An exercise with young children, teaching awareness, confidence, responsibility, and teamwork in the context of caring for the earth. All begins with a simple question, and proceeds with practical activities in respect to plastic.
From the website for Isai Ambalam school
One quiet day in the classroom, I asked the children to close their eyes.
“Imagine,” I whispered, “a place where all the things you love are waiting for you. You can take anything you want.”
Their faces softened. Their minds wandered.
When they opened their eyes, they spoke with excitement.
“I took many dresses and slippers.”
“I took lots of toys.”
Every child had chosen something that made them happy.
Then I asked a question that slowly changed the room.
“How long will you keep these things?”
The answers came easily.
“Until it looks new.”
“Only two days.”
One little voice said, “It will break in a few hours.”
I paused. Then I asked again, gently this time.
“When these things break… where do they go?”
Silence filled the classroom.
Some children said, “I will throw it in the bin.”
One said, “My mother will burn it.”
Another said, “My grandmother keeps everything in a sack.”
I could see it then—the moment they started thinking beyond themselves.
I explained, softly but honestly, how plastic helps us in daily life but also hurts our world.
Plastic stays on the Earth for hundreds of years. When it is burned, it harms the air, the animals, and the people who share this planet.
Their eyes widened. Their hearts opened.
New words entered their world—reduce, reuse, recycle, decompose, environment.
With every word, their understanding grew.
Questions followed—curious, worried, sincere questions.
And with those questions came courage: the courage to speak, to listen, and to learn together.
We talked about their everyday lives. About the plastic they use without noticing. I asked them one small question:
“When you go to a shop, will you carry your own bag—or take a plastic one?”
I told them we cannot stop using plastic completely. But we can be more aware. We can reduce its use, reuse what we already have, and recycle whenever possible.
One child asked, almost worried, “Does that mean we should never use plastic again?”
I smiled and said, “It means we should use it with care and responsibility.”
What happened next was beautiful.
The children went home and returned with ideas. Together, they collected plastic items and worked as a team. They shared materials, helped one another, and created together. Waste slowly turned into hanging decorations, toys, pen stands, plant pots, and even small windmill projects.
Through this process, they learned much more than environmental care.
They learned teamwork.
They learned confidence.
They learned to be attentive, creative, and responsible.
Most of all, they learned that their actions matter.
When children are trusted with big truths at a young age, they do not feel powerless. They feel capable. They begin to understand that the Earth is not something to use and throw away—it is a gift.
A gift we must protect.
A gift we must respect.
A gift we must pass on—just as beautiful—to the next generation.
In that classroom, something changed.
Not only in the children, but in the future, they are now ready to shape.
By K. Sevanthi
Previously published on WordPress, April 7, 2026