Eco Kids at the International School of Aruba
Written by Amanda Murdoch, (Elementary Team Lead, Grade Four Teacher,) and Grade Four students at International School of Aruba
Welcome to Eco Kids! We are Grade 4 students at the International School of Aruba who wanted to make a difference in our community. We are young entrepreneurs and ecologists. Eco Kids all started with our aquaponic mint garden. We started this garden to learn more about sustainable farming methods as part of our study of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Aquaponic farming uses 90% less water which is great for the dry island of Aruba and great for the planet. We had our garden and we had a lot of mint, but we weren’t sure what to do with it. We decided to try to create a business to sell our organic mint. We worked together to create a company name and design a logo with the help of a logo designer who donated their skills to our class.
We decided to be a non-profit company and donate all proceeds to animal rescue organizations. This year we also worked with Sgt. Pepper’s Friends, an animal rescue organization in Aruba. Going there inspired us to want to help. We love animals and want to do everything we can to save them and make them happy.
The only problem was, we didn’t have any customers. With the help of our teacher Ms. Amanda Murdoch, we reached out to the Bucuti and Tara Beach Resort to see if they needed any mint for their restaurants. As a carbon neutral eco-resort with a sustainability focus, Bucuti and Tara was the perfect partner. We are now delivering to the resort weekly, and have even expanded our business to include sales of organic peppers, spinach, and basil. We also have 3 new customers!
We learned a lot in creating our own business, and we keep learning more and more as we go. Here are some examples:
Life Science: Aquaponic garden
Math: Small business development, Google Sheet, invoicing, accounting
Art: Logo design, graphic design and business cards
Language Arts: Writing a business plan, marketing, and writing articles
Social Studies: Economics, Non-profit organizations, SDG’s, community service
Eco Kids in action: Menu and prices, logo design, and their first customers, Bucuti and Tara Beach Resort
Here are some quotes about how we feel about our project:
Emma and Cami: “It is cool that kids are selling mint and kids can start their own business. It is exciting to see what we can do together.”
Mia: “I like how we are all eco friendly and have an aquaponic garden to help the earth and the community.”
Karan: “My motto is, don’t say it, do it. If you want to help, don’t just talk about it, find a way to do it.”
Jaden: “Kids can change the world.”
Our grade 4 motto: “Small things done with great love will change the world.” -Mother Teresa
Thank you to Amanda and students for sharing this awesome, eco-friendly initiative! You can follow more activity from International School of Aruba’s elementary students at @isa.elementary. Learn more about the school at isaruba.com and follow on Instagram or Facebook.
Do you have a school or student initiative to celebrate? We love seeing them and learning more on #ISSedu.