Climate issues are a hot topic of discussion, given that it concerns everyone on the planet, especially as our children represent the future generation who will likely need to tackle some of these key climate issues. Here get details of How to teach your kids about climate change information.
Getting them interested early on can be incredibly useful, and by teaching children about the environment, our effect on it, and how these effects could end with harmful results, they will have the right knowledge to deal with the future. Here are a few ways you can make learning about climate change as interesting and interactive as possible.
Don’t overwhelm with scary content
One overarching thing to bear in mind is that the aim isn’t to scare your children into action. Focusing teaching on the existential threat side, such as climate disasters or the destruction of the planet, will likely only make them avoid the topic altogether.
Making kids aware of what bad things can happen to the climate – melting ice caps, making the weather behave weirder, etc. – can give young kids enough of a thread for them to understand the cause and effect.
Watching Nature Documentaries
One of the most simple and effective ways to show your young ones the beauty of the natural world is by using documentaries. There are plenty of cinematic nature documentaries that showcase the various biomes that Earth has to offer, as well as the animals which call them home.
David Attenborough has provided narration for many documentaries, making them easy to follow for younger audiences. Shows such as Planet Earth or Blue Planet can be great introductions to parts of the world we rarely get to see. It also creates a tangible link to places affected by climate issues, such as the pollution of our oceans.
Creating a DIY weather station together
Off the back of the link between the environment and how it ties into the weather, you can work together to build a weather station to help collect local climate data. By making the weather a tangible thing for children to measure, they might get excited when data varies or does something unexpected.
This can give you a way to get your children actively interacting with the weather whilst also learning practical skills such as coding using a Raspberry Pi. Once you’ve completed one project using Raspberry Pi, you can move onto other projects for kids which make use of coding languages like Python.
Gardening together at home
Getting a little bit mucky in your front or back garden alongside some little garden helpers can create more tangible links to climate change. Planting things such as lavender and making bug hotels can let wildlife thrive in your garden – especially bees.
Teaching children about the vital role that bees play in pollinating other plants can remove some of the potential fears around getting stung! It’s also an opportunity to grow some easy vegetables in your own garden to teach children about sustainability.
Reading age-appropriate books on the climate
Some children’s books cover climate change in ways that are easy to understand while delivering a crucial message about protecting the planet and caring about our world. These can be great assets when looking for something educational to read together at bedtime, or as a simple activity on rainy days stuck inside.
Each idea here can work as a way of getting your children more interested in climate change and environmental issues. If they show that they’re starting to care more, nurturing that interest through using additional resources can give your kids a greater environmental awareness – encouraging recycling, shopping ethically, and potentially favoring a sustainable lifestyle later in life.