In our daily activities, like water conservation, utilization of electricity, dumping of garbage, etc
As climate change is a sensible issue. First you may teach them about a tree. After some time you may have to teach them about the water flow. Further you have to tell them later on when they become a little mature so you can teach them carbon cycle. But you have to caretakers while exposing the children to the study. Start from simple and necessary and go on will be a better way to teach the kids climate change
Check out: Stephen Sterling (2001). Sustainable Education. Re-visioning Learning and Change. Green Books Ltd., Devon TQ9 6EB, UK. Pp. 94.
Also the education philosophy proposed by Rudolph Steiner can help to answer this question.
Arm yourself with the facts : So much misinformation about climate change swirls about us these days, it’s more important than ever to consult evidence-based science as the means to sort fact from fiction. Depending on your social circles, you may have heard grown-ups claiming climate change doesn’t exist (don’t worry, we have an article to help you with them, too). But the fact is that the science overwhelmingly demonstrates that climate change is real—and that it is caused by humans. If you could use a quick primer on climate change science, listen to this excellent episode of the Science Vs podcast.
Start small: Especially for young children, the mechanics of climate change may be too complex and overwhelming. Rather than hitting them up with greenhouse gases and melting ice caps right out of the gate, start with something more tangible for them. You could use a houseplant to explain how plants “breathe in” the gases that we breathe out, and vice versa, in a mutually-beneficial cycle. Understanding the basic carbon cycle is essential to understanding climate science. You can use this fun game to become a carbon atom and journey through the carbon cycle.
Don’t go it alone: You shouldn’t be the only one in your kids’ lives who is talking about climate change. Kids get precious little exposure to climate change education in school, despite the fact it’s going to impact every aspect of their adult lives. According to a recent study by Science Magazine, the median teacher devotes only one to two hours to the topic.
But you can help change that: Let your school leadership team know that climate education is a priority for you. Send them a link to our free, pre-K through eighth grade environmental curricula, which include a climate educator guide. The curricula also adhere to both Common Core State Standards and Next Generation Science Standards, which teachers will be delighted to hear.
Show them success stories: Emphasize that climate change is urgent but we are not powerless against it. You can pre-empt despondency by recounting success stories. And there are some! Let’s not forget that nations around the world came together in 1987 to ban ozone-depleting substances and successfully averted the disaster of a UV-bombarded Earth. In fact, ozone levels are projected to return to 1980 levels by 2032.
There are communities around the world that are working to curb emissions, protect carbon stored in forests and vegetation, and plant more trees to help remove carbon from the atmosphere.
Encourage them to take action: When kids—or adults, for that matter—are scared or worried, it’s crucial that they feel empowered to make change: There is no better salve for anxiety than action. Below are some concrete steps kids can take. Whatever your children decide to do, encourage them to get their friends involved and to use social media to expand their reach.
Dive In!
The water is warm and getting warmer. “Just plunge in and teach it!” says Kottie Christie-Blick, a fifth-grade teacher from the suburbs of New York City, who joined the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA’s) Climate Stewards program in 2012 and consults on climate-change education. The topic is so important, says Christie-Blick, that no delay is defensible. “Start now,” she urges, and learn more as you move forward.
Use Data
Climate change may be a political hot potato in some communities. (President Donald Trump called it a Chinese-made hoax a few years ago.) But the data is indisputable. “There’s really no pushback from students or parents,” says Peter Johnson, an eighth-grade science teacher in rural, conservative Minnesota, “because the measurements speak for themselves.”
Make It Local : When Shannon Bartholomew’s high-school students look out their windows at New York’s Adirondack landscape in late January, they are shocked. Why? They see grass growing on the ground. This is ski country, and the Olympic bobsled team practices nearby. “Many, many people here are employed in the business of having good winters, and that means snow,” says Bartholomew. “The kids have a huge connection to the outdoors, and they can see the changes that are happening. This is a local thing that really speaks to them.”
Consider Cross-Curricular Connections
Yes, climate science is…science. (In fact, climate change is part of the Next Generation Science Standards, which were adopted in 2016 by 16 states with more to follow this year.) But the topic also provides opportunity to work more closely with your colleagues in economics, geography, communications, and other subjects. Poetry, even!
End With Inspiration
Dying polar bears, murderous tsunamis, and life in the Adirondacks without snow…it’s tempting to make like Rip Van Winkle and pull the covers over your head. But educators need to make clear that students can make a difference. “It’s really important for teachers to communicate that we can do something—we can act locally, and we can act at the state level,” says MADE-CLEAR’s Harcourt.
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