Kids and global warming – they get it, do you?
Last year I did some classroom presentations for 2nd and 4th graders, and it was stunning to see how the kids ‘get it”, way more than their parents seem to.
In fact, I did no “teaching” or “lecturing” at all; I just asked questions. They knew all the answers, except for the highly technical stuff (how greenhouse gases get trapped in the atmosphere, what exactly is a hybrid car). I would simply ask: What is causing warming? Do you know how it works? What can we do to make a difference? They were full of answers, and of course, concerns. But in my talks with kids, I don’t play up the possibilities for catastrophe, but the belief that our own ingenuity is able to take on these changes and in the process, make the world even better than it already is.
Other parents get that worried look when they talk about how to answer their kids questions (maybe this is even harder than having “the talk” about birds and bees?) My suggestion to other parents who ask how to approach this subject is this:
Show, don’t tell. Show your kids how much you are already making constructive changes in your family’s everyday way of living. Show them how they can make a difference (by keeping lights off when not in use for example). Nothing breeds fear in kids like knowing that something needs to be done (which they know) and seeing that the people they love and trust the most are not doing anything.
Get started today, there are plenty of ideas on this site for basic changes you can make. Sign up for our newsletter to get 3 ideas emailed to you each week – easy and simple changes you can adopt. Get involved in your community – city after city and town after town are all getting on board and need their residents to step up to the plate. Find out what’s happening in your town through ICLEI, Local Governments For Sustainability, or visit the Cool Cities Campaign (with 1003 participating cities as of this writing!) to find contact people near you. Or just call your mayor’s office. If no one’s involved, why not you?
Let’s show our kids that we can make a difference and take care of their future.
June 1st, 2010 at 4:03 pm
Hi,
Thanks for the great post. I’ve been thinking about this topic a lot lately Kids are key to the climate crisis and it’s great to hear that you’ve been discussing the issue with 2nd and 4th graders. Have you heard of Bill Nye’s Climate Lab? It’s a new exhibition that I guess won’t open until Fall at the Chabot Space and Science Center in Oakland, CA. The exhibit is all about climate change. In the interim, they have this accompanying interactive web site called http://www.billsclimatelab.org. It has fun activities to promote kids to take action to reverse climate change. The things people are building for environmental education these days! Pretty interesting stuff.