Usually my posts are about activities you can do at home with your own children, because this is the easiest place for each of us to make a difference when it comes to raising environmentally conscious youngsters, but there’s no denying we need change on a broader scale if the next generation is going to help solve the climate and conservation issues our world is facing now and into the future.
Encourage a nature-based education
Education culture
How do we create and foster an education culture that teaches skills and values to meet global challenges and optimise regional strengths?
I’m passionate about nurturing environmental awareness through connecting children with nature, so it’s not surprising that I have some pretty strong views on where our educational culture should be heading! There’s no question in my mind that we need more nature in our classrooms, for the benefit of both our children and the environment, and there are plenty of experts who agree with me:
‘A growing body of evidence suggests that time spent in more natural environments (indoors or outdoors) can reduce the symptoms of attention disorders, and improve cognitive functioning as well as creativity, socialization and mental and physical health. (Richard Louv, Children & Nature Network)’
For specific examples, you can find scientific studies and reports here.
So how would I incorporate wildlife and the environment into the curriculum? Here are just a few suggestions.
Make Nature-based Education a Priority
If building a connection with nature isn’t a priority, it won’t happen. I understand that given the realities of curriculum, teaching and testing, it’s hard to add another thing to a teacher’s list but I think it’s worth the effort. I feel that it’s important to incorporate nature into the classroom on a consistent basis, not just sporadically.
Embed it into the education culture
There are lots of simple ways to embed nature on a classroom level without it becoming a chore (e.g. taking learning outside, hanging magnifying glasses at the door for playtime) but I think it needs to be included in the culture of schools. Children are still punished by restricting their playtime outside, when that time outdoors may be just what they need. Evidence shows that children are spending more and more time inside. Learning about the environment and their place in it is more important than ever.
Encourage action
Finding joy in the natural world is essential to nurturing eco-friendly beliefs and attitudes, but it’s never too soon to start taking action as well.
You may notice that I blog about action activities here and there.  I’m not saying everything should be action-orientated, but if your children are showing strong feelings about an environmental issue, why not let them think of ways to help? A letter to a local politician can double as writing practice; a fundraising activity can be used to teach addition and subtraction.
Want know more about how to get nature into your schools and classrooms? Read this brilliant article written by Richard Louv.
What would you do to encourage a nature education culture in schools? Â
How DO we foster an educational culture that will save our environment?Â
I think providing funding helps schools to make it a priority.
I also think involving the wider school and local communities makes the culture more authentic.
That’s a great idea Jackie. Involving the wider community is a must!
I’d love to see all schools provided with the resources needed to have some kind of garden – whether that be a veggie garden, a butterfly garden, a native garden… I think a garden is a great way for all ages to engage in nature and it can easily be adapted to the area or interests of the school!
I’ve seen first had a school who has their own lovely butterfly and veggie garden and it was wonderful to see so many helpful children maintaining it. I think providing garden resources to every school is a fantastic idea Kate!
I like to think that things are slowly changing in schools and we are beginning to see more of an environmental focus implemented into programs. There is still a way to go because many schools can’t afford or make environmental studies the priority it needs to be. I feel my generation are more conscious of environmental issues and so hopefully that helps our younger generation develop awareness of issues and develp greater passions.
I think they are changing too Kate but I just don’t think it’s fast enough. I know technology is the way of the future but I really feel that we should be investing in nature studies the same way we seem to invest in technology. I don’t want my child seeing the world from a tv/tablet/phone screen. That’s a serious concern for me.
Many of the schools down here in Victoria, including my own and the one my daughter is set to go to next year have kitchen garden programs which I think are just fantastic. I think that allowing children to not only start with where the produce comes from but then to be able to take it to the next level, learning about the nutritional benefits and how to use them in our diets is really worthwhile. The holistic approach of from the ground to our mouths I think provides children with a fantastic basis for learning about sustainability and giving them knowledge and skills to go with it. I also thought your suggestions were fantastic. Getting children outside for lessons and incorporating nature into our learning has got to be valuable too.
Thanks Debs, that’s another great initiative! Many children don’t know where food comes from, so it’s pretty important that they realize nature actually provides our resources for food, housing, clothes etc. So I would love that implemented in QLD too!
Hello,
I got as far into the article as “Make it a priority” and had to comment right away. Reason-being is, I have made it a priority and it is has been a wonderful journey so far.
Coming from my perspective, as an Early Childhood Educator working in a preschool, I vote to take nature education up a big notch and start with preschool-age children. Reason-being is that this is the perfect age where they can really start to document their learning. This opportunity brings a whole new dimension to their learning. The chances of developing a life-long passion for learning about nature with only instill a passion for respecting it and become advocates.
The preschool I work in is with families who have come to Canada from all over the world: English Language Learners. I have learned, this is the perfect time to introduce a culture of caring for our land and resources. I have also learned, cultures from around the world have extremely family orientated connections that are much greater than ours here in Canada. If an educator takes this strong sense of family and weaves it into our culture here in Canada…you simply can’t go wrong in building a very unique sense of community. I can’t wait to get back to work this fall so I can get started on another school term with new families. I have a very exciting career!
Thank you for sharing you passion for wild nature!
I will return to reading the rest of the article now.
Nature Matters ~ Deborah
Oh I hear you Deborah, sounds we are right on the same wave length. I could just see the passion oozing out of your comment and I loved it! Thanks so much for contributing with your experiences and ideas!
We include nature curriculum in my school and also have an ‘action’ focus in all our inquiries. One of my favourite examples of action is a group of children starting a fund raiser and awareness program for a local animal rescue shelter. So inspiring to see kids taking the initiative in this way.
We have such a unique environment here in Australia, we need to make sure we are embracing and protecting it. 🙂
I feel like I got to know you and your blog a little bit more through this post and I love that you inspire action for protecting our environment. I feel that the voices of Australian Indigenous people and their innate care and sense for the land, it’s fauna and flora needs to be taken into account with any educational programme and classeoom plan.
I think it’s scary how indoorsy our kids are becoming. Today my kids were misbehaving and whinging when I decided to take them to the park, where we stayed for over 2 hours. We all felt so much better after that! Plus their behaviour improved LOTS. Sometimes you don’t need a study to tell you something you already know as a basic truth. Love your suggestions Penny and I honestly believe that if we expect our children to take better care of our planet than previous generations we need to be teaching them about it and giving them a hands-on education and appreciation of the world we live in from an early age.
I never appreciated nature until I had my own kids. I often wonder if it’s because I was encouraged as a child to do indoors stuff because it was what would make me “productive” or “successful” in life (not by my parents necessarily who always had me play outside; but by teachers and “society” who valued academic excellence). Maybe it wasn’t true, and that wasn’t the aim, but anyway it’s what happened. Thanks for sharing this thoughtful perspective… I definitely want to foster a love of nature and a desire to protect the environment in my children.
Such an important post Penny. I recently attended an open day at our local Montessori school. They had a vegetable garden and they also raised chickens. All the students were involved in looking after the garden and chickens, and the older children ran a small business, selling the eggs and produce to the local community. It was a an economics class project for the older kids, as well as a lesson in team work, responsibility and respect for the environment for all of the students.
Even though it would be ideal to have nature/environment/ growing food imbedded in our school curriculum, I don’t think this would be the best way to approach it. I used to be a primary school teacher and I always tried to re- connect kids to their natural environment in many ways. But I didn’t find the same enthusiasm or passion among the other teachers at my school, simply because they were not connected to nature themselves. So how could they help others? Also teachers have such an enormous burden on their shoulders already. Teachers seem to be the quick fix for all sorts of problems. Then you have instances where the best intentions loose momentum, like the disused vege bed I see at the school near me. That’s why I would suggest a volunteer program at every school with a group of people who are passionate about nature directly involved with the kids in various ways. A garden is of course the best way in which to do this. But it has to be a REAL garden, not just one raised of limp lettuce seedlings, and it should ideally include animals e.g. chickens or lizards,snail, earthworms. The volunteer group could also arrange other educational experiences e.g. tapping into a world of resources on an interactive whiteboard to visits from wild life carers and RSPCA members, A classroom should be set aside so that volunteers have their own t space – a space ideally connected to the garden. This would send a clear message to children – a teaching and learning space in which nature is respected , and celebrated in a real and ongoing way. Volunteer groups should be supported in their efforts by the state government. by providing fund for garden set up and ongoing and other resources. Yes, it’s hard to get volunteers these days, even to work in the tuckshop, but it only takes one passionate person to start it up.