At YWCA Canberra, we are passionate about helping children learn to be respectful and empathetic to the living world. That’s why all our childhood education and care services incorporate sustainable practices in both their processes and learning programs.

At our Spence Children’s Cottage, the educators have recently been teaching children about the impact of pollution and how we can reduce it through recycling. This education focused on the ‘three Rs’: reduce, reuse and recycle.

Spence’s resident gardener, Shoma, shared her composting experience with the children. The team then put theory into practice using food scraps. The children loved rummaging through the scraps and dividing them into what could be composted and what needed to go into the bin.

Once the children had a clean pile for the compost, Shoma guided them step-by-step on the process of layering the compost in the bin.

In line with the sustainability theme, the Spence team used recyclable products like plastic water bottles as the children’s DIY compost bins. Another benefit of using clear bottles is that the children can observe the process of the food scraps turning into usable compost soil over the coming months.

The Spence team then educated the children on what can be recycled and the recycling process after it is placed in the bin. The children were very engaged and asked lots of questions, demonstrating their understanding that it is important to recycle every day.

The children at Spence are already showing improvements in choosing bins when putting rubbish away, as well as being comfortable with approaching educators when they’re unsure to ask, “Which bin for this?”