Environmental issues are becoming bigger and bigger day by day. The urgency to address those issues has now become part of our daily lives and we cannot avoid it anymore. Hence, it is absolutely crucial that we teach all people and especially the younger generations about ecology and how we can live in peace with all creatures in the environment that are surrounding us.
There are different ways on how we can teach kids about ecology and all of them have their own benefits. While we are all aware of the importance of books on ecology which kids can read from early ages, there are also other ways of teaching them through hands-on experiences, teachings at school and learning through various other resources.
In this article today we will discuss the importance of teaching kids’ ecology, and we will elaborate more on the methods that can be used when teaching kids this subject.
Hands-On Learning Experiences
First and foremost, hands-on learning experiences are leading this list because of crucial reasons. Research has shown that people in general, but especially students and pupils from the first grade onwards learn best through hands-on learning experiences. Hands-on learning experiences have shown to be highly effective whenever used because the learners get excited to try out something they have previously learned about or something they have been told.
When it comes to learning ecology, kids should be sent to different ecological settings such as for instance field trips to botanical gardens or nature reserves. Apart from that, wildlife parks seem to be very famous nowadays and since kids usually love being around animals, they would appreciate going to the wildlife park and meeting the animals first-hand. Furthermore, kids can also be engaged in other activities such as planting trees or taking part in a city or village clean-up.
These are all hands-on learning experiences that will help the kids to connect with animals and nature and as a result, to develop empathy towards them that will contribute to a better future for all creatures and nature around us.
Multimedia Resources
As we are all aware by now, kids love their electronic gadgets unfortunately a bit too much. Nevertheless, the time that kids spend on these gadgets can be monitored and so can the content that is shown to them or the games they play. Kids can play different games involving animals, especially those where you have to care for the animal and give them food. Then, they could also be watching either YouTube videos or films and documentaries appropriate for their age, such as BBC Earth Kids, which talk about ecology and the importance of preserving it.
As we already know, there are plenty of kids’ cartoons that have animals as their characters. For instance, Peppa Pig is a very beloved cartoon that kids love watching where all characters are pigs. Apart from that, there are also other cartoons with animal characters which the kids love, so exposing them to those cartoons from an early age will not just teach them these animals and how they look, but they will also be able to form connections with those animals.
Based on the kids’ preferences, one could also suggest books to read on ecology. There are different fiction and non-fiction books that kids can read which will inform them about ecology but also about the importance of saving the only planet that we have. Some suggestions are for example the famous fiction book written by Dr. Seuss’ called “The Lorax” or the non-fiction “What a Waste” by Jess French.
Leading by example
The last point of this article is probably the most important one and that is to lead by example. As we all know, kids usually look up to their adults, be it their parents, guardians or siblings. It has been proved scientifically that kids learn most from the input of others and that is why it is absolutely crucial that we are careful what we teach kids.
As adults we are responsible for our actions and by being nice and kind to the animals and the environment, we are teaching kids how to do that too. If your kids or simply kids around you see you doing one thing, it is for sure that they will be doing the same thing the next day. Thus, it is important that you involve kids in activities that they can do, for example picking up litter wherever they see it.
Once you tell them that this is how we should behave, then it is for sure that it will be engraved in their brains to behave so. Needless to say, if they on the contrary see you being mean to animals or littering, they will do the same thing the next day too.
It is to be concluded that with the urgency of environmental issues, it is necessary and essential to train the future generation on how to take care of our planet. We are all aware that there is no planet B, so let us all work together towards making this place a better one for all creatures living in it and the beautiful nature that surrounds us!
