At HSY, we offer a wide range of free environmental education materials and lessons aimed at kindergartens, comprehensive schools and upper secondary schools. Their aim is to teach children and young people environmentally friendly everyday skills and help them understand the impact of their own actions on the environment.
We organise lessons in Finnish and Swedish for three different age groups: early childhood education and the first two grades of primary education, grades 3–6 and upper secondary schools, and upper secondary education. The lessons are carried out by our partner Environmental school Polku, which operates under the Helsinki Metropolitan Area Reuse Centre.
The lessons support the environmental education of kindergartens and schools and the objectives of the curricula. The key themes of the lessons are recycling, the circular economy, drinking water and the protection of the Baltic Sea. We have designed the environmental education lessons to suit the age level of the participants, and the lessons also offer exercises and activities.
The lessons for early childhood education and the first two grades of primary education aim to awaken children’s interest in the environment and sustainable development in a playful and practical way. The lessons for grades 3–6, upper secondary schools and upper secondary education focus more deeply on the circular economy, the consumption of natural resources and a sustainable lifestyle.
We organise lessons both indoors and outdoors so that children and young people can explore the environment, strengthen their relationship with nature and develop their environmental awareness. In the lessons, we use a wide range of different learning methods, such as group exercises, games and discussions, which encourage the participants to reflect on their own consumption habits and their impact on the environment.
We offer groups of pupils and students opportunities to visit Sortti Stations and the wastewater treatment plant. The visits provide concrete information and experiences on the treatment and utilisation of our waste.
