Today, environmental challenges demand innovative solutions and the active participation of society as a whole. Education is a fundamental pillar in generating environmental awareness, especially when focused on childhood, a stage in which habits, values, and attitudes are formed. In this sense, the Roma Verde Garden, as a community learning space, offered the ideal setting for the development of environmental education and technology workshops with a practical and experimental approach.

The purpose of these workshops was to raise awareness among children about complex environmental issues through fun, creative, and technological experiences that fostered meaningful learning. A pedagogical model was proposed that focused on "learning by doing" and problem-solving through direct experimentation and play. This approach also sought to strengthen skills such as teamwork, creativity, and critical thinking. The workshops were designed based on participatory and non-formal education methodologies, incorporating elements of Montessori pedagogy, project-based learning (PBL), and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education. The activities were aimed at children of different age groups (3 to 6 years old, 7 to 9 years old, and 10 to 12 years old), adapting the language, the complexity of the content, and the work dynamics to each group.

The project was carried out in the Huerto Roma Verde community space in Mexico City between February and March 2025. The initiative was aimed at children ages 3 to 12, who participated in a series of three-hour workshops designed to foster critical thinking, scientific experimentation, and ecological awareness from an early age. The workshops will address four central themes:
1) alternatives to the use of Styrofoam and its environmental impacts;
2) biomaterials and their everyday applications, including the development of a bioplastic;
3) the impact of climate change on bee populations, addressed through an interactive play; and
4) heavy metal contamination in food and viable strategies to reduce its presence in the human body.

The workshops were led by a PhD in Science, a Master of Science, an accountant, and an engineer, who also received remote support from an industrial designer and an environmental graduate.

The workshops held at the Roma Verde Garden demonstrate the transformative potential of environmental and technological education from early childhood. The combination of practical, experimental, and recreational methodologies promotes meaningful learning and the development of key skills for future citizenship.
The project demonstrates that technology and science can be taught to young children using creative strategies, fostering their natural curiosity and sense of environmental responsibility.

As future recommendations, we propose the need to follow up with participants through complementary activities and the integration of families into educational processes to strengthen learning at home.

Keywords: Environmental education, heavy metals, biomaterials, children.