HaiDuong (VNS/VNA) - Hundreds of children in kindergartens andresidential areas in the northern province of Hai Duong’s Gia Loc and Thanh Hadistricts have enjoyed new swings, seesaws and balance paths made of old tyres.

DoanThi Nhan, principal of a kindergarten in Tan Tien commune, Gia Loc district,said the toys were beneficial for the children.

Swingswere very good for the children’s physical improvement while seesaws andbalance paths helped them improve their intelligence and creativity whenthey played together, she said.

NguyenThi May, vice-principal of Gia Xuyen Kindergarten in Thanh Ha district, saidthe school was large so it needed many toys.

Thetoys made of old tyres were quite strange, so the children were veryinterested in them, she said.

Theswings, seesaws and balance paths were created by members of the district’sYouth Union and donated to the kindergartens and residential areas, followingthe programme 'The second journey of tyres', launched by the provincial YouthUnion in May.

Theprogramme, which is set to run until December 2022, aims to respond to theMinistry of Natural Resources and Environment's anti-plastic movement.

VuHong Diep, Vice Chairman of Gia Loc district’s Youth Union, said old tyresof many different sizes were donated by individuals and organisations in thedistrict.

Afterreceiving the old tyres, the members of the youth union would clean and sortthem, he said.

Bigtyres would be used to make swings and balance paths and small tyres would beused to make seesaws, he added.

Theold tyres were painted in many colours with attractive vivid patternsand animals on the swings’ surface, he said.

Diepsaid at first, with no experience in creating toys for children, members of theyouth union had to search online about how to make toys from old tyres.

Now,after several months of practising, the team could make the toys of the oldtyres faster and more beautifully, he said.

Thetoys, donated by the youth union, had provided a livelier playground for thechildren, especially in local schools that had limited funds for buying toys,he said.

Eachset of toys made of old tyres was estimated to be 5-7 million VND (215-301 USD)and the quality was the same as the toys for sale in the market, he said.

VuNguyen Dang, Secretary of the provincial Youth Union, said the youth union haddonated 20 sets of toys made of old tyres to local kindergartens andresidential areas since May.

Itplanned to give an additional of 31 sets of toys made of old tyres to localkindergartens and residential areas by the end of this year, he said.

NghiemXuan Tuan, Deputy Secretary of the provincial Youth Union, said reusing oldtyres to create toys for children, especially kids in rural areas, was ameaningful thing.

Itnot only created a livelier playground for the children but also contributed toraising their awareness of protecting the environment, he said./.