Being a little island, Singapore is surrounded by water. As a small country, we have little resources such as clean water for consumption and natural fuel to create energy(electricity).
The children were excited as they saw the ‘ticks’ displayed on the wall. When asked about the whereabouts of these’ticks’ in their homes, they were able to name some appliances such as washing machines and air-conditioners. This shows that the children are aware of the existence of these ‘ticks’. Through the talk, the children learnt about the meaning of these ‘ticks.’ (More ticks= more water/energy efficiency) More surprises awaited as they tried the motion sensor motor fans which started to spin whenever they placed their hands near them.
As a low-lying island, the rise in sea level poses the immediate threat to Singapore. As such, the children were taught about the need to reduce climate change. Singapore has undertaken two National Climate Change studies. It was found that Singapore is at risk of experiencing global sea level rise , higher temperatures and more extreme rainfalls.
Back in school, we covered our ‘Current Affair’ lesson using a newspaper article that described a polar bear that wandered into the city area of Moscow. Apparently, the polar bear was lost as it had watery eyes and could clearly not see well. Climate change has been damaging polar bears’ sea-ice habitats and forced them to scavenge for more food on land, bringing them into contact with people and inhabited areas. The children gave a lot of comments about the probability of the insufficient fishes in the cold sea due to the melting ice. They were also able to make their own hypothesis as to why the ice is melting. Some of the reason was due to the rise in global warming. Some suggestions of ways to reduce global warming were also collated from the children. Somehow, they were able to link global warming to the disruption in our ecosystem.
To add fun to the topic of saving water, the children were treated to a trip to the Lower Seletar Reservoir on one of the days. It was within walking distance from our school and they were having a great time jumping from one rock to another using their bare feet. The kids were also introduced to this water park which was created by Public Utilities Board for the enjoyment of the public.
