Students introduced to green open space and lifestyle

Paper Edition | Page: 7

Big things start small: Elementary school students get creative with waste in Krida Loka Park, Senayan, Central Jakarta, on Tuesday. (JP/Haeril Halim)

Ten-year-old Maheswari Saddahana Widyaningrum learned how to tell the difference between man-made trash and organic waste while playing in the park on Tuesday.

“That is man-made trash, not organic trash. It was produced by humans who threw it away in an irresponsible way,” explained the student from Selong 01 Pagi about a broken shoe she and her friends found during a walk in Krida Loka Park in Senayan, Central Jakarta.

Forty public elementary students from Selong 01 Pagi and Grogol 02 as well as private Tarakanita and Pantara schools visited the park on Tuesday for an eco-learning experience and to practice making handicrafts from trash in a learning-in-the park event called Parktivity.

“We are bringing the students to Krida Loka Park because it has a lot of endangered trees from all over Indonesia, most of which are big and decades old. We want them to understand the importance of trees for the environment because they absorb water to prevent floods,” the organizer of the event, Nadine Zaminra, told The Jakarta Post.

She said the event focused on elementary school students in an effort to educate people on environmentally friendly living from a tender age.

“We are also showing them the potential of open green spaces [city parks] to use as alternative study spots. City parks are good natural laboratories that allow us to interact with environment,” she added.

After the walk, the students used the trash they collected to make handicrafts such as photo frames with the help of volunteers from the Bikinan Jari handmade handicraft association.

“I like these kinds of outdoor activities. We learn to love the environment, to make use of used things. After the event, I will throw away trash properly as I have learned that its not easy picking up trash. Also, I have plants at home and will water them regularly,” said Maheswari, who goes by her nickname, Dhaning.

On the other hand, Ade Sriwahyuninignsih, a teacher from Pantara, a school for special needs children, said that her students needed to learn a lesson on nature to have first-hand experience with different surroundings and people.

“My students mostly struggle with dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia and dysphasia. They are very good at understanding textbook content, but it is sometimes a bit difficult for them to interact with people and the environment. That is why they need more outdoor activities like this,” Ade said.

— JP/hrl