For a green Earth

The pupils of Rodion Pedia kindergarten write and sing about the environment!
Through a variety of activities as part of a project on the environment, the Earth and its people, the pupils of the kindergarten wanted to send a message to the whole world-with hopes and dreams for an Earth where everybody feels that they belong.
The project ran from the beginning of the school year until December 2019.
Inspired by World Animal Day on the 4th October, the children watched a short, animated film, ‘Animals Save the Planet’, and they questioned human actions and behaviours which are destroying our planet.
Animals Save the Planet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83wINVmrRkA

Reading and analysing the fairy tale ‘The Trouble with Dragons’, by Gliori Deb, we imagined what would happen IF dragons took over the world, if their towns and villages didn’t leave the animals enough space to live, or for the trees to grow-slowly, slowly destroying the planet. Through discussion, we realised that human behaviour is no different from that of the dragons. The youngsters expressed the need to find ways for all of us to protect our planet.
Images the children had seen on television of the war in Syria and fires in the Amazon began to crop up in our conversation. There were children who expressed that they are afraid and don’t like what is happening to our planet. Then we were given the opportunity to read the book by Antonis Papatheodoulou, ‘If every day…’, and we talked about how if we all did something-however small- every day, we could change our world. In this way, the children thought how they could say ‘No’ to plastic bags, and they could use a water flask instead of a plastic bottle. During this period, they re-used paper and other objects we had in the classroom, and they created a space for recycling. The books, ‘Ben, Moo and the Rubbish’ (Sophia Zarabouka) and ‘Give me a Second Chance’ (Chrysanthi Karaiskakou), helped us to talk about recycling. We made toys out of cardboard boxes, bottle and other recyclable materials.
We created a solar-powered oven and we talked about renewable sources of energy and we played reflective games to help us understand the Greenhouse Effect.
We wanted to work positively on the environment, and so as part of a creative process, the children imagined and painted objects which would help the planet: fire extinguishing clouds, which could put out fires immediately and irrigate arid land, magical, silent solar mats for transportation, and to bring help to those in need, a magic paintbrush which could put right all the wrongs in the world. Ships which never sink, no matter how high the waves, seeds which never go bad, and could provide food for all those who are hungry. The children wanted to talk and sing about a beautiful, peaceful and green world which would be home to everyone. In this way, the children came up with words and ideas and we started to create our song.
Our Christmas theatre performance, ‘The Gift’, was based on all of these ideas, thoughts and dreams of the children, for an Earth which embraces everyone. Our song, ‘For a green Earth’, played an important role in our performance, because Santa Claus and the children decided to sing to the whole world, in every language, in order to encourage everyone to change their habits and to try harder for the sake of the environment.
The title of our song is, ‘For a green Earth’
With a magic paintbrush, I will create the world I want
with flowers, butterflies, smiley faces
lush, green trees and cities without plastic!
The shores can wait, friends, sailors and strangers
The Earth will be magical, friendly towards everyone
the seas will be clean, NO RUBBISH ON THE BEACHES
Chorus
Share our dreams, you too, try to see our joy
We want an Earth where everyone belongs, people, animals, trees and plants
Sing for an Earth, green and peaceful
No more gases, I don’t want exhaust fumes
We want flying solar mats,
smoke to come only from the fireplaces, dragons which become lambs, no more planes and motorbikes!