Enviropool - Great Idea!

I am just squeezing in this cheeky post in between my Hampshire Project bits. Jan was one of the first practitioners that I worked with when I went into consultancy full time and acted as a guinea pig for a lot of my planning ideas. She also really inspired me with a few of hers.

I first became aware that Enviropool existed when they started to follow me on Twitter. I was intrigued, so did a bit of internet research and discovered that they are... well, I will let Jan tell you for herself...

What do you do when the School Council is asked to come up with an idea for a schools business competition that has to show off Liverpool, be socially responsible and make a profit? 

 

As it was that time of year when children's pockets were full of acorns, conkers and helicopters, there was only one answer. Why not use these and other natural materials collected from our local parks and natural spaces for the children to design and make products to sell to parents, local people and to other schools.  The educational value of using natural things is of course well known in the Early Years - it was time to let other know too. Some of those beautiful parks in Liverpool include Calderstones, Sefton Park, Otterspool and Woolton Woods amongst others, made famous by such people as the Beatles. That is where the idea for enviropool.co.uk originated.

I had also developed my own educational products for outside use such as bamboo dry-wipe pens and counting logs (never any space outside for a number line!) which could be included in the product range.

So the children and parents set about making Christmas decorations to sell which sold out within minutes, our profit-making business was born, and we got through to the competition final which will be held during March.

We are also starting to think about using recycled things as well as natural to improve our environmental credentials and reduce our carbon footprint!

We are currently in the process of making Mothers Day cards and presents which can be seen on our website enviropool.co.uk, all designed and made by children and parents at Hunts Cross Primary, Liverpool.

Enviropool website, www.enviropool.co.uk 

Competition website,http://www.liverpoolvision.co.uk/News/great_enterprise_challenge_schools_finalists_revealed.aspx 

Global Entrepreneurship Congress 2012 website, www.gec2012.com

Janet Spreadbury

Good Luck Jan and Enviropool!

Alistair

 

Comments

[Tammy]

Alistair, I always really enjoy your posts. I thought that you might be interested in this blog - Teacher Tom is an Early Years Teacher from the US with a very strong belief in learning through play.
http://teachertomsblog.blogspot.com/

[Sophie Taylor]

I wonder if you've discovered the joys of thickening granules? We came across the variety of textures and thicknesses you can get totally by accident when I mixed a bit too much in one of our squirty pots one day(we were making fake ketchup), only to pour it out at the end of the day to find it had turned into really thick slimejellystuff (for want of a better word!) Great fun! I've just used it to fill our dinosaur eggs with so they're ready to hatch on Monday complete with realistic slime.
Sophie.

PS: love Love LOVE your blog!!!!