Their Say...

“A lot of new lessons learnt, and new experiences gained” ~ Justin Tan

“My favourite moment…my group members together with 25 others from different levels went to Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve to do reforestation”. ~ Doan Hoang Anh

“It was a wonderful experience as I have never planted such a tall plant before.”
~ Chen Weiliang

“The activities were exciting and I had lots of opportunities to be near wildlife and nature, learning more about flora and fauna at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve.”
~ Kevin Hanurata

“ I met new friends from other schools, and they were very friendly and creative people. There was a session on creating educational materials and I really enjoyed that.”
~ Muzamiah Bte Kadir

The reforestation project consisted of a few workshops. We had workshops on plant drawing, public speaking, presentation skills, project organizing, and the main reforestation activity itself.

During the plant drawing class, we were taught how to observe the plant and then do botanical drawings. It was very fun for me because firstly, I am bad at drawing; however, after the class I gained some new ideas and inputs of how to draw the plants simply but accurately. I also found out that some plants did not seem to be what I used to think of them. To me, most of the plants looked the same. The workshop taught me to be more observant, and I realized that each plant had their own unique features.

The “Creating Educational Materials” class was just as exciting. We were taught different tactics on how to prepare ourselves, the speech, the materials needed for the speaking section and how to carry ourselves when we were doing presentations. I found it very useful because to stand in front of an audience and speak to them is something quite difficult for me. Knowing what to do would help me a lot in future!

The workshops would also be useful to me for my oral examination. Another reason why I thought the sessions were fun was because I loved to talk!
My favorite moment was on the 1st December 2004. My group members, together with 25 other schoolmates from different levels came to SBWR to do reforestation!

Cryptocoryne Drawing

We did the weeding, removing a lot of Hydrillas , so that some of the other species of flora did not get so much competition with the Hydrilla plant. We sat on a boat and then rowed to middle of the pond. We tried our best to clear as much as we could. Everyone had a chance to do it. I was so exited that I wanted to do it more than just once!

After that, we started the most important part – planting!! We were divided into two groups. One group planted the cattail and the other group planted the Cryptocoryne plant. We went into the edge of the water to plant the two species. We were wet and tired but nobody complained anything. Instead, when the staff said we had to stop the work, we were a little sad. Everyone was laughing. We enjoyed ourselves very much.

Through this project, I’ve also met and made new friends from other schools such as those from Chestnut Drive Secondary School and the big sisters and brothers from Yishun Junior College, and I have learned new things from them as well.

Throughout the whole project, I had learned and enjoyed myself a lot, not only the knowledge that motivated me but also the staff at SungeiBuloh Wetland Reserve. I feel that they taught us whole heartedly, trying their best to impart the knowledge to us. I really appreciate their effort.

1 December 2004 was “Reforestation Day” for our group. Our habitat option was the freshwater pond. That bright sunny morning, I learnt and experienced so many things which never in my lifetime would I think I would get the chance to experience and try out. We went down to the sides of the freshwater pond and planted “Cat-Tail” ( Typha angustifolia). It was such a tall plant and such a wonderful experience.

Prior to the reforestation activity, we had more to learn from a series of workshops that were held at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve. A workshop on “plant drawing” helped me advanced in my level of expressing art. My oral presentation skills had improved from the many presentations we had carried out.

Through a series of workshops in this Toyota Reforestation and Reachout project, I have learnt how to do botanical drawings, and make full and good use of it. My favourite sessions were the art workshop and the one that taught us how to do mind-mapping!

In the “Plant Drawing” workshop, our trainer, Ms Deborah, taught us the basics of outlining and drawing plants. Outlining was tough work for me when I first tried it out, but as I got into what I was doing with much concentration, I began drawing with much ease.

Over at the mind-mapping session, I learnt a lesson about punctuality. We learnt to manage time and also to achieve good leadership skills. Everyone was encouraged to brainstorm ideas. This way, we all learnt to broaden our mindsets, and also learn how to speak in front of an audience. Thank you Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve for giving us such opportunities to learn and participate!

I enjoyed myself during that day when about 40 of us went to Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve for the reforestation activity. In about over two hours, we cleared some over grown hydrillas, and planted cat-tail plants and Cryptocoryne plants by the edge of the freshwater pond near the outdoor classroom. Our role was to change and beautify the freshwater pond habitat. We only wished that we had more time for this activity.

I was very elated when Mrs. Tham chose me to be in the reforestation project. I am very keen on nature and would like to find out more about it. Thus, this was the chance where I could learn about nature and how to conserve it. There were many activities and sessions throughout this reforestation project. I was very excited about this reforestation project when Miss Tan explained to us about the various workshops and activities that will follow.

I learnt a lot from the various workshops. I learnt more about the computer and how to make my projects more interesting, and have come to see many other plants that could also be found in my school freshwater pond. I have to do research on one of the plants and that helped to broaden my knowledge about the plants.

During the workshops, I met a lot of friends from various schools and they were very friendly and creative people. There was a session on the education materials and I really enjoyed it. I love the sharing sessions where all of us sat in quiet but cosy room and shared our ideas. We were the first school to present what we had done as we arrived late on that day of the workshop!

There was also a session on drawing plants. I learnt a lot from Ms Deborah who taught us how to draw plants. I discovered that there were many ways to look at a plant and a thousand and one ways to draw it. I enjoyed the session and realized that even drawing a leaf has its own technique, the veins should be drawn and the size of the leaf should be approximately the size of the actual one.

On the 1 December 2004, about 30 students from my school went to Sungei Buloh to do reforestation. It was a memorable day for me as my friends and I shared the joys of planting interesting species together. Each of us ere given a long- sleeved shirt to wear during the activity. From the start,we had to clear the hydrillas in the pond and plant “cat-tails” and Cryptocoryne by the edge of the pond.

Initially I was afraid because I do not like to touch plants especially those that are in the water. However, I decided to give it a try as my purpose of going there was to do reforestation. The plants were soft to touch but there were too many of them and they were preventing some of the other plants receive light. After clearing the hydrillas, we went on to planting “cat-tail”.

It was a tiring job as we had to dig a hole and plant the cat-tail and then cover the hole up and make it stable. The digging part was the most tiring of all but nevertheless it was an enjoyable experience. My schoolmates and I had a lot of fun and the weather was just perfect. I was wary of the fishes in the pond as I was afraid that I might step on it.

That day, all of us had so much fun and we were sharing our experiences in the bus on our way to school.

My friends said that they did not regret in participating the reforestation project. On that day itself we met students from Chestnut Drive Secondary School. They were also doing reforestation on the mangrove habitat. Their shirts were dirty and muddy and they looked like they were having fun.

This reforestation project drew me closer to nature and taught me how to appreciate it. I am now looking forward to the “Project Celebration Day”!

Hillgrove Secondary School

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