted to expand their kitchen garden, they saw it as an opportunity to not only help their students connect with their environment, but also to connect with other children. So, they decided to team up with the Union Elementary and Pre-School, another Eco-School six time zones ahead in Penang, Malaysia!
Through their Alcoa W5 project ‘Plant Without Borders’, both schools wanted to engage their students in their environment through planting vegetables and caring for a garden of their own. The project was also an opportunity to teach students about climate change and protecting biodiversity across two very different climates and countries.
10 teachers and 25 students are actively collaborating through digital tools and sharing platforms, where students share photos about the progress of their ongoing kitchen garden project. Students will meet virtually again twice before their garden tour and harvesting celebration in September.
And while a 6-hour time difference and very different climates may seem like a challenge, it's proven to be a wonderful opportunity for students to learn about how different seasons in different parts of the world impact the planting, growth and harvesting of vegetables.
By creating pots out of recycled materials, planting both vegetables and native pollinator-friendly plants, and learning about climate change in group meetings, the project engages students in SDGs 4 (Quality Education), 12 (Responsible Consumption & Production), 13 (Climate Action), and 14 (Life on Land). Lastly, the experiences of both teachers and students in this project have been enriched through their collaboration. As Jan Rune Strømland, the Principal at Sentrum Preschool expressed,
“We are thankful for this opportunity to collaborate across country borders on a topic of high importance. The children will inherit the Earth, and it is our duty that they feel that they belong to nature and want to care for it. Through exchanging knowledge and experiences, we can help each other learn more about protecting biodiversity and sustainable development, and the children will hopefully grow an interest in plants and nature that can follow them throughout their lives.”
The Alcoa W5 project activities at Sentrum Preschool support the following SDGs:
