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The Eco-Schools
Programme
Complementing Preschools Own Goals
On the plains, just over ten kilometers north of Enköping, in the old Society House between
the fields and the forest, is where Härnevi Preschool is located.
“We have such great environment here – for free. It is so nice. We have to show how to
take good care of what we have around us,” says the teacher Vivi-Anne Granlund.
TEXT AND PHOTO OLA JACOBSEN
härnevi preschool started working
with Eco-Schools theme of Lifestyles and
Health one year ago.
“Through the Com-U project the Keep
Sweden Tidy Foundation offered a free
EU environmental policy course. It turned
out not to be difficult at all. We were
afraid it would mean extra work, but as
it turned out, it was not that difficult to
write this kind of report,” says Vivi-Anne
Granlund.
The Eco-Schools programme report
complemented the goal documents that
the preschools were already working
with. The revised curriculum is also easy
to integrate with the Eco-Schools programme
documentation.
even though härnevi preschool has only
worked with the Eco-Schools programme
for one year, there was already a strong
environmental commitment at the preschool.
“The Eco-Schools programme has not
implied such a big difference for the way
we work with the children. The big difference
is the way we think and talk about
what we are doing, and that we keep better
records of it. We are more aware of
how and why we do what we do. One
of the objectives of the theme Lifestyles
and health is outdoor activities that promote
physical activity. At the Preschool,
they already had a lot of physical activity
outdoors, but with the Eco-Schools programme
in mind, they have become more
aware of what they do and why.”
“Children need a lot of outdoor physi-
cal activity. They have to build up their
bodies to be able to sit still in school later.
It pushes you a little, having to reflect
‘What are we thinking now then?’. With
the Eco-Schools programme, everything
comes together,” says Vivi-Anne Granlund.
She sees many benefits from spending a
lot of time outdoors with the child group.
The spirit of the group improves by outdoor
activities. There are fewer conflicts
when the children have more space.
“The afternoon is a lot calmer if we
have spent the morning outdoors,” says
Vivi-Anne Granlund.
A concrete difference since start of the
work with the theme Lifestyles and health,
within the Eco-Schools programme, is
that the preschool tries to take care of
all catering waste they produce, since
they want to teach the children a healthy
lifestyle.
“We collect the waste under the sink,
and the children helps out filling the compost
bin out on the yard. We have had a
see-through compost container too, so
the children could see clearly what the
worms fed from,” says Vivi-Anne Granlund.
They will use the soil they produce
in the sowing containers by the swings,
where they cultivate tomatoes, squash,
flowers and parsley.
“This spring we will not have to buy
soil, the children will have made their
own,” says Vivi-Anne Granlund. a
Theme/Lifestyles
and health
Among other things, the schools
are working with: eating habits,
physical activity and relaxation,
indoor environment, friendship.
Through their work schools and
preschools help obtaining: The
Swedish Environmental Quality
Goals: A Good Built Environment,
A Non-Toxic Environment,
A Safe Radiation Environment,
Clean Air.
The EU environmental policy:
Environment and Health, Natural
Resources and Waste
school and preschool/inspiration – the keep sweden tidy foundation 15