Kindergarten Trip To Refillable

Kindergarten students had the opportunity to engage in a field trip to Refillables Hanoi, one of our UNIS community members.

The purpose of the trip was to engage our five senses while also reigniting our commitment to sustainability and the reduction of single use plastic. Students took part in a hands-on activity and made a delicious and healthy snack using a variety of ingredients available in the store. Students each received a glass jar to store their muesli snack which can be refilled and reused multiple times. 

Store owner, Michael, spoke of his passion for sustainable solutions and the importance of educating and sharing this information with others. As a grade level community, Kindergarten students are committed to refilling and reusing the glass jars which they received on this field trip with their own snack items each day.

A Meaningful Week of SDG Exploration 

The Kindergarten children are spending the SDG week delving into 6 different SDGs and thinking about how they can make a difference. 

Focusing on SDG 13 - Climate Action, students discussed the arctic polar bears and how the ice is melting, and their homes are becoming ruined, due to global warming. They then thought about what differences they can make at home? 

The students then looked at what happens to the animals and plants under the sea when the salt level changes (SDG 14 - Life below Water)? What happens to the pollution and oils that have spilled into the oceans? What can they do to help?

A group of Kindergartners explored SDG 16 - Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions. They made paper doves and wrote messages of peace and kindness on them.

The group also talked about SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being and the things they need to keep their bodies and minds healthy. After the discussion, students went on and did a Thich Nhat Hanh Pebble Meditation while learning about mindfulness. 

Using the lens of deforestation and impact on animal life through loss of habitat, Kindergarten students who looked at SDG 15 - Life on Land, developed empathy for the welfare of Earth's forests and the animals that depend on them for their survival.  

Finally, the group learnt about SDG 12 - Responsible Production and Consumption. They discovered what happened with waste around the world, what they could do at home and in the community to minimize waste, what can be recycled at home and how people sort their trash?

Kindergarten Create Collective SDG Artwork Using Recycled Materials

During SDG Week, Kindergarten has been looking at texture in their art lessons and focusing on SDG 12. They brought playdough they had made at home and recycled materials to Zoom to recreate a collective SDG artwork. 

 

 

 

 

 

Reduce Single Use Plastic With Refill O'day

Refill O’day is a student initiative that aims to reduce the amount of plastic waste generated by our community. With the support of the UNIS Impact Fund, the student group provides a service where community members can refill household items, using their home brought reused containers. The students buy the soap in large containers and quantities that they will make sure to get recycled. This is cheaper, saves plastic as well as minimizes pollution from transportation.

Starting from Monday, December 7, 2020 anyone in the UNIS Hanoi community can bring their used containers to refill their hand soap. There are two stations at the front and back gate of the school. The cost of 100ml of Life Buoy is 10,000 VND. All money collected will be used for continuing the refill cycle. Every time you choose to refill, that is one bottle you are saving from polluting our planet.

 

 

Holiday Book Swap

To help Middle School students get ready for a relaxing Winter break, on December 18 during lunch time, the MS Sustainability Club and Library hosted a Book Swap where students were able to bring in their books from home to exchange with other students! 

The event was a great success with over 40 students representing all MS grades coming to enjoy some hot cocoa and sweets before selecting a gently used book to enjoy over break. 

Everyone left with a great book (or books) to cozy up and read over the two week break with a cup of tea/hot cocoa (we even had tea bags & chocolate for students to take home with their new book). Students were happy to see other students fall in love with the books they brought, and the Sustainability Club was thrilled to bring so many people together in supporting sustainable consumption & production, as well as take care of our community’s well-being!! 

 

Middle School Student Taking Responsible Consumption & Production in Design Classes

Before heading to Cúc Phương National Park for the trip week, Grade 6 student will be shown examples of products that were made last year to sell at the WinterFest Fundraiser. On their trip, they will be asked to think about what eco-friendly products they can make this year to raise awareness about the animals they encountered at the Endangered Primary Rescue Center.

Meanwhile, in the Middle School Exploratory iBlock, the students look at repairing & re-using. Students develop skills in repairing items that would otherwise end up in landfill. They will upcycle/adapt waste material and produce functioning artefacts. The group also acquire first hand the planned obsolescence manufactures design into their products to make it almost impossible to repair. 

Upcycle / reuse: Bedside shelving with a suitcase

Upcycle / reuse: Cat bed from old car tyre

Upcycle / reuse: Hanging wall lamp from a skateboard deck