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Climate change curriculum provider Earth Warriors is among the world’s first and only education syllabus teaching children between the ages of 3 to 7 about sustainability. Through play-based activities and ‘Earth Warrior’ characters, it teaches ways on how the next generation can be climate positive.
London-based Earth Warriors is an education curriculum focused on sustainability and climate change for young children between the ages of 3 and 7 years olds.
In a study conducted by Earth Warriors, data revealed that there are currently no educational tools aimed at younger generations that focus on the necessary climate education they need to adjust to the changing world. A handful of schools around the world, such as the pioneering Green School, which was founded in Bali, Indonesia, do teach students from early years through high school about sustainability as a core part of their educational curriculum.
How does it work?
The curriculum was founded by sustainability and education policy expert Shweta Bahri and early childhood education expert Keya Lamba.
The modules are easy to use and have an adaptable design, meaning the curriculum can be used by both schools and parents at home. For schools, the curriculum covers age groups between 3-7 and covers age-appropriate topics on climate change and sustainability. It incorporates play-based learning and a solutions-oriented approach.
The yearly classroom subscription allows children to easily access schools and teachers along with the materials required to execute the curriculum and the activities are conducted with materials easily found around the home or in nature.
For at-home parenting, the first module, ‘We are Earth Warriors’ allows parents to spend time with their children and together build a bond with nature. This is available for purchase online with modules two and three to release in the coming months. Children receive an Earth Warriors Badge at the end of each module.
Read: Children Born After 2012 Have Not Lived A Day Unaffected By Climate Change
Climate positive community
The curriculum goes one step ahead and offers the children an opportunity to interact with like-minded teachers, parents, and children from across the globe. This community engages in sustainable habits and living. It aims to instill in kids a passion and knowledge for the climate.
Dominic Bond, a parent of Earth Warrior Billy, aged 5, said, “Billy woke up this morning saying: “They are cutting down the forests but we need the trees to charge the ice because the polar bears and the penguins are falling into the water.” Earth Warriors’ thinking is firmly taking root!”
Quality assured
Experts at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and the Stanford School of Earth have quality-assured the program for age-appropriateness and scientific accuracy. It is in sync with many of the U.K’s Early Years Student Learning Standards across numeracy, literacy, science, social-emotional learning, and motor skill development.
Furthering their mission for a social cause, Earth warriors will be donating 5% of their annual profits to protect endangered animals.
Misleading facts about climate change
“Children today are growing up in a world where climate change is a reality. There is an urgent need for accurate climate education that is centered on solutions,” Bahri said. “It is entirely possible to develop solutions and change habits to tackle climate change.
“The youth of today deserve high-quality climate education,” Bahri said. “This will help them understand climate change in a non-scary way. It will also prepare them to be the change-makers of the future.”
The well-known Green School, located in Bali, Indonesia, is another progressive school of the future. It has an education model that teaches children about sustainability by involving them in eco-friendly projects. The school has eco-friendly grass bamboo structures and a “BioBus” — which transports students via a bus running on cooking oil.
In Australia, children between the ages of 3 to 5 will soon get the country’s first-ever vegan preschool, Sustainable Play. This school’s aim is to promote eco-friendly practices among children like growing vegetable patches and using local produce.
Read: Climate Crisis Must Be Taught In Schools, U.S. Education Experts Tell Biden
Lead image courtesy of Earth Warriors.
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