The giant octopus does not cease to cause enthusiasm!.

The Association for the Protection of Nature and the Environment and the Promotion of Sustainable Development of Argonauta, in cooperation with the Školjkica Kindergarten in Betina, has set up a play installation made from discarded materials on the kindergarten playground. “A giant octopus of colorful tentacles,” was created as a personal project by an italian Argonauta’s volunteer, Claudia Calamia. The installation was made of wated and painted car tires in September, and in November it was nominated for the competition of the Association of Societies Our Children of Croatia – The Best Action 2020 Cities and municipalities friends of children.

From the beginning of the kindergarten year, the users of the kindergarten in Betina have been enjoying the play time on a unique installation in the shape of a giant octopus with colorful tentacles made of discarded car tires. The enthusiasm caused by the installation among children and adults, encouraged the Coordination Board of the Municipality of Tisno “Municipality of Tisno – a friend of children” to propose this project for the Best Action 2020 selected by the Central Coordination Board of the action “Cities and Municipalities – Friends of Children”.

How the idea was born, was told to us by Argonauta’s volunteer and originator of the whole project, Claudia Calamia:
“By observing the community, its needs and problems, I realized that someone’s problem could become someone’s solution and with that reflection I combined discarded car tires and children’s need for an adequate playground. By using products that we have given a “second life”, we have not only prevented the accumulation of waste, but we have set a good example from which to draw inspiration. In addition, with the form and materials used for this installation, we passively educated children and adults to start thinking about the conversion of objects, nature protection and other goals. ”

In addition to the giant octopus, other inhabitants from the sea are painted on the wall, and the design itself is designed to attract children to use the installation and develop motor skills, and to actively convey the message of protecting nature and its inhabitants.

The installation also served as an inspiration for children – kindergarten users in the art-literary competition “Misto moje drago” organized by the National Library and Reading Room Tisno, for which they made a model of a children’s yard with octopus from discarded tires of old cars and won the award.

Educator Vesna Brkić told us about why the children chose the kindergarten yard to represent “Our Dear City”:
“It is now our favorite corner, a symbol of growing up and our educational yard, so we chose it for the competition. The children were thrilled by the octopus with its arms, so the boys brought tires from their old cars and painted them, and the girls drew and painted the inhabitants of the sea. Every day, children learn to protect nature and not to throw garbage, and at the same time develop their muscles and self-confidence. They often run up to me and say: Aunt, aunt, I couldn’t climb yesterday, and today I can! ”And once again thanked the organizers for beautifying their playground and childhood.

From Argonauta they say that they are proud that the project was proposed for the Best Action 2020 and that the giant octopus does not cease to cause enthusiasm of young and old, and as for the victory, they say:

“We have already won by the fact that the children did not throw away their torn cars, but used them to make a model and thus gave them a new life! That was the point of the whole action. “