Climate Education
4 Ways To Incorporate Climate Education Into Back To School Learning
August 26, 2025
To effectively teach these skills, educators must have access to the latest research and instructional strategies. We know how difficult it can be to incorporate new lessons to your already packed curriculum, so at EARTHDAY.ORG, we try to function as a liaison between teachers and their climate materials.
Tomorrow is our Back to School with Climate Education webinar, and we wanted to give you a preview of the teaching that is in store. Climate literacy is an essential pillar to building children’s green skills that they need to enter the workforce and to understand the changing world around them.
Here are some of the many tools that can be used to build and foster a connection to nature and the environment:
1) Morning Meeting:
Morning Meeting is just what it sounds like; a meeting in the morning where students and teachers set expectations for the day’s learning. It is a big part of the early elementary classroom, allowing students to be a part of something bigger than themselves and establishing connection and a sense of belonging.
It can also be a great way to incorporate a relationship with nature and the environment. Nature connection may provide a conduit through which children meet the three basic psychological needs—autonomy, competence, and relatedness. You can welcome students to share; “What is your favorite animal to see in your community,” or other specific questions about the local environment. When students feel connected to nature, studies show they practice environmental conscious behaviors and are happier. So, it’s a joyful start to the day!
2) Learning Videos:
Around 65% of the population are visual learners, while 30% are auditory, making short videos are great to engage a wide range of students. As a teacher, you only want the best for your pupils. For “high quality” learning videos this means establishing the material that is explained in an age appropriate way and builds on skills such as critical thinking and problem solving. Creators like Suzie Hicks, the host of Suzie Hicks the Climate Chick and Sprout, do just that; offering a platform of authentic, content diversity to reach students on a deeper learning level. These video courses are engaging and incorporate climate lessons into math and reading curriculum. This interdisciplinary method is especially effective because it widens the perspectives students can use to approach complex issues. By allowing them to problem-solve from the angle that resonates most with them, it fosters deeper engagement and mirrors the kind of integrated thinking required in the real world – where fields of study often blend and challenges rarely exist in isolation.
3) Literature:
Whether the books are nonfiction or fiction, read aloud or silently, they captivate consumers. Books are more than just print, they can provide children with new information about the world, enrich vocabulary and enhance specific language skills (in the classroom or at home), nurturing communication between the storyteller (teacher, parent or other professional staff) and the listeners. Fostering a connection to books goes beyond the academic. Those who have positive attitudes toward reading are linked to improved resilience, motivation, self-esteem, and confidence, and indicators of mental health. These skills are critical for development and give students clues about the world around them, preparing students for solving climate issues in the real world.
4) Tech Time:
As the digital world quickly develops, technology skills have become integral to develop in elementary school. Many ways educators are incorporating technological development is through engaging programs that build student’s coding skills which is ultimately teaching learners to problem solve, be resilient, and develop problem solving skills. Coding is about using imagination and figuring out solutions. This being said, coding has become a way to incorporate climate topics into the classroom. Organizations like Take Action Global, and their Coding For Climate Initiative, delivers a climate issue in the form of a challenge that students must use their creativity and problem solving skills to tackle climate issues on the local level. When students engage with hands-on activities while working through a problem that affects them, you will get authentic learning. In fact, 81% of educators surveyed felt technology has had a positive impact on the profession over the past decade of teaching. Technology as a tool is impactful as a teaching tool for learning.
To help support the incorporation of climate lessons in the classroom, teachers can sign up to be an Earth Day Educator. You can also find loads of helpful resources, such as teaching guides and toolkits, available on our Climate Education page. Climate education is a vital foundation for developing the green skills children need to navigate the workforce and make sense of our changing world; so it’s time we prioritize and promote it.
But education does not end in school; it continues throughout our lives. Right now, the EPA is trying to take away our knowledge by rescinding the Endangerment Finding. We need to remind EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin that he works for the American people, and we want the truth. Sign this letter to tell Lee Zeldin to protect our health, our environment and our children’s future today.
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