Fun Ways to Teach Kids about Earth and Ecology

Children are the future caretakers of our environment. As they mature, it is important that they are fed with not just bookish knowledge but pragmatic ideas about the earth, ecology, and the environmental issues. Children should be hence given the opportunity to recognize the environmental problems and what role do the humans play in preventing/addressing these concerns.

As such, it becomes the prime responsibility of us, the adults, to talk to children about pollution, environment preservation, and ecology to raise them as responsible citizens. However, when it comes to teaching the kids about ecology and environment, it is important that we make it a fun and engaging experience so that they stay involved.Anything from reading books and art projects to creative farming simulations can help in teaching kids about preserving earth and ecology.

Here are a few fun activities and ideas that can help kids learn about preserving the planet and the environment:

Let them Visualize:

Just talking about earth and ecology is not going to have the impact it deserves. Children may not be able to grasp the importance of our planet and the environment from verbal lectures. They should be given a visual treat to know how much our earth needs to be preserved and protected for the sake of future good. There are so many resources with pictures and videos to allow young students to explore the earth and ecology. This will make them aware of the environmental risks and how their negligence can affect the future earth.

Take a Nature Walk:

The first step to care for nature is learning to enjoy it. Most children today either remain engrossed with books or with gadgets. But it is important that they venture out often andconnect with nature. Asking them to do some kind of out-of-the-ordinary activities related to environmental can give them a better insight about the planet and its ecology. Children can be taken out to a local park, countryside, or even playground to let them observe the outside world. Encourage them to collect leaves, tend to the plants, or identify different species of birds/insects living in the place. Giving them fun art activities with fallen leaves and flowers will also make them actively involved in it. This will help them think about the world they live in and identify how beautiful it actually is.

Plant a Community Garden:

Planting trees and growing them is a kind of fun activity everyone enjoys. Let your children work together in a community garden or a compost project to gain awareness about earth and ecology. They can, individually or together with some friends, plant herbs, vegetables, and flowering plants to create their own little garden. This way, they will learn what it takes to grow a plant/tree and how much effort is put intomaintaininga garden.

Teach the Importance of Recycling:

When it comes to preserving the environment, practicing recycling is essential. Children must be taught about the appropriate ways to recycle things so that they learn to reduce, reuse, and recycle things as much as they can. Anything as little as wasting lunch and throwing away plastic bottles matters significantly to the environment protection. To make them learn so, they can be given small clean-up chores which help them understand why it is important to reduce unnecessary wastage and pollution.

Save! Save! Save!

Similar to recycling, saving resources is equally important. Teach children how much water and other earth’s resources are precious for life. They should be taught to close the faucet while brushing, turn off the lights when out of the room, and more so. Rewarding them for following the good rules will encourage them to do it often and will ultimately become a habit.

Above all, it is important that children are led by example. An action is worth a million words. And this is why we, at the JP International School, impart value-based educationwhere children are not only instilled with strong academic know-how but are also connected with other important facets of life.

Students at JPIS are regularly apprised about the various elements of nature and diversity within our local surroundings. We have established an Eco Club at the schoolwhere students are engaged in various practical activities and talk sessionsthat sensitize them about the environment. We also organize outdoor activities like nature walk, tree plantation activities, etc. to enhance the understanding and knowledge of our students about mother earth.

JP International School, one of the top rated schools in Greater Noida, strongly believe that if we all come up together to take up the mission of protecting the earth and its environment, we can definitely bring about the change for the better.

- JP International School