Climate education – learning new skills and knowledge to tackle climate change and live in our changing world
The term ‘climate education’ is often assumed to apply to older children, but even those in the early years can be empowered and given the right tools to proactively tackle future climate change.
Identify the risks
As our youngest children grow, will they have the essential skills and key knowledge about sustainability and working with the environment that they will need for their future careers and everyday lives?
As educators, how can we educate them to understand (in a way that is appropriate to their age/stage of development) the need for changing our approach to meeting our requirements today without endangering those who come after us?
Set your goals and plan your actions
- Provide play opportunities that develop children’s thinking and decision-making skills
- Foster children’s connection to the natural world role on a scale that is relevant and achievable in their everyday lives supporting them to understand their stewardship role
- Empower children to be problem solvers by listening to and valuing their ideas and contributions
- Consider where there are opportunities in your current curriculum for climate education – can you build in nature?
- Recognise opportunities for social action – is there a group or community organisation you could partner with including the Climate Ambassador programme?
- Understand how you can through education reduce climate anxiety and give the youngest children hope and belief that action will bring about positive change
- Identify possible sources of funding to support climate education in your provision
Evaluate and reflect on your progress
- Have you ensured that everyone understands why climate education is important and do they have the opportunity to share their thoughts and ideas?
- How do you measure and record the impact of your progress?
- Can you recognise and celebrate your achievements – what changes have you seen?
Getting children involved
Connecting young children to nature provides the opportunity to integrate the natural world into their everyday lives. Through climate education children can become aware of the potential for playing an active role themselves in sustainability and climate action both now and in the future.
Building a pinecone palace for ladybirds gives children the opportunity to see on an appropriate scale how their active participation can make a difference (see The Woodland Trust – bug hotels).
- Find opportunities to build children’s understanding and knowledge of their role in caring for nature by looking for ladybirds in the environment and learning about these incredible creatures in books and online (see CBeebies – teeny tiny creatures).
- Introduce songs and stories about ladybirds and why they are so important for the planet
- Arrange a visit by a local nature warden to your setting/visit a local nature park to learn more about what they do in their job to help ladybirds and other creatures. Could you introduce wildlife or park ranger role play such as Percy the Park keeper?
- Get children, staff and families involved in collecting pinecones to bring into the setting to work together to achieve a shared goal using natural free resources.
- In a quiet corner in or under an outdoor shed/storage area, support the children to pile up the pinecones so that the scales interlock and fill any gaps with dried leaves developing their problem solving and practical skills.
- Talk about and listen to what the children think the ladybirds will need to survive and how is the pinecone palace helping them. How might the children be able to see the impact of what they have done?