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NWP Global Registry of Apprentice Ecologists - Peregrine Reserve, Rowville, Melbourne, Australia

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Peregrine Reserve, Rowville, Melbourne, Australia
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Little Buddhas Club



Registered: March 2023
Posts: 1
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First of all, we (Little Buddha's Club) would like to express our gratitude to Robert for sharing his passion with the world and pioneering the Nicodemus Wilderness Project (NWP). Robert has also been very patient in assisting with our online registration issues and essay submission.


Here is a brief introduction to our group. My friend, Scott, and I facilitate a class for children aged four to 10 years old on spirituality once a month. We do this for our kids and our friends' kids at my house because we cannot find any regular curriculum for children that teaches them various teachings from saints and sages around the world. We have named this class Little Buddha's Club not because we are Buddhists, but because one of the role models that we aspire to, Gautama Buddha, believe that each and every one of us has a buddha nature, also called true/pure nature by other saints and sages. We hope that our children in Little Buddha's Club can walk the same path of inner cultivation as those saints and sages and use their ancient wisdom in the current world that we live in. The children have made two promises which are: I promise to be kind to people, animals and plants; and I promise to be helpful to people, animals and plants.


The lesson plan for January to March is on the Art of Cleaning (physically and spiritually) and it so turns out that Clean Up Australia Day was on 5 March 2023 so we signed up with Clean Up Australia to pick up litter at a nearby reserve which is often littered with candy wrappers, plastic straws and empty cans ever since the BMX pump track with sheltered tables and benches were constructed.


Clean Up Australia sent us the gear for this clean up; there were adult and children sized reusable gloves, different garbage bags for different types of rubbish, sharps container, first aid kit and two high visibility vests. There were eight children and seven adults participating in such an activity for the first time, and the children enjoyed every minute of it. They had such sharp eyes and spotted every little bit of plastic on the grass. We were able to throw the garbage bags directly into the public bins at the reserve because we did not find a lot of rubbish that morning much to my surprise, but it was a valuable activity, nevertheless. Sometimes it takes courage to be kind and this group activity showed that it is not that difficult, and with a bit of organization, it is possible to pick up rubbish everywhere we go.


After the clean-up, we sat down under a shady tree and shared our reflections by drawing and/or writing about the morning's job. Half of the children had just learnt to write sentences last year, it was a hot day, and they were not given a lot of time for this exercise, but below is a showcase of what they did anyway: Lillian: Today I am happy. To pick a lot of wrapper. I love to pick rubbish. We went to the park. Today is Sunday. We love God. Justin: Today we picked up squashed bottles and cans. I saw a hairband it was blue. Sophie: Today we picked a lot of rubbish. I like picking rubbish. It is very fun. Love God. Love you.


Once they have finished their drawing/writing pieces, we walked home, had lunch, and started preparing gifts for the residents at a nursing home which we will visit in a fortnight's time. We wanted to prepare little pots of plants as a gesture of goodwill since we will be meeting the seniors for the first time. This is akin to planting trees and flowers after weeding a garden; after removing rubbish from the environment, it is equally important to plant trees to beautify and cleanse the environment.


We called the local council to enquire about putting a public waste bin at the sheltered tables and benches next to the BMX pump track but they said it is an OH&S issue and the driver would have to walk too far from the garbage truck to empty the waste bin. I guess this gives us the opportunity to contribute by making time to pick up litter at the reserve regularly!


Finally, we want to thank NWP once again for providing such a valuable platform for encouraging our children to continue to care for our environment by publishing and recognizing their contribution.
· Date: March 12, 2023 · Views: 8060 · File size: 20.6kb, 158.7kb · : 1024 x 768 ·
Hours Volunteered: 15
Volunteers: 15
Authors Age & Age Range of Volunteers: 3 to 55
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