By: Putri Nidyaningsih

Residents of Pemerihan Village, which borders the Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park (TNBBS) in Lampung, are usually excited by the arrival of wild elephants. However, this time, it was a car with a Panda logo that came and caused a stir. Yes, on September 20, 2014, WWF-Indonesia in collaboration with the Penyala Lampung community and TNBBS educated the students of SDN 1 Pemerihan in an entertaining way.

Since morning, the car has been parked in the school yard. Books and various equipment were taken out of it. A number of students were curious. Not a few of them peeked from the classroom window. After class, around 10:00 a.m., all students gathered on the school field.

"Come on, line up neatly," said Kak Dwie. The children lined up in an orderly manner. "When you say 'Hello!', the younger siblings answer 'Hi!'," explained Kak Virda. The students cheerfully greeted the older siblings who accompanied them.

Virda and Dwie were two of a number of volunteers from the Penyala community, an Indonesian lit library movement in Lampung who were involved in the day's activities. WWF-Indonesia Lampung Program initiated the activity that aimed to share knowledge, conservation messages, and fun to the students of SDN 1 Pemerihan. The teachers helped and assisted. In fact, even the Principal and Vice Principal did not want to be left behind to accompany them.

Activities included coloring, mobile library, watching movies, and 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) activities. The students were divided into several classes, including Coloring Class, Reading Class, Movie Class, and Waste Play Class. The lower grade students were invited to color and watch movies, while the higher grade students were invited to read and be creative with waste.

About 30 lower grade students enthusiastically colored pictures of animals. Some students colored while standing on the wall, while others colored on the floor. After finishing, they showed the results of their work. A student named Tri colored a rhino picture with unique colors. The ears are blue and purple, the horn is green and black, and the legs are yellow. Although it is not like the real color of the animal, the volunteers really appreciate Tri's imagination, courage, and confidence.

Meanwhile, students from the higher grades got creative in the Waste Play Class. They transformed plastic waste into various items. From plastic cups of bottled water, students were taught to make flowers. Miyati, a WWF-Indonesia staff, was the facilitator of the class. The students who were divided into several groups seemed eager to follow her directions. An accompanying teacher also learned to make plastic flowers.

"It turns out that waste can be reused. We have never made a craft like this. This is new knowledge for me," said Nurhaida, a teacher from SDN 1 Pemerihan who accompanied the Waste Play Class. During the session, the group that worked the fastest and neatest got a prize from WWF-Indonesia.

The day's educational activities were organized in commemoration of World Rhino Day and received positive appreciation from the school. "We are very happy and welcome activities like this because it adds insight to our students. Hopefully this activity can continue to be carried out and sustainable," said Sudirman, Coconut School of SDN 1 Pemerihan.