VISUALIZAR HISTÓRIA

In conversation with students, they noticed that in their homes they had many electronics, most of them no longer being used, and most of the students didn´t know what to do with all the electronic trash produced. As we start our investigation students were able to reflect primarily on the importance of natural resources in our lives, as they are present in various objects that we use daily. It all made us think about the number of things we bought last year to adapt technologically to the quarantine period during the pandemic: remote classes, home office... Many of our students even noticed the number of televisions and cell phones, for example, that they had at home and were barely used. There was even a student talking about equipment that was left aside either because they had acquired new ones or because they didn't take good care of them, such as a tablet that was left in the rain and stopped working. We lead these reflections through questions such as: in which garbage do we discard a cell phone or other electronic equipment?

This process of reflection and inquiry served as a guide for the perception of the best ways to dispose waste and to reduce the excessive and constant consumption of what is often not necessary. The children showed great interest in the theme, which was the main focus of our Exposition, focusing on a topic little known to them and very current in this remote and technological age: e-waste and batteries. It was difficult to reach a conclusion... And it's a complex question since many devices are composed of different materials: one part is glass, another plastic, another metal... Most adults have difficulty answering this question and they proved it by interviewing family members. The children suggested that we had to think of something to alert others to the best and correct way to dispose those devices…. And as they cannot be disposed like the other waste we produce or common garbage, students suggested that we could use our school as a place to collect those electronic devices.

We started an action called “Small hands can make a big difference”, in this amazing action we invited students and families to bring their electronic trash to our e-waste drive-thru. In the end, the e-trash was given correct disposal to a company that could recycle the trash. In this action, families were able to understand how important is to dispose this trash in the correct way, where we can dispose this trash, and what we can do with electronic trash. In this action, students sent a letter to Earth and received a tree to plant in their home. This plant represented the importance of being caring about our planet, with more trees around us, we can have an opportunity to preserve the environment, being aware of how important our Mata Atlântica is for everybody.

The drive-thru was a complete success… They were able to show what they have been learning and play some games. In the end, to express our gratitude, they received a seedling tree to plant with their families as a symbol of hope for a better place… After all, small hands make a big difference.

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We think that students testimonials are the best, so here are some testimonials they gave after the action: " I´ll promise to take care of our planet and natures, sorting the garbage and putting it in the correct place." " I want to make people aware instead of using plastic straws, use biodegradable straws." A parent testimonial: "Thank you, teachers and schools for bringing these essentials discussions to our community and involve kids in such great action."

One of the challenges we faced was not being close to students because of the pandemic. Even being apart, technology is something we used to help us during this process, we got more close than never to create this action and involving the school community in it. Even remotely, we could team up and find ways to make the action occurs. We had two challenges: 1) organization - how to produce and organize the drive-thru. In this part, how to organize the drive-thru was essential, what activities would be engaging for students and how they could participate safely. We teamed up with the school community and teachers from other segments to go to school on different days to produce materials and organize all these materials that we could use on the big day. 2) Find a company - It wasn´t easy to find a company that could help us in this action. When we finally did, we found a friend of a teacher´s dad that collected all the e-waste. He was so happy to participate in this action and be part of a big difference he was doing to the planet. After all, small hands make a big difference.

15-30 Dias

Consumo e Produção Responsáveis

We created a folder and sent it to parent´s emails to let them know of our activities and when they would occur. Their answer was amazing, all parents said they would come and take part in the action.

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