World Play Day at the children's and youth farm: "Discover sustainability through play"

World Play Day is celebrated in Germany every year on May 28. The German Children's Fund, together with its partners in the "Right to Play Alliance", aims to draw attention to the special importance of play and the corresponding children's right. This year, the campaigns focused on the topic of "healthy environment and sustainability". Only recently, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child called for a sustainable environmental and climate policy from the international community, in which the best interests of the child must become a key basis for decisions. The Offenbach Children's and Youth Farm has been a regular participant in World Play Day for many years, including in 2024. The big play event was held in Offenbach on Wednesday, May 29.

The pedagogical team of the Offenbach Children's and Youth Farm prepared, planned and carried out the day together with the 10th grade of the Käthe Kollwitz School. The sustainability goals for the day were to recycle materials, promote environmental awareness, raise awareness of natural materials and strengthen the sense of community.

The day began with cooperation classes from Offenbach elementary school: the first graders from the Buchhügelschule, a class from the Eichendorffschule and the Waldschule took part. From 2 p.m., the site opened to the general public and many regular visitors and interested parties took part in the sustainable craft and team games. Educator Peter Bugert spontaneously came along with his play mobile and provided additional enthusiasm and hands-on activities. "All the cooperation groups actively took part in the activities, which made the day a real day of solidarity," says Blum happily.

All children were welcomed right at the start and each child received a station card. This card guided them through eight sustainable tasks to be completed over the course of the day. The activities included making boats from old corks, painting stones and making bracelets from wool scraps. A particular highlight was the new barefoot trail, which was created using materials such as sheep's wool, hay and straw and offered a special sensory experience. There was also a relaxation trip in a tepee for young and old. Another activity was making plant troughs from old plastic bottles, which can provide water for a month and thus help the plants to grow.