Teaching Kids About Climate Change

To help educators tackle this essential but challenging topic with K-8 students, this new book includes 20 age-appropriate activities that can be undertaken at home, in school classrooms, outdoor spaces and in the community.  Within the 80 pages of this large format paperback, you will find many useful pathways to guide young people towards an understanding of this complex topic. Its detailed, practical activities are designed to enhance climate literacy and to increase understanding of renewable energy, sustainable transportation and technologies, and the many ways that individuals and communities can reduce their carbon footprint.

The collection includes activities that introduce basic concepts of climate literacy, such as energy forms, urban heat islands, and the difference between weather and climate.  Walking school buses, green commuting challenges and public transit investigations are a few of the transport-related activities.  Building model solar cars and solar cookers and studying passive solar house design are a few of the energy-oriented activities included in the book.

Rather than overwhelm young people with the daunting challenges facing humanity, the book’s focus is to help them to appreciate the many solutions that individuals, organizations and governments are already implementing to mitigate climate change. The overall goal of the book is to introduce basic concepts and to help cultivate a sense of wonder about the natural world.

74 pages

Ethical Elements: Printed on 1oo% post-consumer recycled paper, and offered in partnership with Green Teacher – a non-profit organization dedicated to helping educators, both inside and outside of schools, promote environmental awareness among young people aged 6-19. Read more about our ethical policies & practices.

The Inside Scoop: We have a long and strong relationship with Green Teacher, dating back to working with Tim Grant when he was editor, and now with Ian Shanahan as the current editor. Providing resources like this one that are ‘by educators for educators’ was a no-brainer – it is wonderful to be able to share stories from the field!