Environmental education is essential in our primary schools

Photo by Alan Rodriguez on Unsplash

There is now no more important issue in our lives than addressing the problems posed by climate change. 

If children in schools are not informed they will lack the knowledge to act. 

If they are not given experience, they will not know how to act. 

If they are not prepared their future could be bleak.

Learning about climate change, sustainability and environmental education is a perfect medium for primary teachers to engage their pupils with the local communities, in villages, towns and cities. All these contexts have specific natural worlds, their complexities and problems. Even the youngest children can become involved in initiatives, to be changemakers and acquire expertise.

Schools can involve young children without causing fear, but rather promoting understanding of what needs to be done. Inspiring the primary classroom to be active learners, problem solvers, and contributors, at the same time giving teachers the opportunities to be involved in transformational projects away from the school and in the world outside.  

As children grow older and more sophisticated, they will have a greater appreciation of global issues and how their own communities are connected and affected. Just as the tipping point has been reached internationally that if countries don't take responsibility for climate change now, it will be too late: in education we have reached a tipping point. 

Learn young, learn early, and through our children we can save humanity by protecting our planet.

Brighton and Hove have already begun: https://www.ourcityourworld.co.uk/ and so has the Green School in New Zealand: https://greenschool.nz/. Both are inspiring examples to follow.