East Durham Rural Corridor AAP very kindly funded the ‘Plastic Fantastic?’ and ‘Plastic Fantastic? 2′ projects. OASES worked with 8 classes in East Co. Durham, including classes from Sedgefield Primary, Sedgefield Hardwick Primary, Deaf Hill Primary, Cassop Primary, St William’s RCVA Primary in Trimdon. The project merged the nationally recognised John Muir Award with increased awareness of the issues surrounding single-use plastic.
The work in school began with a whole school assembly, which was then followed up with practical workshops and outdoor activities at each school and at the school’s chosen off-site location. Through these workshops the children were able to work towards their Discover, Explore, Conserve and Share elements of the John Muir Award. During the project the children learnt to:
- Appreciate their natural environment
- What life was like before single-use plastic
- How to conserve a local wild place (by doing a litter pick)
They also then created sculptures out of waste plastic, which were then displayed at the school along with other elements of their project work. These sculptures and associated information boards enabled the children to pass on their knowledge about the problems with single-use plastic to other pupils, staff and visitors to the school. Plastic Fantastic? concluded with final showcase assemblies in each school. At these assemblies the children presented to fellow pupils, staff and (in some schools) parents, what they had learnt through the project and what they pledged to do as a result.
