Climate change is the greatest challenge the human race has ever faced, but we can do something about it.
This post will help you in educating children about climate change and how they can take crucial steps towards the most significant challenge on Earth.
Climate Kids by NASA
Climate Kids is a comprehensive website from NASA that provides learning resources to understand varied climate change issues. The website features learning games, educational activities, videos, facts, and career profiles for students to explore and learn about climate change. The resources are categorised into Atmosphere, Water, Weather & Climate, Plants & Animals, and Energy. The unique part of the website is the Climate Change Time Machine, an interactive feature that feeds the scientific inquiry process. Students can time travel to understand how the Earth has changed over the years. Users can access sea ice maps, carbon emission, sea level, and average global temperature.
The Big Questions section on the website would help young adults explore the reasons and hows of massive climate change. For younger kids, varied games, videos and a plethora of other informative kid-friendly resources are available to learn about climate change. The website is ideal for kids in grades 3 to 6.
SDGs in Action
The app features detailed information about each of the 17 sustainable development goals outlined by the US government, covering targets, key facts, explanatory videos, and suggestions on how to help achieve the goals or be responsible for your actions. There are lessons on each plan to help kids understand the issue clearly. Kids can also find the latest news and world innovations to achieve these goals. The app shows events near them they can join in supporting their plans for young adults. The app can be accessed in six languages, including Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish. The app is ideal for students in grades 3 to 12.
bioGraphic
bioiGraphic is a multimedia magazine that helps young learners understand animals survival on a changing planet and the possible solutions to the threatened ecosystems. The platform is ideal for grades 6–12, filled with images and video resources on the natural ecosystem and people working to preserve this ecosystem by implementing various solutions – like new-age technologies, tools, and ideas to keep the environment sustainable. The website also features informative resources like articles, photo essays, spotlighted animal stories, and more. Students can learn about environmental challenges, adaptations, possible solutions, and why it's all-important.
BiomeViewer
BiomeViewer can help students understand their planet Earth. Ideal for learners in grades 6 to 12, the app allows users to explore Earth's ecosystem quickly. Students can access the history of climate change on Earth, wildlife and its transition over the years, and how patterns of human settlement and agriculture have changed the planet since 1700. The app covers biodiversity data for over 16,000 reptiles, amphibians, and mammals. Students can also access climate change history in a grid tabular form for easy understanding and quick comparison. The app will help students understand the alliterations humans have made to Earth in the last 300 years.
Climate Pursuit
Climate Pursuit is a climate survival game that teaches strategy and awareness to students. Ideal for young learners in grades 6 to 12, the game requires students to race against time and help one of three species escape rising temperatures as they head to the north. The game gives a profound and straightforward introduction to increasing temperature and its effect on the Earth's ecosystem. The gameplay focuses on helping species slow down the rising temperature by winning the race. If the species survives 100 years, e player wins the game. There are three levels in the game with evolved gameplay. Apart from the awareness of rising earth temperature and how students can help the planet earth, the game also helps students develop critical thinking, decision-making, and vital soft skills. Students' progress is shown at the bottom of the screen measured in the number of years the chosen species has survived. An exclamation point appears when a population is in danger of dying out, with that population dying a year or two later -- unless they're moved.
NASA Global Climate Change - Vital Signs of the Planet
This is the one-stop solution for all the climate information that you need to teach your middle schoolers and up. Ideal for kids in grades 6 to 12, the platform features a basic introduction to climate change, practical guides, and key data & facts about it. The platform features a comprehensive repository of resources ranging from images, videos, blog posts, articles, infographics, and more. All the information available is backed by authentic research with citations and links to the original posts, curated by NASA experts. The content available is free for educators to use, share and remix for their lessons or other teaching needs. The site also offers an interactive range that students can use to explore climate change across the world, geography and from various perspectives. Educators must check out the "For Educators" section on the site. It consists of ready to use resources, including lesson plans, worksheets, curriculum modules, professional development, and online communities.
Our Climate Our Future
Our Climate Our Future offers a series of lessons to understand all aspects of climate change. Ideal for students in grades 6 to 12, the website features lessons on climate change, its effects, causes on the issue, and steps to fight it. The website consists of informative resources in the form of videos and provides insights to students on how they can fight it or slow it down. The website covers crucial topics like the science of climate change, the sources of the change's acceleration, the history of our planet's climate, actions already being taken, growing climate science fields, and what students can do to help. The lessons are 40-minute videos, divided into 11 chapters, addressing climate change piece by piece and using comparisons to help students understand. It also features bite-sized learning content called Climate Clips that covers exciting questions that will capture students' interest. Some of the available clips are on Ocean Acidification, Renewable Energy and the secret to Climate Change.
Kids Against Climate Change
This website is appropriate for kids to help them understand what climate change is, what they can do to help the planet and what adults can do. The website features informative resources, videos, links to educational resources, games, activities, and more for kids and adults. The website works as a repository of handpicked age-appropriate resources that teachers can use for preschoolers or younger kids to learn about climate change and how they can contribute to minimising the effects.
Terra.do
This EdTech startup addresses the issue of climate change and how the future will be affected due to the rising climatic changes if we don't get alert now. The platform is an online climate school that aims to solve the climate change problems by offering a range of courses with hands-on activities and thorough knowledge on what is happening and how we can stop or reduce it. Students can do a crash course to understand and learn about climate change and its associated factors, meet like-minded people from the same community, and prospect collaborators on this platform. The platform is appropriate for students above elementary education.
Climate Change Resources by WWF
WWF is one of the most prominent organisations that benefit the planet and nature. Climate change is evident and increasing every day. WWF introduces specially curated resources ideal for teaching students aged 7 –11 about climate change. Through their series of engaging curriculum-linked programmes and activities, students can better the climate.
How are you helping students understand climate change and curb it? Please share with us in the comments section below.
