2015

“Pigman” invites toddlers to participate in new eco-program

JSC “Latvian State Forests”/“Latvijas valsts meži”/LVM's  gladiator in the battle against litter bugs, “Pigman”, this new school year is focusing on the younger set – inviting kindergarten children to become “forest investigators”, i.e. “Pigman” detectives.

“Pigman” greeted September (or vice versa?) with good news, first, he proudly presented his new accomplishment – an eco-program titled “Pigman's Detectives”, and a brand new, striking home-page, where visitors there will be well informed of “Pigman's” schedule and many activities. The Latvian Environmental Protection Fund was instrumental in bringing about the good news mentioned above.

Tomass Kotovičs, LVM Communications Department director, has this to add: “For over 10 years, we promoted the campaign urging people to stop trashing forests (“Nem?slo mež?”), but the only favorable development to come out of it is that the amount of litter is no longer increasing, but, sadly, it is not shrinking either. Therefore, we decided to start the educational program with the very youngest – to facilitate a sense of responsibility for surrounding nature, augmenting comprehension of what is of value, and what is superfluous in nature.”

The eco-program titled „C?kmena detekt?vi”(“Pigman's Detectives”) has four basic themes, where children will have to tackle various assignments assisted by nursery rhymes, song and dance, fairy tales, various visualization, “Pigman's” dolls and other materials. The child detectives will take specific investigative steps, in evaluating what is good and what is bad in forests. Each theme has been set according to the principle -Look, Listen, Hear and Do, but at the same time foreseeing great interest in engaging children to join in the various songs and games.

The 2015/2016 school year is the approbation period for the new eco-program where 100 kindergarten groups (age category 4-7) will have the opportunity to become real forest detectives. Teachers can sign their groups up no later than September 21, filling out a registration form at www.cukmens.lv , section: “C?kmena detekt?vi”. The first 100 kindergarten groups signing up by October 1, by mail will receive the so-called “Secret Satchel”, a bag full of instructional  aids.