Het Pieterke experiments, learns and raises awareness
You tackle the following challenges:
Het Pieterke is a pleasant and diverse neighborhood school where everyone knows each other. Due to its location along the busy E313 highway in Antwerp, the air quality in the area is not good. This was confirmed by the measurement results of the CurieuzeNeuzen project. But the teachers and students of Het Pieterke don't just accept that. They registered as a pilot school for the 'Pure Air' project and are fighting dirty air. They investigate the traffic in their street, but above all they want to do their part themselves.
The toddlers count cars
The Pieterke's experiments started in the 2019-2020 school year. The theme of air pollution was then integrated into the curriculum. From small to large, attention was paid to it in all classes. For example, the toddlers of the second grade thought about how to distinguish between good and bad air. They all agreed: “ Bad air stinks ”.
Due to the location of the school near the highway, the pupils of Het Pieterke are aware of the contribution of cars and trucks to air quality. There are also many cars on the Wouter Haecklaan, which runs past the school. The third kindergarten class put it to the test: at a fixed time of the week the preschoolers counted how many cars, pedestrians and cyclists passed their school in 10 minutes. “ We divided the class into three groups ,” explains Miss Sofie. “ One group counted the cars, another counted the cyclists and the third group added dashes to the number of pedestrians. The preschoolers who draw lines for the passing cars clearly had a lot more work. ”
Walking and cycling pays off
So a lot of traffic in the area. But how do the boys and girls get to school themselves? On foot, do they take the bicycle or public transport or do they come to school by car? The students of the third and fourth grade wanted to investigate this. They reach the school gate with a questionnaire in hand. They questioned all the students. Anyone who comes to school sustainably received a sticker as a reward. The 'healthiest class' was honored. Miss Kelly points out the importance of raising awareness: “This positive approach means the children are extra motivated to move sustainably and they are aware that they can help reduce air pollution themselves.”
The school will continue to work on mobility in the future. The arrival of a new section of bicycle highway along Wouter Haecklaan can be an extra motivation for many students, parents and teachers to come to school by bicycle.
Air quality in the classroom
The students of the sixth year went a step further. They learned about the effects of air pollution on our lungs and collected newspaper articles about it.
The whole school also experimented with indoor air quality during lessons. In some classes there was ventilation, in others the windows and doors remained closed for a while. Would the sensor boxes indicate a difference? “ Because the result is immediately visible on the measuring devices, the children were really busy with it ,” says Miss Maria. The result spoke for itself: in the fourth grade where there was no ventilation, the sensor briefly turned orange.
Ventilation is therefore the message. And to improve the indoor climate in the classroom, the whole school was brightened up with air-purifying plants. The direct impact of the plants on the air quality in the classroom is negligible, but being taught in a green classroom is simply much more pleasant.
