【Malaysia】The First Tsumiki No Hiroba (Environmental Education through Wooden Blocks) in Malaysia

Nampasan Primary School joined Children's Forest Program and had the first activity in October, 2011. 74 children planted a total of 50 tree seedlings in the school yard together with their family members and local people. It marked a good opportunity for them to think about the importance of the environmental protection and the natural symbiosis.

After the tree planting activity, the children participated in Tsumiki No Hiroba (Environmental Education through Wooden Blocks) which was the first attempt in Malaysia. The activity is usually carried out indoor in Japan, but the school did not have any facilities such as a gymnasium so they hold the activity outside spreading out a carpet under the blue sky.

The children participated in the activity with great interests because this was the first opportunity for them to play with the toy made from wood. They had a great time building variety of works with various shapes of blocks enjoying the aroma and the warmth of wood blocks. This activity seemed to make the children more interested in and feel closer to the environment.