The Borneo Nature Foundation (BNF) Education Team provide worksheets with different environmental themes every month for BNF’s Nature Club called Anak Sebangau (Children of Sebangau). The worksheet is part of a weekly pack distributed to the children, as outdoor activities cannot be held due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This activity has been running since July 2020 and was initiated as an effort to continue environmental education for children in the Kereng Bangkirai Village, Palangka Raya City.
The themes of the package include the biodiversity of the Sebangau National Park peat-swamp forest, primates, threats to forests and the environment, threats of fire and smoke, solutions to threats, and green lifestyles. The worksheets are arranged in a fun and engaging format so the children are happy to learn.
Currently, there are 26 children who regularly receive weekly environmental education packages from BNF. The Education Team have distributed the packs each week, with a holiday break in December. Start from January 2021, the pack includes more diverse environmental themes and worksheets.
Understand environmental themes
The children who receive the weekly pack conduct the work provided, then the Education Team collect the worksheets the following week to analyse the children’s understanding of the environmental themes given, and to help develop the next worksheet.
For example, in August 2020, the Team prepared worksheets under the theme of primates, including a crossword puzzle about the characteristics of different primates in the Sebangau National Park peat-swamp forest. The results of the worksheet analysis are as follows:
From this simple analysis, it is evident that most children have knowledge about the characteristics of the seven primates in the Sebangau National Park (orangutan, gibbon, red langur, slow loris, tarsier, long-tailed macaque, proboscis monkey). However, around 45% of the children are not able to recognize the red langur based on their characteristics.
After checked and analysed the worksheets, the team are returned to the children with feedback and corrections provided for the incorrect answers.
To recognise the effort and time the children put into these education packs, the Education Team provide a stamp for each task submitted and reward the children who complete all worksheets in the month. Educational toys and reading books are given as gifts to support the children’s development, as well as masks and vitamins to jointly prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
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