With sustainability being the buzzword now, many companies are requesting for eco-friendly ideas for their kids@work corporate events.
Having organised events like the Guinness Book of Records for the Largest Piece of Recycled Paper, when I was a chairperson for NUSSU SAVE, I hope to share some cool ideas which are interesting for the kids as well as colleagues in your company.
Here are some ideas on sustainability for your Kids@work corporate events.
These activities can be adapted to suit different types of parties or gatherings. Remember to align them with the sustainability values of your event and encourage participation and engagement from your guests.
Decorate using trash or biodegradable balloons
Be creative and recycle things around you to decor the space.
Do not use helium as there is a world shortage of helium gas. Instead use biodegradable balloons and these can be also given away to kids at the end of the day for a 2nd lease of life!
Planting or Terrarium Workshop:
Host a workshop on sustainable gardening or indoor plant care.
For Mr Bottle’s Kids Party, we also teach the science behind the plants, like respiration and photosynthesis so they learn the ‘why’ we are doing this.
Our terrarium workshop includes plants, soil, pebbles, decorative items and others. Participants also learn about the open and closed systems for the terrarium. We use plants that are hardy and easy to grow so children will be encouraged to continue taking care of them.
For planting workshops, children can decorate the pots first, before planting their own seeds.
Sustainable Fashion Show:
You can organise a swap flea market in which you can bring clothes which your kids have outgrown or old clothes that you do not wear anymore.
To make it exciting, organize a fashion show where everyone can showcase sustainable and upcycled clothing.
Collect natural materials like leaves and pinecones at your nature walks and let kids create nature-inspired crafts such as leaf rubbings, pinecone animals, or seashell jewelry.
Encourage creativity and promote sustainable fashion choices.
If your company is a fashion company, this will be perfect for your kids@work event!
Flea Market or a swap party
You can also host a clothing, book, or toy swap where everyone can bring items they no longer need and exchange them with others.
Recycling Games and Activities
Create games using recycled materials, such as a bottle cap toss or a cardboard box maze. Let kids unleash their imagination and have fun with these eco-friendly activities.
Eco-Art Workshop:
Arrange an art and craft workshop using recycled materials. Provide various materials such as cardboard, bottle caps, toilet cores and old magazines, and encourage guests to create unique artwork or crafts. Start collecting them a few months before the event to create awareness!
There are so many eco-friendly art workshops so the list is endless! Here are some suggestions:
- Recycled bottle workshops – ask the kids to paint them and repurpose them into pencil cases, flower pots or night lights.
- Paper Wallet paper – Convert your old paper bags into hip paper wallets.
- Pencil Holder – A useful item to make!
- Roly Poly Toy – We love this roly poly toy and created a download for this for Chinese New Year! It uses just a core of a masking tape and you can adapt this to any season.
- Make carnival games – Convert your old egg trays and cardboard boxes into carnival games! Ask the kids to run the activities to raise funds for charity or any green organisation.
Nature Scavenger Hunt:
Organize a scavenger hunt in a park or garden where kids can search for natural items like leaves, rocks, or feathers.
Teach them about the importance of nature and biodiversity.
You can also organise a beach clean-up with a scavenger hunt twist to look for trash on the beach! Teach everyone how each type of rubbish affects our eco-system and what we can do to reduce these.
Go on a Nature Walk or Hike
Singapore has actually a lot of greenery to offer! Organize a guided nature walk or hike in a nearby park or nature reserve. Make it fun for the kids by having an iSpy game, a treasure hunt or even a beach clean-up!
My personal favourites are:
- Rail Corridor – This trail has a lot of history and a few amazing nature parks along the way. This makes it a perfect place for a “treasure hunt.“
- Sungei Buloh Nature Park – One of the few places where you can easily spot crocodiles and amazing wild animals!
- Thomson Nature Park – Nparks has preserved the Hainan Village which I think makes an amazing story!
- Singapore Botanics Gardens – The garden is HUGE! That makes it a perfect place for everyone to run around.
Educate children about the local ecosystem, flora, and fauna, and promote a connection with the natural world.
Have an eco-friendly Picnic by using reusable or biodegradable plates, cups, and utensils. Teach kids about reducing waste and the importance of cleaning up after themselves.
However, just be prepared and have a wet weather programme!
Have a magic show or puppet show with environmental messages
Mr Bottle has a Green Magic Show in which he teaches children about the 3Rs and sustainability.
He is passionate about environmental issues and hence he created this show to spread this message.
Get a Videobooth
Get a 360 booth instead of a photobooth – Since there is no printout, just a QR code to download the video, it is a more environmentally option for everyone.
Participants can also upload the video to your social media immediately.
Break a Singapore record
I remembered in our student days, internet was a relatively new thing. We have to look up the records on books, websites, references to ensure that our record is current.
We threw out other ideas like largest aluminum can structure, before deciding on the Largest piece of recycled paper challenge.
Why do we want to do this? Being “green” then wasn’t cool at all. I had a vision of creating fun activities for people my age so they can understand about saving the environment.
Now, it is relatively easier to do this in this information technology age. This activity is a great way to create awareness and team bonding among your colleagues and family.
