Portuguese 
At Vovó Clara Municipal School in Boa Vista, children paint and recycle PET bottles to create a roof for the playground that gets hot in the sun; the project advanced to the second phase of the National STEAM League Award 2026.
The heat that engulfs the playground during certain times of the day became the starting point for a project led by children at the Vovó Clara Municipal School in Boa Vista. Under the guidance of teacher Elizângela Santos Bastos, the students participate in the collection and preparation of PET bottles that will be used for the coverage of the space.
Titled “Sustainable Roof: Transforming PET Bottles into Protection, Learning, and Solidarity,” the initiative arose from a problem identified within the school itself. The recreation area is exposed to the sun, and during certain hours, the heat makes it difficult for children to use the playground.
The chosen solution was to transform bottles that would be discarded into part of a roof to provide shade. The project is still ongoing, and the students’ involvement begins before installation: they identify types of waste, participate in environmental education activities, and paint the bottles that will be reused in the project.
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Children, Families, and Staff Participate in Collecting PET Bottles
The mobilization extended beyond the classroom. Parents, guardians, and school staff have joined the effort to collect the bottles, linking the educational proposal to a concrete need of the space frequented daily by the students.
The activities combine concepts from Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics, an approach known by the acronym STEAM. Instead of working with sustainability solely as a theoretical subject, the project confronts children with questions about waste, material reuse, structure, and function of a roof.
There is also a plan for the bottles that exceed the required amount. According to the Boa Vista City Hall, any unused material from the roof will be sent to the Missões de Amor Association, which may repurpose it for liquid soap packaging.
Boa Vista Project Among 150 Selected for National Second Phase
The project from Vovó Clara Municipal School has been selected for the second phase of the National STEAM League Award 2026. This year’s edition features the theme “A Greener Future Starts at School” and encompasses educational initiatives focused on sustainability, creativity, and problem-solving.
The award is an initiative by the ArcelorMittal Foundation, with technical partnership from UNESCO and implemented by the Educational Triad. A total of 150 projects have been selected at this stage, distributed among the competition categories. The Boa Vista initiative is participating in Category 1, aimed at Early Childhood Education for children aged 4 and older.
Being among the 150 selected does not mean the project has already won the award. The official schedule sets out subsequent stages for implementation and evaluation. It is expected that the projects will carry out their actions until September 25, 2026, and that the ten finalists in each category will be announced on October 30.
Playground Becomes a Learning Space on Sustainability
While the national competition continues its timeline, the most immediate effect takes place within the school. Children participate in an activity that connects the fate of a discarded bottle to the space where they play, transforming a heat problem into a learning experience and collective participation.
The coverage should not yet be considered a completed project: the official publication from the Boa Vista City Hall registers the initiative as being in the execution phase. What is already documented is student involvement in preparing the bottles, community mobilization, and the selection of the proposal for the national second phase.
The experience shows how a common everyday material can gain a different function when environmental education, creativity, and local needs intersect. Have you seen any school turning waste into a solution for its own space? Share in the comments.
