Remember the last time you went to the park and got suckered into buying a cheap plastic kite, toy gun, bubble wand, sand toy, or any other inane item from a street vendor? It lasted all of about five minutes and was subsequently broken or left behind. However, while it may be out of sight for you, that plastic toy ends up in a landfill that will still be on earth, long after we’re gone.
As we give in to the “let’s just buy it because it’s so cheap” shopping impulse, plastic toys become an ever more formidable enemy in the battle to save our natural environment. There are a few fairly simple fixes to this problem – buy less, buy quality, buy secondhand. If you’re looking for a more fun solution, however, Roots & Shoots China came up with a super neat paper toy workshop that involves your child while also encouraging creativity!
Starting from today (Oct 21) until the end of the month, Roots & Shoots Beijing will be running a series of DIY paper toy workshops at two shopping malls in town – CapitaMall Taiyanggong and CapitaMall Wangjing. Each workshop will feature a different theme, from Amazing Sea Creatures to The World of Dinosaurs, culminating in a unique toy that kids will make and bring home with them. Likewise, the workshops are conducted in Mandarin so this could be a great way to immerse your child in the local language. The activities cost as little as RMB 5 to RMB 60, and you can get 50 percent off if you simply flash your Element Fresh membership card. If you’re not yet a member, it costs nothing to become one right now.
For the uninitiated, Roots & Shoots is a global community action program founded by Dr. Jane Goodall back in 1991. It seeks to inspire and empower young people all over the world to proactively ensure a better future for humanity, animals, and the environment. Anyone can join the community and put together an earth-saving initiative anytime!
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Images: Pexels, courtesy of Roots & Shoots China, Roots & Shoots
