Kindergarten Gardiens de la Terre
For the “Keepers of the Earth” unit, French Kindergarten students explored the concept of sharing the planet as they investigated the importance of reusing, reducing, and recycling in their own homes.
Students began by learning about the importance of identifying and sorting materials for effective recycling systems and used playdough to design their very own system.
They also tracked their own recycling patterns by graphing their actions from home. These graphs provided a visual for students to use as they practiced their skills in analyzing data, discovering patterns, and examining their results.
Students had fun discovering the concept of the circular economy and reusing items through imaginary play as they “opened” their very own thrift shops! Students were very creative with their designs and had a blast acting as business owners of their own shops, practicing their skills in mathematics through their “business transactions” with their siblings and parents.
To gain a deeper understanding of how reusing items helps to protect and share the planet, the class was joined by a special guest and ISB aunt, Elizabeth Hogan, who has worked in marine wildlife for many years. For seven years, Elizabeth ran the Oceans and Wildlife Program of World Animal Protection in the United States. Currently, she is now a consultant in marine conservation and works with organizations including Pew Charitable Trusts, CSIRO, USAID, and the Aquarium Conservation Partnership. One of our ISB Kindergarten students, wearing a very fitting octopus hat, introduced her aunt to her classmates! Elizabeth gave an overview of the detrimental effect of plastic in the oceans and why it’s important to minimize plastic consumption in order to protect ocean animals.
To celebrate Earth Day, students created a collaborative mosaic as their digital “door decoration” for the week! Using recycled materials, the students reproduced their own dedicated square of an original painting by Henri Matisse.
Students then listened to the book, Dis Papa Pourquoi by French author, illustrator, and artist Christian Voltz, a story about a father and son on an environmental adventure. Christian Voltz is known for his unique technique of illustration where he uses recycled bits and pieces like nuts, bolts, string, fabric scraps, and wire to construct fun, dynamic characters and scenes. Inspired by Christian Voltz’s technique, students created their own boîte à bidules from found objects around their house. They used the materials they found to design and build their own Gardiens de la Terre!
Through this unit, students began to think about ways in which they can be creative in taking action from their own home. They developed a deeper understanding of how personal choices can help sustain the environment, feeling motivated and empowered to take action in their daily lives.