Teachers at a nursery school in Thua Thien Hue have transformed throw-away items into toys to spur their pupil’s creativity and environmental awareness.
Children are very happy with new toys
Thuy Duong Nursery School in Huong Thuy Township encourages teachers and people to produce new toys for children through the use of waste materials.
Deputy Principal Le Thi Chanh, said the concept was driven by the desperate shortage of toys available to local children, a problem exacerbated by recent price rises.
The school began the project in 1993, according to School Principal Phung Thi Anh Hong.
“The core purpose of the project is to create a wide range of cheap but useful toys for children, fostering their creativity, while promoting recycling and environmental protection,” Hong emphasised.
A range of waste materials has been being used to produce the toys, including yogurt cartons and leftover shampoo, oysters, lubricant and drink containers she added.
Creative teachers
In order to produce the toys, teachers have to clean the items to ensure they are hygienic enough for the children to use.
An impressive product
Chanh said that the school organises an annual innovation contest to encourage locals to take part in the project.
She noted that the project had received great support from local authorities in expanding it to other locations in an effort to promote hand-crafted and environmentally friendly toys.
“Our products can help save money for the school, while promoting environmental awareness among children,” she said.
She added that the school has hosted tens of thousands of visitors who had expressed an interest in the project and had offers to develop a market for some of the products.
