Bega Valley Shire Council has partnered with Keep Australia Beautiful NSW to deliver the EnviroMentors program – a week of hands-on sustainability workshops in early learning centres and preschools across the shire.
Council's Waste Education Officer, Ms Kruse said the program was designed to teach children simple and practical ways to reduce waste and care for the environment.
"Children got to hold worms, explore composting and learn about which items go in which bin – all through play and hands-on activities," Ms Kruse said.
"Young children are naturally curious and they're more likely to remember what they've learned when it's active and fun. This approach provides the first steps towards developing lifelong habits around reducing waste and protecting the environment."
The EnviroMentors team visited eight early learning centres across the shire, delivering 11 workshops over five days to 227 enthusiastic students.
The two workshops, In The Bin and Garbage to Garden introduced children to the concept of waste and its impacts, and how food scraps can be turned into rich soil through composting and worm farms.
The workshops also sparked ideas for ongoing learning, with some centres integrating the content into their learning programs and encouraging families to continue the conversation at home.
"It's been really inspiring to hear how the learning is continuing well after the workshops," Ms Kruse said.
"We've heard stories of students setting up mock bins to sort their waste, creating worm farms for food scraps and coming up with ideas to make their centres more sustainable. That kind of enthusiasm shows just how powerful early education can be."
The EnviroMentors program complements our ongoing Let's Get It Sorted waste education program, delivered in primary and high schools across the shire.
The Let's Get It Sorted program is run in partnership with the Bournda Environmental Education Centre. For more information visit Council's website.
