Learning through play for environmental education represents a participatory pedagogical mediation strategy that considers the socio-environmental realities of the individual's environment.
The distance between schools and banana farms was calculated, and workshops based on play and enjoyment were designed to inform primary school children (6-8.5 years old) and their guardians about environmental issues and preventive practices against pesticide exposure.
38% (n=14) of the schools were located within 100 meters of banana farms. Playful strategies allowed participants to identify local needs, build collective knowledge, and learn about the effects of pesticide exposure on human and environmental health. This, in turn, enabled them to identify the most important preventive measures to reduce pesticide exposure.
Learning through play in environmental education facilitates the process of raising awareness about the risks of pesticide exposure among first grade students and their mothers or guardians in rural communities.
Reference: Rodríguez-Miranda, R., Palomo-Cordero, L., Padilla-Mora, M., Corrales-Vargas, A., & van Wendel de Joode, B. (2022). Learning through playful strategies: a tool for environmental education. Revista De Ciencias Ambientales, 56(1), 209-228. https://doi.org/10.15359/rca.56-1.10