World Environment Day

World Environment Day is a global event that is celebrated annually on 5th June to raise awareness and encourage action for the protection of the environment. Each year has a specific theme that focuses on a pressing environmental issue. In the past it has been things such as plastic pollution and wildlife conservation. This year’s host was the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the theme was ‘Our land. Our future’.

Kew Green Nursery are nurturing, caring and educating a new generation of children who will grow up in a changing global environment. We want them to be aware of the issues and the challenges but not to be frightened by them. To know that there are lots of grown-ups all over the world working hard to solving environmental problems and find new sources of energy. We teach them that they have agency and a role to play by reducing, reusing and recycling the products they use day to day.

We spent as much time as possible outside on the day with The Hedgehogs and Badgers enjoying lots of water play with nets and catching fish with them. We encouraged them thinking and talk about the animals that live in the sea both the fish and the plants. where we focused on keeping our beautiful oceans and rivers clean.

We have also got them building various structures using loose parts from the garden, such as crates, planks, and tyres learning that you can recycle and reimagine almost anything if you put your mind to it and reminding them that even small steps make a difference.

One of the key purposes of World Environment Day is activities and participation. We decided to organise our own ‘Clean-Up Drive’ taking the children on litter-picking walk around our local area. The children were enthusiastic participants – their beady eyes spotting even the tiniest bit of debris and commenting on the types of rubbish people drop and how bad it is to be a litter bug. We proud of how seriously all the children took it!