Healthy exercises or class activities would be arranged. Assignments would be given to the students like:
�Talk about the problems that you see in your own environment with your friends, family and teachers� �Make an action plan on how you can improve your environment and write a report in eight weeks time about the changes u see around you.�
� Gardens and Nature area�s.
The need to re plant through out the world is great but in Karachi it is even more. The geographical position of Karachi makes its soil suitable for a very few kinds of plants. The weather as well is not suitable for most of the plants. Being a coastal city it is best for plants like Palms, Coconut trees and other ever green plants.
The lack of plants in the city is very obvious. Gopec plans to start a project in the local schools. This project is to develop gardens and nature areas with in the school boundaries or any empty lot near the school.
� The idea behind the project.
The idea behind this is to create awareness among the children as well as the teachers about how important plants are and what role they play in our lives. We rarely ever consider the effect a garden has on a growing child. There are other influences, which mould the personality, but we should not neglect the effects of gardens, plants and nature on the child�s personality. There is something in plants, which speaks to us. Just a mere glimpse of flowers freshens us up and this happens for children as well. For this, children should get a chance to interact with the plants around them. Unless he/she can touch it, feel it, he/she would not feel involved with the plants.
For this reason, Gopec plans to start this plantation project with in the school boundaries. Most of the day of a school going child is spent in the school.
� What would be better than letting the children be around the plants they plant with their own hands, take care of them and get in touch with mother nature.
� They can study the butterflies which comes on the flowers and the birds which come on the bird feeders. These would be their butterflies and their birds Gopec wants the children to develop interest in things, which are healthy for them and the planet on the whole.
� We want the schools to introduce a subject about plants and soil types basically dealing with gardening. We intend to provide the schools with the teaching material and train the teachers or otherwise find volunteers who are in the field.
The major features of this project would be:
� Identification, Use and care of tools Soil.
What is it? Observe and compare the color, texture and drainage of clay, loam, sand and potting soil. What is a good growing soil for seeds, seedlings and garden plants?
� Plant and Flower Parts.
(As much as possible, use garden grown plants). Indicate the important function of each of the parts of the plant. Using hand lens, identify the various flower parts. Explain the function of each of the flower parts. Observe the colors of the various parts and the number of petals, sepals, stamens, etc.
� Basic Needs of Plants .
The necessities for successful growing of plants, either in pots or garden soil: light/darkness, water, heat/cold, nutrients, space.
� Plant Diversity and Adaptation.
Discuss how plants change to meet their needs, how color, shape and position. Indicate the importance of plant diversity in relation to both plants and animals.
� Pre-cycle, Re-use and Re-cycle Define terms.
Explain the food cycle from single celled microbes, plants, and animals to humans to food garbage.
� Care of Plants.
Discussion of the most important reason that plants fail to thrive. Generally, is it as simple as over watering or under watering.
We intend to divide students in groups. Each group would not have more than six (6) students so that the group in-charge would be able to attend to all of them completely.
After the plantation would be done, each child would Adopt a Plant from the ones planted and that plant would be his responsibility. This nature area would become the open classroom for this class. The children would be able to observe the various levels the plants go through practically, the levels the butterflies, and other insects go through which would be attracted to the plants.
Experienced gardeners would supervise the children and tell them how things are done.
We intend to organize some activities to motivate the children. The activities planned are as follows:
- The children would draw the various stages of the plants.
- Make reports on what they learn.
- Write poems about their garden etc.