By: Lukita Ayu Permata (Volunteer Panda Mobile)

In commemoration of Heroes' Day on 10/11, Putik School in Ceger, East Jakarta invited WWF-Indonesia's Panda Mobile to educate children about nature conservation. This activity aims to introduce children to the importance of protecting the environment and animal conservation.

The Panda Mobile activity began with storytelling presented by Kak Mia. "We must throw garbage in its place. If we don't, the garbage will accumulate. Besides causing disease, it is also dangerous for nature. An example is the turtle that died because it ate plastic waste," said Kak Mia during the storytelling. The students listened to Kak Mia's story carefully.

Next, the students were invited to watch a movie on the Panda Mobile truck. They watched a movie about various conservation efforts carried out by WWF-Indonesia. "Sis, why does WWF protect animals?" asked Denis, a 5th grade student. "Because by protecting animals, we can maintain the balance of nature. For example, if there are no more Sumatran tigers, maybe the number of wild boars will increase and can interfere with agriculture," replied Lukita, one of Panda Mobile's volunteers.

Taking the momentum of Hero's Day, WWF-Indonesia's Panda Mobile invites students to become environmental heroes. One way is to care about the environment around them, including the availability of clean water. Therefore, the students were invited to observe water and introduced to the water cycle and the benefits of water for life. By using Panda Mobile's water education laboratory facilities, the introduction to water was more interesting. "Does anyone know where water comes from?" asked Annisa, a Panda Mobile volunteer. "Water comes from the sea which evaporates due to sunlight, turns into clouds then rain and is absorbed by the soil. Finally we get water from wells, rivers, and others" answered Ines, a 6th grade student convincingly. The introduction to the water cycle was followed by observing water using a microscope to look at the bacteria found in water.

WWF-Indonesia's Panda Mobile activity at Putik School was also filled with an introduction to endangered animals, such as sea turtles and Sumatran tigers through cricket games. Through an interesting game packaging, the students can find out the characteristics of these animals. "Thank you WWF-Indonesia Panda Mobile for visiting our school. With this momentum (Hero's Day), we hope that the students can become heroes for their environment and can support the conservation efforts carried out by WWF-Indonesia," said Lia, one of the teachers at SD Putik Ceger, East Jakarta.