SSDB Launch Party at Twinklekidz @ Bendemeer

Twinklekidz @ Bendemeer held their SSDB Launch Party on 6 May 2021. Their SSDB Project, titled “Project S.T.A.R”, can be broken down into three phases - “Start a Compost”, “Thrive to Grow” And “Reach out to the Community”. Project S.T.A.R is inspired by the children. They have been learning about Weather, Nature, Natural Disasters and Climate Change. While discussing these topics, they became curious about what they can do to lessen the effects of climate change. With the realisation that substantial amounts of food waste were being thrown away on a regular basis, they started to consider the idea of composting to create a zero waste lifestyle.

“Composting is one way to give back, and it's an important way”, stated Miss Czarina. Composting is nature's way of breaking down biodegradable materials to form a rich soil. “The thing about composting is that even if you live in the city, you can compost too! It's great for the environment and helps reduce waste like food scraps that heads to our landfills”, Miss Czarina added.

Prior to the launch, the children worked on gathering the dry materials like dry leaves, soil and twigs while the teachers worked on shredding and blending the food scraps into smaller pieces. During the launch, the children excitedly scooped out the browns and greens before rolling or shaking the bottle of mixture. Thereafter, the children would have to check, shake and snap photos of the compost daily for 2 to 3 months!

Composting is easy. The children can gather green and brown materials at home or from school and use it to compost. It is a shared responsibility to care for the environment and protect the planet. Once the compost is ready to be used, the school will ask their building management for a lot in the garden for them to plant vegetables and fruits like mint, chilli and lime, using the compost to enrich the soil. Twinklekidz @ Bendemeer will also be collaborating with NParks for this gardening project. After harvesting the crops, the centre will reach out to elderly homes and orphanages to either donate the harvest or the compost to encourage the people from the community to grow some fruits and vegetables.

Thank you Twinklekidz @ Bendemeer for the interview and photos, and we look forward to seeing the matured compost in two to three months’ time!