Eco Hub
Teaching our children about our environment will lay the foundations for sustainable behaviour throughout their lives. It is their future we are helping them to protect. Equally important is that Cygnets Day Nurseries does all it can to operate in an eco-friendly manner. We educate the children to understand more about green issues, encouraging them to bring in examples of what they have done with parents/carers and by demonstrating how they can make a difference.
We are reducing single-use plastic because of the harm they can cause the environment. We are replacing plastic equipment with more eco materials like glass, using green materials like bamboo and melamine, biodegradable glitter and natural soap instead of soap in plastic bottles.
Children are involved in the following ‘activities’, among others:
- Children grow their own food including buying the seeds, planting them and watching them grow. We have recently grown carrots, potatoes, fruit trees and runner beans. We are also investing in additional planters to extend this and already have fruit trees in the garden.
- We encourage fewer car journeys with a walk to nursery scheme that is also about promoting child health and we have in place an employee cycle to work scheme that helps our staff purchase a bike at reduced cost.
Sustainability activities for children
At Cygnets we think about how we can care for the environment and live more sustainably. We know we can always do better. If you would like to help your child grow a love for the planet, try some of these fun sustainability activities for children.
- Separate rubbish bins – sorting your rubbish to ensure you are disposing of your waste, recyclables and compostables properly is a great place to start with sustainability in your home. It can help to clearly label your bins and talk to your children about which items go in which bin.
- Clean up your local community – picking up just a few items of rubbish in your community where you live can have a big impact. It could be collecting litter when walking around your home streeets or getting a group together to do a large-scale cleanup.
- The Three Rs – teaching children about the three Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) can be an excellent starting point for a sustainability discussion.
- A sustainable storytime – looking for some children’s stories about living green is a fun way to get your kids thinking about sustainability. Find some inspiration here.
- Shop local – buying food from your local farmers’ market can decrease congestion, reduce habitat loss and curb pollution
- Make your home more green – making a day out of improving your home’s sustainability through simple upgrades, such as installing energy efficient lightbulbs can be a great family activity
- Take a walk – spending time outside and exploring nature can foster a love of the environment for children