By: Sani Firmansyah & Natalia Trita Agnika

Today is the first day of school for students after a short vacation. They have done various activities to fill the vacation. Some visited family, some played at tourist attractions, and some stayed at home. One of the interesting school vacation activities that can increase love for the environment is done by some people by visiting Bumi Panda, as done by 29 children last Tuesday (28/06).

Accompanied by their parents and mentors, the children filled their school vacations with various interesting activities at WWF-Indonesia's environmental education house. Before the activities began, they gathered in the Experience Room to listen to information about Bumi Panda and get acquainted with the facilitators who will accompany them during the activities.

The first activity was the "Trash Pick-Up Movement". Two small groups picked up trash outside the buildings around Bumi Panda. From the garbage that had been picked up, they were given an explanation about the difference between organic waste, non-organic waste, and how to sort it. The activity also opened their eyes to the fact that many people still litter. The facilitators provided information about the negative impact of littering.

The activity continued in Species Room with the introduction of endangered animals that are the focus of WWF-Indonesia's work. The children were very active in answering every question asked by the facilitator. They were already familiar with each protected species; why they are endangered, why we should protect them, and how we can protect them from extinction. "One of the easiest things we can do is by not throwing plastic waste when playing at the beach. If the trash is thrown carelessly to the beach, it can be eaten by the animals that live in it, one of which is sea turtles," explained Fina, a volunteer Bumi Panda.

Like a role-playing vacation, children who visit Bumi Panda can also act as little scientists by examining the water in the Water Laboratory. They donned lab coats and hats and saw first-hand the various bacteria contained in water samples. The children were amazed to see animals moving on the LCD screen connected to the microscope. They were also quite active in asking what they could do so that the water in their neighborhood could be clean and suitable for consumption.

The last activity they did was watching an animated movie called "Tiger Hunter". The children were enthusiastic about watching this movie. Some laughed because of the funny behavior of the hunter, but some were scared because of the sound of the tiger in the movie. The second animated movie showed the effects of environmental damage caused by humans. While the third film they watched showed the similarities between the behavior of humans and animals. The last film was also able to make them realize that destroying the environment is not good behavior.

After the visit, the children went home with happy faces. But most importantly, this school vacation they became more concerned and love the environment. They are also ready to enter school with new knowledge about the environment.