Initial phase, in class, by the teacher

• Awareness concerning the generation of household waste (source of waste)
• Classification of the different types of waste
• What happens to household waste that is not thrown out or recycled? Ecological impact, marine pollution
• Lifetime of trash in nature
• Individuals and collective solutions that can be envisaged at the local level (recycling, sorting, minimizing the amount of waste produced, etc.), eco-citizen attitude
• Check the educational kit from our partner Mer-Terre (French)

Class presentation by a member of the association « An Ocean of Life »: The impact of trash in the sea on the marine fauna and flora

• Group discussion: Start the session by asking the children about their knowledge regarding the marine environment.
• Projection of images/videos: Show a summary of the film « Oceans » by Jacques Perrin and Jacques Cluzaud. Duration: 10 minutes.
• Discuss the images in the movie, to make the students aware of the role of each species in the food chain.
• Show episodes of the series « An Ocean of Life ». Total duration: 5 minutes. In each film, a different animal is depicted. The animal talks in the first person about its role in the marine environment and the consequences of human behavior on its evolution.
• These videos open the debate on man-made pollution and its consequences.

At the end of the session in class or later: create a drawing

To conclude the session presented by the association « An Ocean of Life », together with the teacher, the children will create a drawing. The theme of the drawing will be defined based on the films shown and the discussions held. How do you imagine the seas and oceans when you grow up?

• The draws will be uploaded onto the website.
• The goal is to connect the schools encountered from all over the world (Russia, Japan, Mauritius Island, Madagascar, Morocco, France, etc.), so that the children can share their different points of view.

At the end of the school year: organize a trash clean-up

• Trash collection along the coast and in nature
• Identification and sorting of trash collected, to illustrate the lessons learned during the session and raise awareness concerning the reality of the environmental issue.

Collaborative scientific action

• Data entry of trash collected via the smartphone application « Un Océan de Vie ».
• Transmission of these data to the association « Mer-Terre » (Isabelle Poitou) which collects, qualifies and quantifies all the information transmitted.

Possible extensions: plastic and artistic production

• Making objects out of the trash collected along the coast (class outings, family trips, etc.) is a way to recycle this waste.
• Examples: sperm whale bottle, paper bag catalog/review, grains of sand/grains of waste, pieces of glass polished by the sea.