It was a scorching morning. I quickened my steps towards the canteen, only to see Kimdergarten 2 students and their teachers waiting for me. I put on my most energetic demeanour and launched into my presentation.

I began with a fun fact. Singapore’s annual food waste could extend to as high as 35-70 storeys of a football field. But of course, precocious young minds could not relate to such a mind-blowing statistic. I immediately conducted a hands-on activity. These six-year-olds took my pre-prepared construction papers and waste papers, which represented food waste and cutlery respectively. They then queued up in a straight line to dispose of them in the food waste bin.

After the hands-on activity, everyone had a first-hand experience of disposing their food waste. We then moved on to the food composting machine located behind the canteen. Here, our lab technician, Mdm Lui, took over the show. She demonstrated her routine. First, she would measure the food waste accumulated throughout the day. Next, she would typically put 2-3 scoops of sawdust and a teaspoon of microbes. Subsequently, she would turn on the machine, after which the food waste would be converted into compost. She would eventually use the compost as a source of fertiliser for our in-house mushroom cultivation project.

All good things must come to an end. I bade farewell to the irresistibly adorable kids and went on with my day. Little did I know that the Universe had something interesting in plan for me. Yesterday, I had appealed to a student to draw food waste for me. I would have shrugged my shoulders if she forgot my request. But after the guided tour, she showed up at my classroom with these lovely doodlings. It made me feel good when I could send the pictures to the kindergarten group and shower lavish praise on her efforts:

All in all, a pretty successful engagement session!