By: Giorgia F
Image from: Clipart Library
Hearing “climate education” might prompt thoughts of middle school or high school students sitting in a natural sciences class. Currently, the focus on developing more substantive climate education in schools mainly surrounds students in this age group. But what about younger students? Namely, pre-schoolers who would also benefit from learning about the climate at this young and impressionable age. While it is necessary for older students to be educated on climate issues, especially as the climate crisis worsens, it is equally important for younger students to receive climate-related education.
Implementing climate education at a young age helps to instill values of respecting the planet and being environmentally conscious later in life. For example choosing a reusable water bottle over a plastic one or taking public transportation over a car. Children who grow up being taught these values may be more likely to take initiative when they are older to rally against climate change.
While as a country we may be far off from carrying out a nationwide climate curriculum for preschool students (given a lack of standardized curriculum for grade-school children), it is important to understand the aspects of early childhood climate education that work as well as the barriers to more widespread adoption.
Children at a nature preschool
Photo from: Chicago Tribune
How is climate change awareness being integrated, if at all, into early education programs? The most common way is through a growth in nature preschools. These schools, unlike traditional preschool programs, incorporate environmental learning into a majority of their curriculum. But what exactly does that mean? In a traditional preschool setting, children may occasionally go on a field trip to a nature preserve or spend a small amount of time outdoors learning about trees, water, or other ecosystem aspects. Whereas in a nature preschool, much of the learning occurs outside. According to the Natural Start Alliance, children may spend hours at a time exploring nature while also learning traditional pre-school level concepts (i.e. shapes, coloring). This approach to early childhood education increases kids' exposure to the outdoor world and organically teaches them about aspects of climate change. Instead of being taught that droughts are becoming more prevalent, they may notice the dryness of the ground they are exploring through their preschool program. Being surrounded by nature for the majority of the day enhances children’s ecological awareness, therefore increasing their concern regarding the climate crisis.
But just how common are these types of schools?
Up until the last five years, nature preschools were not the popular choice. Now with an increase in concern over climate change as well as children spending more time on technology, nature preschools are popping up across the US. As a testament to this increase, the Natural Start Alliance reported that the number of nature preschools and kindergartens increased by 66% from 2016 to 2017.
Graph ftom: Natural Start Alliance
Although these schools are rapidly growing, they are still not an accessible option for all parents. A substantial barrier is the cost, as most nature preschools are private and therefore very expensive. In order for these preschools to have a broad impact, they must be more accessible to the everyday American, not just families who can afford to pay the high tuition. Increasing the number of nature preschools as well as adding more affordable options will allow more children to experience nature and simultaneously learn, in a developmentally appropriate way, about being ecological and navigating climate change.
Discussion Questions:
Do you think there are other ways (besides nature preschools) that children can receive adequate climate change education?
How important do you think parental acceptance of climate change is in educating young children on the issue?
Works Cited:
Greene, M. (2020, September 25). Preschools are moving outside during the pandemic and may stay there, even in winter. Chicago Tribune. https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-early-childhood-nature-schools-pandemic-20200925-32nr6tef7vgq5nq7haloxeunde-story.html.
Ginsburg, J. L., & Audley , S. (2020). “You don’t wanna teach little kids about climate change”
Beliefs and Barriers to Sustainability Education in Early Childhood. International Journal of Early Childhood Environmental Education, 7(3), 42–61.
Hodges, S. (2019, February 25). Are Outdoor Preschools Changing U.S. Education?: REI
Co-op Journal. REI Uncommon Path. https://www.rei.com/blog/news/are-outdoor-preschools-the-wave-of-the-future.
Nature preschools continue impressive growth across US. Natural Start Alliance. (2020, July 7).
North American Association for Environmental Education. (2018, October 2). What Is a Nature
Preschool? Natural Start Alliance. https://naturalstart.org/nature-preschool/what-is-a-nature-preschool.