Ecological Play Activities Introduced at Children’s Play and Activity Centers

Bornova Municipality has added another innovative project to its efforts to support children’s development and instill environmental awareness at an early age. Launched through a collaboration between the Directorate of Women and Family Services and the Directorate of Agricultural Services, the “Ecological Play Workshop” has opened its doors at the Evka 3 Children’s Play and Activity Center.

Little Hands Meet the Soil: Spinach Seeds Begin to Sprout

Children from Bornova gathered at the Evka 3 Children’s Play and Activity Center for a colorful and educational day as part of the workshop. In the first activity, led by nature-based pedagogy educator Mehmet Ateş, the children enjoyed discovering nature while experiencing the fun of learning.

Designed to help children establish a direct connection with nature, the activity gave them the opportunity to plant spinach seeds in pots with their own hands and carry out their first seed-germination exercises. Experiencing the process of growing plants by touching the soil, the children then enjoyed traditional outdoor, nature-based street games. At the end of the day, they listened to the storybook Where I Grew Up, published by Ekofil, further strengthening their ecological awareness and environmental consciousness through a meaningful story.

Mayor Eşki: “While Ensuring Equal Opportunities in Education, We Are Raising Generations Who Love Nature”

Emphasizing the importance of the project, Bornova Mayor Ömer Eşki underlined that children should grow up not among concrete buildings, but in close contact with the soil and nature. Highlighting his vision of equal opportunities in education, Mayor Eşki said:

“The future of Bornova will be built by the children of today. Our greatest responsibility is to provide them with the best possible educational environments—ones that are safe, high-quality and suited to their needs. Through our Children’s Play and Activity Centers, we provide significant social support to working families who cannot find access to nursery services, while also contributing to children’s development. We will expand this ecological workshop, which we launched in Evka 3, to all our children’s centers across the district. No child in Bornova will be deprived of play, education or the beauty that nature has to offer.”

Workshops to Be Expanded Across Bornova

Bornova Municipality’s Children’s Play and Activity Centers continue to provide a welcoming environment for thousands of children at 11 different locations across the district, supporting their social, cognitive and motor development.

Launched at the Evka 3 center, the Ecological Play Workshop will be introduced successively at all activity centers operated by the municipality, according to a planned schedule. Through this initiative, hundreds of children across Bornova will benefit from nature-based educational activities and grow into environmentally conscious individuals of the future.