The importance of environmental education in the early years now needs no introduction. But how do we sensitively teach children to understand the world in which, just this year, we have already witnessed the terrible destruction of so much of the Australian ecosystem? We are witnessing, too, the rise of the new generation who will be tasked with addressing the effects of global warming through the protests of Greta Thunberg and her young peers. Climate change is the reality with which the children in our settings will grow up, both in the news and on their doorstep.
‘Sharing stories’ is a concept repeated throughout the Development Mattersguidance on how to teach Understanding the World, the strand of the EYFS curriculum which reminds us to put these concerns at the heart of our pedagogy and provision. What are some of the stories we can share to embed environmental awareness in our classroom? Understanding the World’s three core elements can provide us with starting points in thinking about how to do so.
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