This was no horticultural exercise, but a Civics and Moral Education (CME) initiative that I had come up with to encourage our pupils to be responsible and kind. By learning to care for their plants, I hoped that they would understand the importance of love, care and concern for our natural environment. As we distributed two types of plant per level, pupils could also compare the growth of their plant with their classmates' other species.

Pupils kept the plants in school during the week, then brought them home every weekend and during the holidays. Even our younger pupils took to this enthusiastically. Pri 2 pupil Tan Jia Hui reflected, "This is my first time taking care of a plant! I'm very excited to watch the plant grow and I water it everyday."

Under the pupils' care, the plants grew healthy and robust.

To reinforce the overall message, we adopted a whole-school approach to the Loving Pot Project. Besides the potted plant, every pupil was given a pledge card to raise funds for the Children's Cancer Foundation and the Children's Aid Society. This communicated the broader message of caring for others, especially children who are less fortunate. These values were reiterated during CME lessons.

Pupils were also engaged in various learning activities related to their plants. For example, they were encouraged to discuss issues affecting the environment, such as pollution and conservation, during CME lessons. In Social Studies classes, pupils and teachers explored how various conservation and environmental programmes had had an impact on society. During Science lessons, they discovered more about the physical qualities of the plant, such as photosynthesis and respiration. For Mathematics, they learned to measure the size of the leaves, determined the percentage growth and worked out the average number of leaves growing from each branch.

Language lessons were not forgotten either. Our pupils reflected on their experience of caring for their plants through journal- and essay-writing during English and Mother Tongue lessons respectively. They then modified the lyrics to a popular tune to express the highs and lows of caring for their potted plants.

Pupils designed and painted their own pots during Art lessons

Finally, pupils expressed their creativity during Art lessons when they customised and painted their pots. "I really enjoyed painting the recycled plastic container and turning it into a beautiful pot for my plant," recalled Pri 4 pupil Sarah Nurhani. Some of the personalised pots were proudly displayed during the School's Open House, where pupil ambassadors presented to the public what they had learned and experienced from the Loving Pot project.

By the time the project ended in July, there had been a wave of positive and enthusiastic responses from pupils, teachers and parents alike. We hope that they will continue to care for others and touch lives with the same ferventness. We trust that the good seeds that we have planted in their hearts will one day bear fruit for all to enjoy.

Contributed by:
Hawati M. Sani
Subject Head, Civics & Moral Education and Community Involvement Programme
Yio Chu Kang Primary School