Tag: Education

Harvesting 10 Benefits of Caring for Plants for Children

Posted on by Muse

Teaching children how to care for plants can indirectly hone various life skills. Later these life skills will be very useful when the child grows up. It must be understood, until whenever humans will need plants. While plants will be fine without humans.

That’s why, because it’s really needed, plants should be cared for with all love.

To foster a love for plants, environmental education is needed from an early age. One of the ways is through the activity of caring for plants, which must be passed on to your little one from an early age.

Not only will it foster a sense of love for the environment, but caring for plants also has a number of positive benefits for your little one, including:

  • Make children love nature more

Caring for plants means inviting your little one to love and care for living things. They will also learn to take care of the earth .

Learning from nature directly is far more exciting and exciting than just reading theory. The child can get to know a wide variety of flora and fauna.

  • Foster a sense of responsibility

In caring for plants, a child has to water, prune, fertilize, clean, and make sure the plants stay alive. This will teach your little one to be responsible from an early age.

So, indirectly the child’s parents have taught their children to be responsible. At first it might be hard for your little one, but over time, with the encouragement and motivation from both parents, caring for plants will become a fun activity.

  • Practice patience

Caring for plants can train the child’s patience. Because plants need time to grow, so your little one will be patient in caring for them, watering them, and fertilizing them until it is time to harvest the plants they plant.

According to Herdianing (2014), gardening activities can be used as a medium for playing which can help develop naturalistic intelligence and foster a sense of responsibility and train children’s patience.

  • Growing confidence

When the plants, your little ones grow and care for grow big, beautiful, and harvestable. This will allow your little one to enjoy the fruits of his labor, and at the same time will develop self-confidence in him!

  • Sharpen motor skills

One of the phases of fruit development that needs to be optimized is the physical motor ability. In a Journal of Early Childhood Education Research, it is stated that motor-physical development plays an important role in forming the flexibility of the body.

One of the ways you can do to develop your child’s gross and fine motoric physical abilities is to take care of plants or gardening.

According to Beetlestone (2012) in his book, gardening activities carried out by children can provide opportunities for physical activity, releasing energy to highlight physical movements.

It should be noted that caring for plants or gardening requires a lot of physical movement, for example, digging the ground, planting seeds, watering, cleaning weeds, and so on.

·        Build empathy

Through observing growing plants, your little one can build his sense of empathy. He can see how the leaves come out of the seeds that are still small, to witness the leaves of the plants grow big and can produce fruit (if the plants bear fruit).

·        Relieves stress in children

Just like adults, children also need time to vent tension and boredom with daily routines. Caring for plants is an activity that helps the body produce endorphins, which can trigger feelings of happiness.

·        Healthier

Caring for plants can help increase endurance. In Morinaga Platinum’s website, Brett Finlay, a microbiologist in his book Let Them Eat Dirt , revealed that there are many good, harmless microbes in the soil that can actually boost a child’s immune system. Increased immunity can make your little one not get sick easily.

·        Strengthen the relationship between parents and children

Gardening or caring for plants with the family can strengthen the relationship between parents and children. Because they will often interact. Gardening moments with children can also be a fun and healthy refreshment.

·        Make your little one like vegetables and fruit more

According to the Journal of the American Dietetic Association quoted from the Morinaga Platinum page, it shows that children will eat the vegetables they grow themselves.

Gardening and caring for plants that are carried out with your little one can broaden their knowledge of where vegetables and fruit come from. From seed to harvest.

Finally, those are 10 unexpected benefits of plants for your baby. So, get your kids to take care of the plants and reap the extraordinary benefits.

Understanding the 3 Symbiosis in Interaction: Mutualism, Commensalism, and Parasitism

Posted on by Muse

In this life, interactions occur with each other. The interaction shows that every creature needs each other. Humans interact with other humans, animals, and plants. This process and connection scheme is known as symbiosis.

In life, there are many symbioses that occur in humans, animals and plants. There are at least three types of symbiosis that characterize the interactions of creatures in life. What’s that? Mutualism symbiosis, commensalism symbiosis, and also parasitism symbiosis.

Curious to understand the meaning and differences of these three symbioses? Here’s an explanation:

  • Mutualism symbiosis

The first is Symbiosis Mutualism. Where the relationship between two different types of organisms is mutually beneficial.

This relationship is considered a very positive relationship because both parties benefit. In other words, both parties reap benefits or profits from the interactions that are carried out.

Take the example of butterflies and flowers. Butterflies suck nectar from flowers, thus the flowers also get help from the movement of butterflies for the pollination process to occur.

Another example of symbiotic mutualism is between humans and bacteria. E. Coli bacteria in humans can work to reduce the growth of bad bacteria and accelerate the process of decay in the large intestine. The advantage obtained by E. Coli bacteria is that they get food from the remains of the large intestine.

  • Commensalism symbiosis

Commensalism symbiosis is an interaction between two living things that only benefits one organism, while the other organism is not harmed and does not benefit (neutral).

Take a simple example that happened to Remora fish and sharks. After the shark eats, usually the leftovers will fall. When the food scraps fall, the Remora fish will stick with the shark to take the leftovers from the shark. Sharks are neither harmed nor benefited.

Another example can be observed in the interaction between orchids and mango trees. Orchids benefit because they have a place to grow, and get sunlight, water, and substances for photosynthesis, by attaching to the mango tree. While the mango tree is not harmed in any way.

  • Parasitism symbiosis

This last symbiosis is interesting and often disliked, aka has a negative tendency. The reason is, parasitism, and symbiosis is the opposite of mutualism symbiosis.

Parasitism symbiosis is a condition of dependence that occurs when one party benefits, but harms the other party. Or in other words, there is one party who is sacrificed or harmed.

Take for example this symbiosis that occurs in mosquitoes and humans. Mosquitoes benefit by sucking blood from humans, while humans are disadvantaged because they can contract dangerous diseases.

Another example can be observed in flies with fruit. Flies get food from fruit and can breed in fruit. Fruit that flies land on loses money because it will rot.

Yes, so those were the three types of symbiosis that occur in life. All three provide important lessons for humans about how the best symbiosis is one that does not harm either party. May be useful!

10 International Environmental Institutions You Need to Know

Posted on by Muse

Being an environmentalist will not make you alone. In this world, there are many institutions that keep moving to prevent environmental damage from getting worse. The presence of these institutions is a blessing in itself for the continuity of life in this world.

Environmental damage has long been a concern of mankind. Humans worry that the environment is getting badly damaged, but they never fast damage it and don’t take care of it. Luckily, there is an institution that has donated itself to take care of the environment.

If you are interested in becoming a “hero” for the environment and feel that if you dive into it you will be alone. No need to worry or doubt, because these 10 largest international institutions or organizations can make my spirit thrive.

  • Greenpeace

This organization, based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands is one of the most popular in the world and is considered the toughest against environmental destroyers. Especially with regard to environmental damage due to various pollution that threaten survival.

  • National Geographic Society

Founded in 1888, this institution or organization is one of the largest and most well-known environmental organizations in the world. The institution is very active and has even been involved countless times in environmental preservation. Never stop campaigning around the world to prevent further environmental damage.

  • World Wildlife Fund [WWF]

Environmentalists must be familiar and familiar with the organization with the panda logo. There are around 5 million members worldwide. The concentration of this institution is the preservation of animals from extinction. Imagine, what would this world be like if all the animals became extinct.

  • National Wildlife Federation

In 1938 Jay Darling founded this Society in America. And until now there are more than 4 million members. The most important activity is the preservation of animals.

  • Rainforest Action Network [RAN]

The board of directors is relatively small for an international organization, only 43 people, but volunteers number in the thousands. They focus on environmental campaigns and receive praise from various media as smart organizations in preserving the environment as a whole.

  • The Nature Conservancy

I do not know what inspired Richard Pough in 1951 so he founded this Institute in Virginia, America. This institution focuses more on environmental campaigns by utilizing online media, such as social media, blogs, and digital applications that are easily accessible in this millennial era.

  • Worldwatch Institute

Since its establishment in 1974, this institution has always been a reference for government policymakers, civil society, businessmen, and also academics. It is one of the world’s largest organizations for respect for the environment, its services, and research, which spread news online to more than 100 countries.

  • Forest Stewardship Council [FSC]

This organization is the largest in 46 countries. FSC often helps companies, governments, and residents in protecting forests from destruction. FSC has received many awards for its activities in the field of forest conservation.

  • Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [IPCC]

This institute is run by hundreds of scientists to research climate change. They are very active in solving various problems regarding pollution due to fuel misuse.

  • Friends of The Earth

This institution carries out more programs related to human health, animals, plants, land, water, and air and focuses on stopping global warming which is one of the threats to the environment today.

So, those are the 10 largest institutions in the world whose focus is the environment. Of course, environmental institutions are not just those 10, there are many, which will make you feel less alone if you throw yourself into actions to care for the environment.