Dozens of children in Lagos spent the weekend learning how to fight climate change, one experiment at a time, as the Eco Explorers Bootcamp brought together science, gardening and waste management lessons for young minds.
The programme mixed hands-on science with environmental education, giving children the chance to see abstract ideas like global warming turn into something they could touch, watch and understand.
EDITOR’S PICKS
Science made simple
One of the day’s biggest draws was a science session built around everyday materials. Facilitators used food colouring, baking soda and bleach to show children how chemical reactions produce visible changes, turning a classroom concept into a colourful spectacle.
Elijah Adegoke of Kids Literary Circle (KLC), one of the groups behind the programme, said the goal was to make learning fun. He said children were also taught how human activities affect the environment, with a focus on the link between greenhouse gases, global warming and climate change.
According to Adegoke, practical demonstrations made these ideas easier for children to grasp than textbook explanations would.
Planting the message
The Lagos State Parks and Gardens Agency also took part, using the bootcamp to promote eco-friendly habits among the children. Ojo Oluwaseyi of the agency said the participation was meant to encourage activities like tree planting and gardening.
Oluwaseyi described tree planting as one of the simplest ways to help mitigate climate change. He urged the children to start small gardens of their own and pass on what they had learned to others, extending the bootcamp’s lessons beyond the venue.
While the children moved through their science and gardening sessions, parents were not left out. They took part in games and recreational activities organised alongside the main programme, turning the day into a family affair.
Raising eco heroes
Facilitators repeatedly framed the children as “eco heroes,” encouraging them to see environmental responsibility as part of their identity rather than a one-off lesson. The message was that every child has a role to play in keeping the environment clean and healthy.
The bootcamp tied together several strands of environmental education — science experiments, gardening and waste management — into one experience. Organisers said the aim was not just to teach children facts about the environment, but to give them tools they could apply immediately, whether by starting a garden at home or thinking twice before throwing something away.
For a generation growing up amid warnings about a warming planet, programmes like this are betting that early, hands-on exposure will do more than any classroom lecture.
By the end of the day, many of the children had already started asking their parents about starting gardens of their own; proof, organisers said, that the lessons had landed.
FURTHER READING
As Lagos continues to grapple with the effects of climate change, from flooding to erratic weather patterns, initiatives like the Eco Explorers Bootcamp reflect a growing effort to build environmental awareness from the ground up, starting with the city’s youngest residents.
Philip Ibitoye is a Special Correspondent with EKO HOT BLOG. Click here to find daily analysis and critical insight on trending issues in Lagos and other parts of Nigeria.
Click to watch the video of the week below:
