Powering Sustainability Through Family Partnership - Our Family Day Celebration!

Family Day at MY World @ Simei brought together children from Playgroup (PG) to Kindergarten 2 (K2) and their families for a day of collaborative play, discovery, and sustainability-focused experiences. Through a series of hands-on activities, families explored how recycled materials and renewable energy can be transformed into meaningful learning opportunities, reflecting the SSDB focus on Sustainable Living, Community Partnership, and Environmental Stewardship.

Prior to the event, children began their exploration of renewable energy by bringing home a solar-powered lamp to investigate with their families over the course of a week. Parents and children observed how the lamps were powered by sunlight, discussed the importance of renewable energy, and discovered how solar power can reduce our reliance on non-renewable resources. These shared experiences laid a strong foundation for the Family Day activities, allowing children to arrive with prior knowledge and confidence as they continued their learning alongside their families.

During the event, families visited a range of interactive game booths created using recycled materials such as cardboard, newspapers, and other reusable resources. Through games including bowling and the Newspaper Island Challenge, children experienced how everyday materials could be repurposed into engaging play experiences instead of being discarded. These activities encouraged families to see that sustainability can be simple, creative, and easily incorporated into everyday life.

Families also participated in solar-powered toy workshops where parents and children worked together to assemble toy cars, helicopters, and other solar-powered models. Rather than taking the completed toys home, families contributed them to the preschool’s lending collection, allowing future children and families to borrow them for continued exploration. This collective effort highlighted the value of sharing community resources while extending children’s inquiry into renewable energy beyond the preschool.

Children further applied their understanding through interactive stations featuring the solar-powered toys. At the Sea Clean-Up Challenge, they used fishing rods to remove floating litter from the water, allowing the solar-powered boats and toy fish to move freely while learning how clean environments support both wildlife and sustainable technologies. Families also took part in a solar-powered car race, observing how sunlight provided the energy needed to move the vehicles and engaging in conversations about how renewable energy is used in our daily lives.

The Family Day experience built upon children’s ongoing sustainability learning in school, where recycled materials are regularly incorporated into games, learning provocations, and creative experiences. By introducing solar energy alongside recycling, children developed a broader understanding that caring for the environment involves both reducing waste and exploring cleaner sources of energy. The active involvement of families strengthened this learning, demonstrating that sustainable habits are most meaningful when practised together at home, in school, and within the wider community.

Family Day served as a meaningful celebration of children’s learning while reinforcing that sustainability is a shared journey.