This summer, the Trust for Public Land had the opportunity to work with a small think tank of teachers from around the country to discuss challenges and wins around teaching for climate change literacy. For younger students, we heard (and agree) that the focus should be on fostering a joyful connection to nature. We acknowledge that people don’t work to save what they don’t care about and kids don’t remember content that bores them.

Once we’ve leaned into the awe and wonder of nature, what resources are out there to introduce the nitty gritty of climate science? Here are three resources that provide kid-friendly primers on climate topics:

1. Climate Superstars from NEEF: “Climate Superstars is a set of learning activities that align with Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and take roughly 15-20 minutes to complete. They’re easy to fit into your daily schedule as a fun complement to your lesson plans and can be performed online or in person.” Download the Educators Guide here.
2. The Watershed and Agricultural Council is a rich resource of climate related lessons and activities. They host annual teacher trainings, field trips, and lessons focused on on trees and water systems.
3. Look out for The New York Climate Exchange on Gov Island. It will “host a diverse range of edu­ca­tion­al and train­ing pro­grams for all New York­ers, as well as research ded­i­cat­ed to devel­op­ing and deploy­ing cli­mate solu­tions to com­mu­ni­ties in New York City and around the world.” You can attend tours on the island through August and September.

Will you be attending the March to End Fossil Fuels on September 17th?

Join a community of teachers working together on this essential topic by registering for the

Worldwide Climate and Justice Education Week Launch