The 22 April sees the largest civic event on Earth – Earth Day! Since the very first Earth Day in 1970, EARTHDAY.ORG has been mobilizing over 1 billion people across 192 countries annually on Earth Day, and every other day, to protect the planet.
EARTHDAY.ORG “passionately envisions a world where every student, no matter their location, is embraced by a rich education weaving together climate and environmental understanding, coupled with a strong civic engagement component.”
Celebrating Earth Day in your setting can be a great way to introduce essential concepts such as recycling, pollution, planting, and the environment to children – try watching this BBC Bitesize video on ‘How do I care for the environment?’ for some inspiration on how to begin!
On tackling the climate crisis in the education sector, Sir David Attenborough said:
“Climate change and habitat destruction are problems facing our generation and those of our children. In order to equip the next generation to face these problems, it is crucial that children grow up with an understanding and respect for our planet… Bringing nature into the classroom can kindle a fascination and passion for the diversity of life on earth and can motivate a sense of responsibility to safeguard it.”
Early Years Outdoor Learning suggest a range of activities to engage young children in Earth Day and environmentally sustainable practices, with the intention of nurturing environmentally conscious and aware young people throughout their education. They suggest spending a whole day outside, planting seeds, cloud watching, going on a nature walk, litter hunting, collecting rainwater, environmental art, planting herbs, oral outdoor storytelling, among others!
Another suggested activity for children in the EYFS is to engage their personal, social, and emotional skills by asking ‘what does it mean to help?’. This resource explores how to engage young children with the concept of offering help and assistance, to begin thinking about performing actions bigger than themselves.
Practitioner Challenge: save the trees and access the EYFS digitally!
In terms of practitioner involvement in Earth Day…
Did you know that education settings represent 36% of public sector building emissions in England and Wales?
Have you considered changing your printing habits in 2024? Think of the trees and read those documents online!
The EYFS has changed over time, meaning the most up-to-date version always exists on gov.uk, and perhaps not amongst your physical files at work. By bookmarking the page, saving the PDF to your desktop, adding the PDF to your home screen on your smartphone – you’re reducing your paper usage. On the PDF version of both the childminder EYFS and group and school-based provider EYFS, you can quick search, highlight passages, follow the links to external publications, share with other practitioners and even open in your e-reader. Remember to follow EYFS framework requirements on devices in settings.
“I’m hopeful because I know that in a few years’ time I will be able to look into the eyes of schoolchildren that are confident, resilient, and that hold the reins of their own future.”
Phoebe L Hansen, climate activist, speaking at the launch of the DfE Sustainability & Climate Change Strategy, April 2022