Climate Change: Aesthetic Understanding In The Foundation Phase/Stage

Unless we care about the planet and feel an emotional connection to the natural world, we are unlikely to feel passionate about protecting it. This connection needs to be developed from the first day of school. Here Sue Lyle shares a range of activities that can be built into the school day for Nursery and Foundation Stage/Phase to develop aesthetic understanding.

Even in the Foundation Phase/Stage, children try to make sense of issues such as climate change. They are starting to get awareness that perhaps they should do something about problems. The focus of this issue of CTL is solutions to the climate crisis. If we are to protect the environment, we have to care about it. If you are working with the youngest children, the key task is to foster their aesthetic awareness and ecological understanding of the natural world and develop the language needed to talk about the beauty and wonder of the natural world.

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      string(5807) "only 30% of birds are wild, the rest (70%) are farmed poultry. We know that animal farming is responsible for at least 18% of the world’s climate changing gases. What is less well known is the health risks associated with intensive animal farming, for example, salmonellosis, avian flu, swine flu, bovine spongiform encephalopathy and foot-and-mouth disease. These diseases are part and parcel of the ecological breakdown crisis. Factory farming of animals in particular is a cause for concern. Industrial methods of farming using antibiotics to promote growth and prevent disease in animals and fish means much antimicrobial waste is released into the environment through water courses. The NHS is concerned that agricultural antibiotic use is driving up levels of antibiotic resistance leading to new ‘superbugs’. Clear links have been established between antibiotic use in food production and resistance in humans. The extent to which we are causing the shrinking, deteriorating or vanishing of ecosystems is frightening and is a direct threat to biodiversity and human well-being. In this issue we pick up some of the links between climate change and biodiversity. What Can We Do About It?The good news is we have the technologies and capacity to change direction and prevent this catastrophe. In schools our job is to promote a holistic understanding of the visible connections between human, other animals and the biodiversity of the Earth so students can understand what is happening, why and what we can do about it. The Planning Tool is deigned to help us foster a sense of awe and wonder for the natural world and use the arts to express this through Aesthetic Understanding. Closely related to this is understanding of the world’s ecosystems and how they work through Ecological Understanding. Once children feel connected to nature and wildlife and have some understanding of ecosystems they can address the three core questions: ‘What is Happening?’ ‘Why is it happening?’ and ‘What can we do about it?’ .A theme running through this issue is our relationship with animals and the natural world. It is important that the Foundation Phase and Key Stage 1 have the chance to gain direct experience of looking after animals and in that process develop an understanding of their life cycles. Whether it is a guinea-pig, a stick insect or chickens in the garden, proximity to animals and concern for their well-being is a vital experience for young children. The ActivitiesIn the first activity, OK/Not OK, young children are asked to consider how humans use animals for work. Considering the lives of some of the sentient beings that share this planet with us and our relationship with them is an important moral issue that helps children to think about what we owe ethically to other animals. Children in Lower KS2 are invited to visit a woodland, to experience this ecosystem through their senses to help them feel a part of not apart from the natural world. A woodland or even some trees in a park or the school grounds can help children understand the inter relatedness and interdependence of all living things on the planet. In a follow-up activity they gain Ecological Understanding of a broadleaved forest as they learn about the relationship between the sun, the soil, green plants, bacteria, fungi, insects, invertebrates, birds and mammals and see how all are connected in the woodland ecosystem. Teachers of Upper KS2 are introduced to the topic of Plastics in the Ocean and its impact on ecosystems and animals. Key information about what is happening and why is it happening is included with activities to promote Aesthetic Understanding and to explore What we can do about it. We also refer you to a previous edition of CTL, Vol.2.2, P. 56-71 where you will find a range of activities to support children’s Ecological Understanding of Ocean Environments. We are also preparing guidelines for carrying out a field study of a beach which will be on the website. In the Council of All Beings we give children and young people the opportunity to foster compassion for all living beings on the planet and develop awareness of the difficulties and dangers they face. Beginning with a story –‘The Lorax’, the activity is excellent for growing Ecological Understanding as it brings a sense of solidarity with all life and awareness of the damage caused by our own human species and through making masks, they develop Aesthetic Understanding. Continuing our theme related to ecological breakdown KS3 are given a mystery to solve regarding our production and consumption of intensively reared animals and ask: Should we change our animal rearing and/or meat-eating habits? The second part of Dragon’s Den considers how we use the land and suggests three more solutions to climate change and ecological breakdown. Finally, KS4 consider who should take responsibility for carbon emissions – the consumer or producer? Teachers should bring holistic thinking to this activity and remind students of the processes of resource extraction necessary for the production of our everyday goods. Digging minerals, metals and hydrocarbons from the ground disrupts the landscape. Extraction brings roads, power transmission and facilities for workers and waste disposal from the mining and other human activities. Such operations often use hazardous chemicals that enter our ecosystems and contaminate water, land and air, impacting on animals in the food chain and whole ecosystems. It is a ‘take,"
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Climate Curriculum

Teaching The Climate Emergency and Ecological Breakdown

12 Nov 2020

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      string(394) "... absorb it. If we understood ecology, we would know that is a serious problem. This activity introduces these fundamental concepts to young children.Age Group: Foundation Phase/Stage, Year 1.Links to Planning Tool: Ecological understandingPurpose: For very young children to understand the concept of biodegradability.Materials A nylon sock ..."
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      string(4013) "In this activity ecological understanding starts with recognising the differences between natural, biodegradable materials and non-biodegradable made materials.  This basic understanding underpins the concepts of recycle, reuse and reduce that even the youngest children can begin to explore.  The current ecological crisis has been caused by linear thinking, by people not recognising that we live in systems that are all connected and all feedback to each other. The problem with plastic, for example, is that we haven’t taken account of plastics’ non-biodegradability. Natural systems cannot absorb it. If we understood ecology, we would know that is a serious problem. This activity introduces these fundamental concepts to young children.Age Group: Foundation Phase/Stage, Year 1.Links to Planning Tool: Ecological understandingPurpose: For very young children to understand the concept of biodegradability.Materials A nylon sock for each group of children (3-5 children)A set of objects to place in the socks which are biodegradable and non-biodegradable, for example, banana skin, apple core, orange peel or anything related to fruit; matchstick or small piece of wood, paper (biodegradable); glass, metal, plastic (non-biodegradable).Each group should have the activity sheet attached – diagram of a sockGroupings Children work in small groups.ProcedureExplain to the children that each group are going to bury a sock in the garden with different objects in. Give out the Activity Sheet with a sock drawn on it. Show the children the items to put in their socks. As they put each item in the sock ask them to draw the item inside the sock on the activity sheet.Tell the children they are going to dig the socks up next term and ask them what they think will happen to each of the items. Do they think each item will still be there – will any have disappeared?Do they think each item will look the same? Make notes about what the children think to remind them later.Once this is completed take the children to the spot where the socks will be buried. Make sure each group will be able to recognise their sock when it is dug up again (maybe a different coloured sock for each group).Follow UpIdeally the socks will be buried at the beginning of the summer term. Dig up the socks once each term to see what has happened or, if you prefer, wait until the end of the autmumn term. Try and identify the items in the sock. The non-biodegradable will look essentially the same. The apple core will disappear quickly, orange peel and banana skins can take up to two years to disappear altogether. A plastic bottle will stay in the environment indefinitely. An aluminium can lasts 80-100 years. Glass might change its appearance with chemical reactions between the soil and glass creating iridescent surfaces. The socks made of nylon will remain intact for 30-40 years (wool socks 1-5 years, organic cotton socks about 5 months, but non-organic could take up to 200 years because of the chemicals used to grow the cotton). Ask the children if they know what the sock is made of. This process is the time to introduce some important terms to the children. All the items are either biodegradable or non-biodegradable. Some are recyclable like tin and glass. Some are reusable like some glass bottles. Talk to the children about the importance of reusing, recycling and reducing our waste. Introduce them to recycling symbols and consider why it is important to separate our waste. Food waste is an important topic for children to understand. Households in Britain throw away up to 40% of the food they buy and much of this ends up in landfill sites where it decomposes releasing methane, a greenhouse gas that is over 20% more potent than C02. Teachers might like to follow the topic of food waste with young children.Activity SheetGet Access To The Full Issue Free Of Charge Here"
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Climate Change

Burying the Socks

8 Jul 2020

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      string(362) "... damage ourselves.Stage 3: What is happening?Unless our young people care about the planet and understand its natural systems, they can’t understand the climate emergency. All across the globe we are witnessing climate change in action. The fires in Australia, flooding in Indonesia, loss of biodiversity, plastics in ..."
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      string(4081) "If Education for Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship is to be embedded across the curriculum we need a plan. Since I began writing curriculum materials in 1985, I have researched and developed a curriculum planning tool that has proved helpful to teachers. The planning tool is divided into five stages: all are important and need to be addressed whether you are working with nursery or Key Stage 4. However, the first two stages will be the main focus with younger children and the last three with older students. The activities in the rest of the magazine have all been informed by the planning tool. Stage 1: Aesthetic understanding Unless we care about the planet and feel an emotional connection to the natural world, we are unlikely to feel passionate about protecting it. Aesthetic understanding is developed through activities designed to help children and young people, and indeed all of us, appreciate the beauty and wonder of the natural world. Increasingly research suggests our mental health is improved if we feel connected to nature and recognise that we are all part of a balanced ecosystem. Aesthetic understanding helps us feel part of not apart from the natural world. Stage 2: Ecological UnderstandingTo properly understand what is happening to our planet we need to know how natural systems work and how everything is connected. Ecology is perhaps the most important of the sciences to teach our young people. The current crisis has been caused by linear thinking, by people not recognising that we live in systems that are all connected and all feedback to each other. The problem with plastic, for example, is that we haven’t taken account of plastics’ non-biodegradability. Natural systems cannot absorb it. If we understood ecology, we would know that is a serious problem. Most of the damage we have done and continue to do to the earth ignores the fact that we live in a finite world. We are the human component in the biosphere and when we damage the planet we damage ourselves.Stage 3: What is happening?Unless our young people care about the planet and understand its natural systems, they can’t understand the climate emergency. All across the globe we are witnessing climate change in action. The fires in Australia, flooding in Indonesia, loss of biodiversity, plastics in our oceans – all these things are happening now. If we are to properly prepare young people for the changes that are already happening that will accelerate in the future, they need to know what is happening. But this is not enough, for every topic taught, planning needs to include Stages 4 and 5 of our planning tool. Stage 4: Why is it happening?Our students need to understand not only what is going wrong, but why it is happening. Often teachers shy away from looking at causes of climate change outside the scientific facts, yet the problems are caused by people, by business and by government. Young people deserve to know the truth if they are to understand what needs to change. Stage 5: What can we do about it?We all need hope. Today many young people are suffering from eco-anxiety because they know about the climate emergency and can feel hopeless as they face a future of uncertainty and fear. It is very important that they understand the solutions to the crisis as well as the problems. And the solutions will mean a radical change in how we live. Slowing down climate change means we will have to change everything about the way we live – how we travel, where we live, how we farm, what we eat, what we wear and how we interact with each other. The young people need to know what solutions are out there so they can be part of the change that is needed to protect our planet and their future.Get Access To A Range Of Articles  On The Subject of Teaching Climate Change Here"
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Climate Change

A Curriculum Planning Tool For Teaching Climate Change

22 Nov 2020

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      string(5653) "journey. It can be used as a model for other teachers to help students report on action they have taken to help mitigate the climate crisis and ecological breakdown we are facing. What We DidWe arrived in the school and met with Year 6. They responded enthusiastically to the prospect of making a video and we suggested they adopt the style of the children’s Newsround programme. We agreed the format for the day as follows:9.15 – 10.00The class mapped the story of the class’s journey:introduction of VocalEyes to the schoolprioritizing ‘going plastic-free’ by pupilscarrying out research into plasticsidentifying a campaign issuecarrying out their campaign to reduce plastic in the school.10.00 – 10. 30To give them a picture of what they were aiming for, the class viewed and deconstructed a BBC ‘Newsround’ programme (see activity sheet below) so they thoroughly understood the different processes involved in putting a short news item together.10.30-10.45Playtime10.45 – 12.00We identified specific jobs for each person/groups of people to do:Two presenters to introduce the programme and cue in the various reporting teams – the anchors of the programmeTeams to take responsibility for different items in the programmeIdentify children who wanted to make a creative response to the problem of plastic Identify locations for filmingIdentify others in the school to be involved in filming Groups to storyboard each item for the programme as follows:  Where (film locations)What items for the programme will be shotHow often location will be changedWho Is involved in each shotA director to oversee each shotSomeone to film Someone to take responsibility for making sure props are in the right place at the right timeWhatWhat props are needed for each item of filmingSomeone responsible for gathering props together How will it be framed?Long short? (from a distance to establish the scene)Medium shot (showing upper part of body)Close up (showing just head and shoulders – better for dialogue)Try to shoot each scene from different angles/perspectives to see which works bestScriptingEach group worked to script their aspect of the programme and rehearse it. Decisions to film involving the infants drinking milk organizedEco-committee of the school invited to tell their story of visiting the Children’s Commissioner for Wales’ officeResponsibilityThe two ‘presenters’ of the programme took responsibility for coordinating filming and checking scripts, scheduling the order of filming and liaising with others who were to be involved. Sue and the class teacher moved around to help keep them to time and deal with any problems arising.1.00– 3.20	FilmingPete from VocalEyes used a video camera for filming and was assisted by different members of each group who filmed from different angles using a phone. The afternoon was extremely busy as each group was filmed in turn. The creative group produced a poem and the presenters coordinated the order of presentation.During the following week the final video was put together.Future NewsWe think you will agree the result is, as one of the children said, “Awesome!” You can view it here:Glyncollen Primary School – Future Generations News – Plastic Free School (https://youtu.be/-guwv5YnbfE)Key learningThese young people were engaged in participatory democracy. Using the VocalEyes platform they prioritised ‘going plastic-free’ and then by taking on the roles of researchers and co-inquirers they developed a campaign to target the governing body of their school, their local councilor, their local council, the Children’s Commissioner for Wales, their local Welsh Assembly member and the Welsh Minister for the Environment. Their campaign identified the reduction of plastic bottles used for children’s milk in the Foundation Phase (free to all under 7 in Wales). This involved carrying out extensive research into alternatives and how much plastic could be saved if their proposal was to be scaled-up and adopted in all schools in Swansea. Here is a chart to show their journey:During this process they have learnt they are key members of not only their school, but their local community, town and country. They have exercised leadership and been genuinely involved in a participatory democracy process. At the beginning they didn’t know who their local councilors were, who the head of Swansea Council was, who their local Assembly Member was or who the Minister for the Environment was or how they could interact with them. By the end they had a good understanding of how local democracy is structured. They were very excited to get a very positive response to the letter they sent about reducing plastics to Environment Minister at the Welsh Government, Hannah Blythyn, AM. Hannah began her response to the children by telling them how pleased she was that they cared so deeply about plastic waste causing “terrible damage to our seas and the creatures that live in them”, and for all their ideas about reducing plastics in their school. Hannah also gave the children some important information to help them with their campaign. The children wanted to stop the use of 150mm bottles to supply the free milk entitlement for children in the Foundation Phase. Their idea was to replace the 150mm bottles with 2 litre bottles from which the 150mm per child could be dispensed. Hannah recommended that they ask Swansea, the local council who buys the milk, to consider other ways of supplying it. Rather than just wait for"
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Climate Change

Climate Change: Pupil Voice, Digital Democracy and Global Citizenship

10 Nov 2020