eNews
Contents:
INTRODUCTION
1.

Message from the Founder

ETONHOUSE INTERNATIONALEDUCATION GROUP - NEWS & EVENTS
2.

EtonHouse Launches E-Bridge
Pre-School under the Anchor
Operator Scheme
REACH Conference Walking on Silk Threads
EtonHouse in Hong Kong

3.

EtonHouse Launches First Campus
in Surabaya, Indonesia
EtonHouse to Open Largest Pre-Schoolin SIngapore that will Establish New
Standards

SINGAPORE
4.

An Inquiry into Sharing the PlanetSocial Responsibilty - A Shared Goal
at Claymore

5.

Environmental and Social Responsibilty
A Part of Social Responsibilty is to be
Enviromentally Responsible

6.

Connecting to the Environment
Reduce Wastage - Shared Responsibility

7.

Early Experiences Shape Social
Development
Exploring Nature and Taking Ownership

8.

Environmental and Social Responsibility
at Hampton Pre-School

CHINA
9.

Preschool Gardening: A Thoughtful
Environmental PracticeThink: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle

CHINA/JAPAN10. Our New Remida
Environmental Responsibility in a
High Density Urban Environment
INDONESIA/CAMBODIA
11. Treasure Our Trash
Encounters with Nature
MALAYSIA/INDIA
12. Environment as a Third Teacher
Environment and Relationships

Newsletter • 1 - 2014

Environmental and Social CitizenshipThe environment is an aggregate of all elements andconditions that supports our lives. It is an integral partof who we are and what our future will look like. The
environment reflects our past and present values
and offers a window into the future. Environmental
education empowers us to consider our roles andresponsibilities into looking after our world, promotes
sustainable lifestyles and the well-being of our future
generations. It develops an attitude of care andresponsibility, skills and knowledge in our young
learners.
Environmental citizenship as I would like to call it isa sense of responsibility that we inherit from the time
we are born towards our eco-system whereas social
citizenship is the duty of care towards people andsociety. This is innate
to who we are andwhat we become.
Education related toour environment andsociety is thus asintegral to a child’s
education as are
literacy,
numeracy,social and physicaleducation.
At EtonHouse, our inquiry based curriculum includes
environmental education from the pre-school years,
reflected in our image of the child of the 21st century.
It is a multi-disciplinary approach towards developing
knowledge, understanding, specific skills, behaviours
and attitudes towards a sustainable future for all.
It therefore gives me great pleasure that we havechosen to talk about this very important aspect of an
EtonHouse education.
Our schools engage in a variety of innovative
practice towards ensuring that environmental andsocial responsibility are an important aspect in the
lives of our children. Though initiatives such as inkind giving, team volunteering, social impact efforts,
management of school and community resources,
events and school based learning on environmental
issues, outcomes and solutions, the EtonHouselearning community of teachers, children and parents
work collaboratively to embrace Environmental andSocial Citizenship in the true sense of the word.
We are also very fortunate to be a part of a global
community of learners spread across different parts of-1-

the world. EtonHouse schools are now in 11 countries
across 90 campuses and educate more than 9,000
students from many different nationalities. Sucha dynamic and vibrant community of international
learners brings a truly global and culturally richlearning environment to our classrooms. The global
and local discussions around concepts and issues
related our environment, sustainability and social
contexts are therefore so much more vibrant andmeaningful.
New Developments at EtonHouse
It gives me great pleasure to share with you that
EtonHouse was selected by the Ministry of Socialand Family Development (MSF) in Singapore to bepart of the Anchor Operator (AOP) Scheme and will
launch E-Bridge PreSchool under thescheme, providing
high quality andaffordable
early
childhood services
forSingaporeanfamilies.
Anchoroperators
wereselected based on
track record and how
they demonstrated commitment and ability to meetthe demand for early childhood services, offer goodquality and affordable programmes, expand outreachto low income families, and provide sector leadershipin manpower development. This initiative further
strengthens our social impact initiatives towards
making a difference through good quality education.
We have also commenced operations in Hong Kong,
Surabaya and new cities in China and recently
concluded a successful international conference
through REACH (Reggio Emilia in Asia for Children).
This edition of the corporate newsletter sharesinformation on all these new developments and has
a wonderful selection of articles that reinforces ourcommitment to building environmental and social
citizenship amongst the EtonHouse global communityof learners. I hope you enjoy reading it.
Ng Gim Choo
Group Managing Director
EtonHouse International Education GroupE t on Hous e I n ter n a tional Ed u c at ion Grou p - News & Event s

EtonHouse Launches E-Bridge REACH Conference Pre-School under the Anchor Walking on Silk Threads
Operator Scheme
The REACH (Reggio Emilia in Asia for Children) conference titled Walking
on Silk Threads was held in Singapore from 13th to 15th March 2014.
Tiziana Filippini (well known pedagogue) and Loretta Bertani (Atelierista)from Reggio Emilia, Northern Italy, shared of their rich experience acrossthe 3 days. Participants had the opportunity to reflect on the significance of
pedagogical documentation and the Atelier as a way of working with children.
The conference was attended by more than 200 educators, parents andadministrators from 15 different countries across the Asia Pacific. Delegateswere deeply inspired, motivated and encouraged by the speakers.

EtonHousehasbeen appointed bytheGovernmentof Singapore to
be a pre-school“anchor operator”(AOP), and will
launchE-Bridge
Pre-Schools underthe AOP scheme.
The AOP scheme
wasintroducedby the Singapore
Government
to scale up theprovisionofgood quality andaffordable
early
years programmes
Mr. Chan Chun Sing, Minister for Social and Family
reaching out to a
Development (MSF) with Mrs Ng Gim Choo, Founder andwider community inManaging Director of EtonHouse
Singapore. This is
the first time the Government has opened up the scheme to private operators,
and EtonHouse is honoured to be selected and appointed from amongst
several others who expressed their interest to be a part of this initiative.
EtonHouse is happy to have this very important and meaningful opportunity
to play a more active role in shaping the future direction of early childhood
education in Singapore.

To find out more about REACH, visit www.reach.edu.sg or email enquiry@reach.edu.sg.

Left to Right: Ms Tiziana Filippini – conference speaker, Ms Veronica Manson representing
the Italian Cultural Institute, Singapore, Ms Loretta Bertani - conference speaker

There will be three E-Bridge centres commencing operations in the third
quarter of 2014. Learn more about E-Bridge Pre-School from www.e-bridge.
edu.sg.

EtonHouse in Hong Kong
The official opening of the very first
EtonHouse campus in Hong Kongin Tam Tam on the 27th March wasa huge success, well attended
by guests from the consulates,
business
partners,
education
experts, representatives frominternational schools, property
developers, friends and wellwishers. Plans are underway
to open new campuses in Hong Kong - a preschool in a Sinoland development in the New
Territories and a primary school in the near future.

EtonHouse looks forward to further collaboration
with the community in Hong Kong to offer aninspiring international education in the early years-2-and beyond.
Log on to www.etonhouse.com.hk

E t on Hous e I n ter n a tional Ed u c at ion Grou p - News & Event s

EtonHouse Launches First EtonHouse to Open Largest
Campus in Surabaya, Indonesia Pre-school in Singapore thatwill Establish New Standards
A brand new EtonHouse International Pre-School has opened in Surabaya,
Indonesia. Located in Citraland, the school will offer the renowned EtonHouse
Inquire-Think-Learn curriculum to children from 18 months to 6 years ofage. With a high quality inspiring learning environment, the new EtonHouseInternational Pre-School is set to establish exemplary standards of excellence
and a new direction in early childhood education in Surabaya.
Log on to http://www.etonhouse.co.id/en/schools/surabaya

Artist Impression of the Library in EtonHouse Thomson

Singapore’s first IB standalone pre-school will be relocating from Orchard
Boulevard to 8 Thomson Lane. The new EtonHouse International Pre-School
housed in a beautiful colonial style building sits on a hilltop and has uniquetraditional architectural features like a charming European water fountain andexquisite stained glass ceilings. Built over 200,000 sq ft, this pre-school is
the largest in Singapore and will set new standards as an innovative preschool environment based on research and best practice. Children will haveaccess to extensive outdoor areas and a range of facilities and innovative
features such as the piazza, alfresco dining areas, spacious classrooms withverandas, designated library spaces, the Atelier of Art, the Atelier of Light anda swimming pool. The campus is scheduled to open its doors in August 2014
to children from 18 months to 6 years old.

Artist Impression of the outdoor area in EtonHouse Thomson-3-Eton Hou se in Singap ore

An Inquiry into Sharing the Planet
EtonHouse @ Orchard
by Leanne Sunarya, Senior Principal on behalf of the K2 Antsand collaboration
During the Sharing thePlanet Unit of Inquiry, theK2 Ants class began toconsider their personal
usage of paper.

At EtonHouse Orchard, the big ideas that underpin
Inquire, Think, Learn and the IB PYP curriculum
place citizenship in the 21st century as priority to
all the work we do alongside children.
Our inquires• explore what it means to develop skills for livingin the world;• consider diverse ways of thinking; and• evolve in ways that emphasise communication“We have to go to all theclasses and see whichclass uses the less andthen wecan follow
them.”

each and they also cut the paper in two pieces
and use both sides. The K2 Ants decided thatthey should do the same, but they would use only
one paper a week.
The group talked to their friends about signingout paper on a Monday morning and using thepaper for the rest of the week. This action wasmonitored and was continually reviewed as thechildren considered the impact their decision hadon their daily lives.

The children strategised about
how they would approach thisidea. They developed a tally
sheet to collect data as theyinterviewed our community.
They found out that the classthat used the least amount of
paper have an agreement touse only 2 pieces of paper a day

Social Responsibility – A Shared Goal at Claymore…
EtonHouse @ Claymore
by Lisamarie Hughes, Principal
Our ‘Image of Child’ at Claymore describes
how ‘we see children as people with rights andresponsibilities’.

children towards people and things around them.
We believe day to day experiences, interactions
and encounters support children with reflections
and connections to view themselves
as individuals who influence and are
influenced by others
within their context(The Child as a Social/
Cultural Being, ITL
Framework).
All
stakeholders,parents,
teachers
and children createa culture of social
responsibility.

Social responsibility at Claymore continues
to be an integral aspect to support a strong
interpersonal and physical environment. Teachers
continue to nurture an attitude of care with theA glimpse into what
this looks like in our practice:
We invite children to participate inreal projects that make a difference
to the community. Therefore, the-4-children’s suggestion to add a zebra crossing
to the outdoor space, allowing friends to crossthe bike track safely was honoured. This project
supported social responsibility towards theenvironment and the people in it.
Another example would
be the manner in whichteachers and parents slow
down and take time tovalue and appreciate ideas
and materials. During ourcelebrationoflearning
evening, parents dialogued
with their child regarding theirwork that was respectfully
displayed, further nurturing
appreciation of ideas andmaterials in our social world.

Eton Hou se in Singap ore

Environmental and Social Responsibility
EtonHouse @ Newton
by Madhulika Varma, Class Teacher
who are environmentallyfriendly as well as socially
responsible. We believethat the nurturing of a good
citizen in the understandingof these ‘big’ concepts
should be initiated at an
early age.
A very importantrole is played bythe ‘Three R’s’
while educating
children
on
how
to
be
environmentallyfriendly.
Weknow that the
three
most
Ms. Pooja is supporting the children’s discussions on the needs of plants and how
s
i
g
n
i
f
i
c
ant
to care for them.
strategies
onbeing environmentally friendly are
From my perspective as the educator of 3 year
‘Reduce, Reuse and Recycle’. We
olds, the concept of environmental & social
share these values with the children at
responsibility is a vast one. So at EtonHousea early age...using water sensibly while
Newton, we educators strive to create students

washing hands; switching off the lights and fanswhen the room is not in use; reducing the amountof paper used and often recycling it. These are
the building blocks to developing a sense ofenvironmental and social responsibility amongst
young learners and are instilled at a very young
age amongst our children.

Dohyun is requesting Nichole to takeone tissue at time

Kohta is mindful of his friends’safety. He spent 10 minutes
fixing the mat so that no one
would trip over.

A Part of Social Responsibility is to be Environmentally Responsible
EtonHouse @ 223 Mountbatten Road
by Joy Tan, Vice Principal
When we first started
celebrating
Earth
Day in school many
years ago, we wanted
to use the EarthDay events as away to jump-startenvironmental
consciousness within
the children under
our care. We talked
about why we needed
to plant more trees,learntabout
theendangered wildlife,and discussed the
3Rs – reuse, reduce,
recycle - in our classrooms. It was a good start but
it was not enough.

Over the years,
ourteachers
andchildrenhave learnt tobeadvocates
and role models
amongsttheirfriends
andfamily members
as we began toreflect on ourenvironmental

awareness through our daily
routines. Gathering and working
with recycled materials for-5-creative art purposes has become a norm in
EtonHouse @M223. For the last 18 months,
our children and families have been actively
contributing to the collection of ring tabs. Thesetabs are sent to Thailand to make components for
artificial limbs for the less fortunate.
Our involvement in spreading the message ofbeing environmentally responsible is also areflection of our social responsibility to develop
social consciousness and to start making changes
in our daily lives for a sustainable Earth for the
future.
“You have the power
to change things”-Leandro
Iuorno,K2Panthers

Eton Hou se in Singap ore

Connecting with the Environment
EtonHouse @ Vanda
by Ng Shu Ping, Principal
Forest green

shades of green.

sea green

The Nursery 2 children too began mixing theirown shade of green and came up with different
names. Some collaborated to build houses forflowers and leaves. Others got down to drawing analysing the colours of the plant before drawing,
selecting the colours accurately and developing
observation skills and concentration in drawing.

lime green, pea green…
…all green…
forever green~ Green by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
When we see colour, what do we see? Do wenotice the different shades of colour?
Our world is fullofmagnificent

An invitation to the children to look closely andexplore variations of beauty in nature, noticing
subtle differences in colours and shapes. “Howcan we be a friend to the environment? What do
we love about our environment?”, were questions
posed by the teachers.
Colours offer a way of understanding andappreciating the world. The pre-nursery children
explored primary colours while our nursery 1 andkindergarten children focused on relationships
with people and places.
This connection to nature and the environment
permeates our pre-school.

Reduce Wastage – Shared Responsibility
EtonHouse @ Outramby Chia Bee Yong, Principal
Protecting
theenvironment
should be a shared
responsibilityofthecommunity.
One small step
towards this goal
helps in developinga w a r e n e s samongstthechildren and staff
in our school toreduce wastage,
particularly in theuse of paper. At the Pre-school level, we always
endeavour to involve the children and to empower
them in our efforts to protect the environment.
Being the oldest in the Pre-School, the children
in Kindergarten 2 were asked to think of ways tospread awareness amongst the younger children.

T h e ydiscussed
strategies
suchasputtingup
posters–
with words
and picturestoremindThey discussed on how they could
put up posters – with words andpictures to remind the children to
reduce waste. They were mindfulof the fact that to reach out to theyounger ones who were perhaps-6-

not able to read, they
had to use pictures to
share
the
messagewith them. They werealso committed to being
good role models for the
younger children and toeducating and guidingthem on the proper use of
the school’s resources,
particularly in the use of
toilet paper, paper towel
and soap. From thisgroup of role models, wehope that all children,
parents and staff will
make a conscious effort
to reduce wastage andprotect the environment.

Eton Hou se in Singap ore

Early Experiences Shape Social Development
EtonHouse @ 717 Mountbatten
by Juliana, Siuwen and June, Class Teachers
environment promotes flexibility and is geared
to individual needs, interests and choices.
Relationships with children that are respectful
and reciprocal are placed as a key emphasis in
our teaching and learning process. In our daily
practice, the educators support the children’ssocial learning in the following areas through bothplanned learning experiences and spontaneous
learning moments:• Sharing responsibility
environment

The settings where young children spend theirtime and energy support their version of the world.
Therefore, interactions experienced in the preschool context helps young children learn how
to participate later in adult community life (Miller,
2004). Educators play an important role as theyinteract, guide and support children to learn about
their roles and the appropriate ways to function aspart of a group.

for

their

learning• Participating and contributing to the small grouplearning• Solving problems and conflicts among peers inpeaceful ways
• Valuing diversity; showing respect andappreciation to the different cultures andpractices amongst the group

At EtonHouse Mountbatten 717, the learning

Exploring Nature and Taking Ownership
EtonHouse @ 718 Mountbatten
by KIB Woodpeckers
thrive. This has led to the children to takeownership over responsibilities towards
plants in and out of the classroom.
As an initial provocation into exploring
the nature of plants, the children plantedsome green beans and some kidneybeans.
“The kidney beans are in the AC room so
it takes longer to grow. The green beans
are outside.”“Plants can grow and eat like us, so they can like music
like us also!”
K1B Woodpeckers
As the K1 Woodpeckers continue to explore
the natural world, the children are continuously
building on their understandings of the interactions
and relationships between plants and humans
and that we all depend on each other in a worldof interacting systems in order to survive and

The children shared their wonderings
and understandings with
one another during ourmorning meeting.
“But we are bringing our seeds out
every day, why can it still die?”“Who is taking care of it on theweekend? We are not there.”
The children are also working
closely with the gardener in the-7-garden space and have planted a variety ofseeds in this space, and continue to help thegardener in weeding and watering the garden.
As a provocation to further extend our inquiry wewent on an excursion to the Bollywood Vegetable
Farm. Through this experience, the children drew
connections between their farming practices
in school, and those that they saw the farmers
engage with on the excursion.
“The farmer takes care of the plants. Who takes
care of the farmer? The farmer also needs
someone to take care of him”

E ton Hou se in Singap ore

Environmental and Social Responsibility at Hampton Pre-School
Hampton Pre-School @ Bishan
by Nur Syazwani Sukarman, K2 Senior Teacher

Kai Shih Hao Ren shared his thoughts through a drawing
he entitled, ‘Water for everyone’. “All living things needwater to survive. Our body need water to stay healthy.
Animals and plants need water to grow too.”“Nature is not a place to visit. It is home.” (Gary
Sydner)At Hampton Pre-School (Bishan), we believe that
our children are imperative allies in our efforts
to inculcate exemplary
practice of protecting
and preserving earth’s
resources.
Supportingchildrenin
theirunderstanding towards
theimportanceofconservation builds theirsense of responsibility
for the well being ofearth and their role in its
preservation.
An inquiry about plants
led the K2 children to
an investigation on whatplants needed in orderto grow. During a nature jaunt aroundthe neighbourhood, they observedthat most of the leaves and grass hadturned yellow. This observation sparked
a discussion about the recent dry spells
that we were facing in Singapore. The
children theorised and made connections
between the changes in weather andits effects on the well being of plants.
Their theories led them to realise how
a lack of water can impact the naturalenvironment.

One group of children
focused on the energy
poster.
Photosdepictchildren at work as they
The children started expressing concerns planned the layout of theirabout wastage of water in their daily poster and wrote messages
context. Ang Kaixiu added that at times, to encourage responsible to remind everyone to save water
usage of electrical appliances
he also noticed wastage of electricity. for energy conservation. Title and energy.” The children learnt
to recognise their decisions andThis triggered an active discussion on the of poster: “Switch Off!”

importance of energy conservation.

Parents were invited to engage the children in
discussions
which
revolvedaround the use of water andenergy both in school and at
home.
The
childrensoon
realised
that
they
can
do
more by sharing
the message ofconservation withthe community.
ClaireTan
Ang Kaixiu’s illustration of what happens s u g g e s t e d ,if earth runs out of energy, “Energy makes “We
can put
things work. It gives us light so that we can stillup
posters
see in the dark. If there is no energy, we can’t
aroundtheeven use the computer or cook food to eat.”neighbourhood-8-

actions as valuable contributions
in ensuring the sustainability of the world’s
resources. For instance, they chose to draw anddesign their posters instead of printing them out.
As Claire reasoned, “Using the computer for a longtime uses a lot of energy. How are we going to tellothers to saveenergy if weare not doing it
ourselves.”
Another groupofchildrenworked on thewater
poster.
Photosdepictchildren drawing
andwritingsuggestions on how we can do ourpart in saving water at home. Title ofposter: Let’s save water!”

E tonH ou se in China

Preschool Gardening: A Thoughtful Environmental Practice
EtonHouse @ Shanghai
by Lola Alvarez, Keira Collins and Annie Wang Berger - Shanghai Teaching TeamAt
EtonHouse,
webelieveitisimportantfor children tounderstand theirplace in the world
and the role thatthey can play inprotecting
theenvironment.
We
encourage
our children tolearn how to beenvironmentally
responsible and we empower them to make adifference.
Current research confirms that experiences inthe early years help establish lifelong behaviour
and values, and this reinforces the reason why
sustainability education plays a key role in our
curriculum framework. Unfortunately, connecting
children with nature is not something that happens
easily these days, with television and video games

all reducing outdoor time for ourchildren.
At EtonHouse, we engage ourchildreninenvironmentallysensitive practices. One way
we do this is by inviting children
to plant their own garden.
Gardening gives children theexperience of being in nature andtaking care of living things. It is aninteractive environment wherechildrenmeaningfully
learn the interconnections
between plants, animals andpeople.
Gardening allows children to:• Explore questions andenhance children’s curiosity:
What do worms do in agarden?

• Gain patience as they
have to watch and wait
for the seed to grow andchange• Improve fine motor
skills and eye-handcoordination• Reinforce Math skillsbycomparingandcontrasting plants

Think: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle
EtonHouse @ Times Square, Chengdu
by Georgina Iraheta, PYP Coordinator
At
EtonHouse
Times
Residence
Chengdu,the Year 1 students
areexploringthetransdisciplinary
theme:“Sharing the Planet” withthe central idea: “People
can make choices tosupport the sustainability of
the Earth’s resources”. The
teachers worked together
to design provocations
that would encourage
students to think about theinterdependence between
nature and humans as wellas individual responsibility
to take care of the resourcethat we share with allliving things. The children

Yechan Recycling

children have placed recycling boxes for paper,
showed great enthusiasm andplastic and glass. This way children understandturned that into concrete actions:that individual choices of reduce; reuse andafter learning about the impact
recycle have an impact on the environment.
that the production of energy
has on the quality of air,children started a “Save
Energy”
campaign
around the school. They
went around monitoringthat the lights wereturned off if they were
not needed. In themusic class, children
learned to make musicalinstruments out of milk
cartons. That way, theyturned something thatwas otherwise a waste Mark Showing us how to Year 1 Student Switching off the Lights
into a useful tool. In make a Musical Instrument
their own classrooms, with Recycling Materials-9-

E ton Hou se in China/ J ap an

Our New Remida
EtonHouse @ Hong Kongby Allison Banbury, Principal EtonHouse Tai Tam
When creating an
atelier within our
new campus we
decided to allocate
space to a remida(recycling
centre).
We wanted to gather
materials whose use
and meaning could
be re-invented by
the children andteachers, and todevelop the idea thatwaste materials canbecome a valuable resource within the school.

resources form thebasis of our remida atpresent.
The teachers havealready begun to
use the materials toresource the learning
experiences
they
are creating, including the creationof a sensory corner for use by our
Playgroup children.
As

well

as

providingresources

to develop ourenvironmentasthe third teacher,
the remida is being
set up in a way that will enable children to accessmaterials for their projects.
We hope that the school and wider community will
support the development of our remida throughdonations. These will enable the children andstaff to be resourced with materials though which
they can communicate their thoughts and ideas ina creative and ideas in creative and meaningfulways.

The remida is a project through which we canpromote environmental responsibility. As a
new school we were fortunate enough to haveremnants of the building materials used during
its refurbishment. The delivery of new equipment
provided us with a range of packaging of all
shapes, sizes and types of material. These

Environmental Responsibility in a High Density Urban
Environment
EtonHouse @ Japanby Angela Pitzpatrick, Principal

sandpit….)

Coming from a country like New
Zealand where space, nature andfreedom to play are taken for granted, it
is difficult to comprehend that children
raised in highly urbanised cities likeTokyo do not have free access tonature or similar understanding of their
responsibilities in relation to nature.
Schools are often located in the heartof the city, in high rise buildings andwith little or no outdoor area.
Often creating a relationship with
Proposed new outdoor area for EtonHouse Tokyo
nature is put into the “too hard” basket,
but it doesn’t take a lot to spark children’s curiosity.
a mini garden, hanging honey coated pine cones
It is the teacher’s responsibility to think outside of
to attract local birds, recycled plastic bottles as
the box to bring nature into play spaces. This canhanging planters, truck tyres filled with sand forbe as simple as a car tyre filled with dirt to createsand play (in fact don’t be afraid to try an indoor- 10 -

It is also important to make children
aware of the environmental impactof the resources they use, such as
using recycled paper for making paper
planes instead of new paper, as many
children raised in urban cities areunaware of the primary source of paperand how this impacts on our greater
environment and the animals that live
within it.
At EtonHouse Tokyo we are currently
redeveloping our outdoor area tohelp our children gain a deeper understanding of
nature.

E ton Hous e in Ind onesia/ Cambod ia

Treasure Our Trash
EtonHouse @ Jakarta
by Chris Hartman, Vice Principal and K2 teacher
Working together with parents,
we have set up a recycling center
where the children can get all sorts
of materials for their artwork. The
children are also free to experimentwith all kinds of materials in all thedifferent learning centers in andaround our school. As they work andplay together, the children become
more aware of the effects of theirown actions on their environments.

Jakarta is not a city
known for its luscious andabundant parks and someof its residents discard
rubbish as soon as theycan, not taking into account
whether it is the proper
place for it. In our school,
we make caring for one’s
environment a great issueduring discussions andreflections. We do our
Recycling center

Rooted hibiscus cutting

Trash and flooding

best
to
help
children realizethat they havea responsibility
to care for theirenvironment. We
also try our best
to make surethat this senseof responsibility
does not stopat the school’s

exit. Instead we try
to inspire a feeling ofwanting to care for
their world as a whole.
Children’s
thinking
grows on a daily
basis. It is therefore
important to inspire asense of care for theenvironment as earlyas possible.
Treasure our trash

Encounters With Nature
EtonHouse @ Cambodia
by Kaithri, Principal“It is not the language of painters but the languageof nature which one should listen to…The feeling forthe things themselves, for reality, is more important
than the feeling for pictures.” – Vincent van GoghAt EtonHouse Phnom Penh, the importance ofsustainability has initiated with awareness andpositive behaviors to appreciate encounters withnature.
Here are some examples of our children
displaying awareness of our natural surroundings
and demonstrating
responsibility
towards caring forour environment.
The song – “It is a
WonderfulWorld”
by Louis Armstrong,inspired our children
to engage in creative

music and movement. During
discussion, they demonstrated
a keen interest particularly
towards plants, trees andflowers, Sydney commented,“Let’s go outside” to say thankyou to trees”. Extending upon
their suggestion, we went
outdoors to say thank you tothe various elements present
within our beautiful mothernature.
Sarah: I want to say thank you the tree
for giving me foodRashid: The leaves smell so good, so I
say thank you
After several class discussions, children
have decided to design a tree house toextend their thinking. They will continue- 11 -

to connect and build
relationships with thenatural world, based on
appreciation and respect
for our ‘Wonderful World’
as inspired by the song.
Teachershave
also
designed inviting andpurposefullearning
spaces, embracing theuse of natural materials.
These materials havethe potential to draw the children and encourage
exploration, to enhance learning and discovery.
The children have also taken the initiative totake care of plants around the school – to waterthem regularly and to remove dead leaves too.
As children encounter the marvels of nature’s
creation from an early age and nurture their innate
curiosity, their love for life long learning begins too.

E ton House in Malaysia/ Ind ia

Environment as a Third Teacher
EtonHouse @ Malaysia
by Claire Elizabeth Blake, Principal
Beginning on the path ofReggio-inspired practice hastaught me many lessons. I
have visited schools around thecountry and had reinforced timeafter time the idea that what
we believe about children isvisible in the choices we makewithin our schools. Nowhereis this more evident than in
the environment. The choices
about the environment wecreate also link directly to theplay and learning in individualclassrooms and schools. As partof the educational experience,

we can render a great
influence on the how andwhy of the actual play thatis enacted, and curriculum
engaged, by virtue ofthe choices we make inconstructing these spaces.
It is for these reasonsthat the environment is awonderfully concrete place
to begin asking educators
to look at what they arecommunicating
about
how they view children.
EtonHouse
Malaysia
creates environments thatare intentional. The organisation of our physicalenvironment is crucial in our early childhood
programme. Classrooms capture the attentionof both adults and children through the use of
mirrors, light tables, photographs and children’swork. Spaces inform and engage the viewer andcarefully draw attention to the aesthetic features
within it.

Environment and Relationships
EtonHouse @ India
It is important to teachchildren that everything
on this earth is interrelated
and how their actions
affect the well-being of
the environment. It is ourconstant endeavour toinstill in children a senseof responsibility towards
our environment.
At Vivero Powai, Mumbai
children are encouraged
to keep their immediatesurroundings clean. As
a part of this initiative,
they were taken on a cleanup drive in the vicinityof the school. Children collected fallen twigs,

leaves,flowers
and stones. They
were also taught
the right manner ofdisposingwaste,
bysegregatingit.
Childrenalsointeracted with thecleaner who keeps
the school premisesclean and thanked
him for his efforts.
While
in
ViveroJubilleeHills,
Hyderabad the arrivalof some pets was greeted with much excitement
and frenzy. Anatole France has rightly said “Until

one has lovedananimal,
a
part
of
one’s
soul
remains
unawakened”.
The rabbits andbirds
garnereda lot of attention
and children wereseen talking to thebirds and feeding
the rabbits. It wasalso heartening
to see children
bring
in
food
especially for our
furry friends. It
was observed that interacting closely with animals
helped develop children’s social, emotional andcognitive skills and promoted caring for anotherbeing and sensitivity towards animals.
Such activities encourage children to develop an
empathetic relationship with the environment.

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