Earth Day: Investing in our Future

“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” Socrates

When the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates coined this phrase, he couldn’t have imagined that what he said would be so relevant 2400 years later. Of course, the Greek philosopher couldn’t have predicted our modern-day environmental crisis but his words are food for thought.

In 2022, Earth Day’s theme is ‘Invest in Our Planet’. This theme shows the urgency to replace our long-established practices that harm planet earth, with more environmentally-friendly ones. We can do this by respecting our planet whilst shopping, thinking and living sustainably. This can be achieved, as Socrates said, by not focusing on fighting the old but by learning from it and using it to build something new for our future.

What Is Earth Day?

Earth Day is an annual event that began in 1970. It happens on the 22^nd April each year and welcomes thousands of participants who want to learn more about our environment and contribute to our planet’s protection. 

Gaylord Nelson, an American senator, was the founder of Earth Day. He proposed the 22^nd April as the day dedicated to Earth, where people would be taught about environmental issues. After the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill disaster that killed more than 10,000 dolphins, seabirds, sea lions and seals, Nelson wanted to raise awareness and point out how crucial it is to protect our planet.

52 years after that first Earth Day, the aims remain the same: firstly, to raise awareness about the various environmental issues and challenges that our planet faces; and secondly, to call people to action. 

How Is Earth Day Celebrated Around the World?

There are many different ways to celebrate Earth Day, and throughout the world, countries have found their own unique way to dedicate this special day to our planet.

In the United States of America, scientists and civic organisers offer training sessions on environmental issues; rallies and marches are also organised. In Japan, more than 100,000 people attend family activities and learn about businesses that encourage sustainability. In India, there are activities where participants dress in green to represent the colour of the earth, as well as attending events focused on protecting the Asian elephant, an endangered species. In Switzerland, an international school hosts a green sale in which they raise funds to plant trees, and the children play recycling games. 

All of the countries that celebrate Earth Day welcome thousands of people who attend events and speeches on environmental challenges; some people volunteer at these events and it’s not uncommon for creatives to take part in order to help spread the message through their art.

How Can We Raise Awareness at Schools?

The clock is ticking but fortunately we still have time to take positive action to ensure the protection of our planet for future generations. As educators, we can play an important role in that. By teaching our children about sustainability and the importance of taking steps to protect the environment and everything around us, we contribute to the extension of our planet’s life. Education is a powerful tool and raising children who are climate and environmentally literate means that we support the future activists and advocates of our planet, who will do their best to protect it.

So, as an educator, what can you do in practice to encourage awareness and positive action? Here are some simple ideas:

• Bring nature indoors. Make your classroom biophilic by choosing natural light instead of artificial (when possible), using natural materials and decorating with plants and greenery. Children will love taking care of them and the greenery is naturally  calming for their nervous system. 
• Take your learners outdoors every day. Don’t let bad weather put you off. With the proper clothing, children will benefit from getting out in differing (but not dangerous!) weather conditions. Aim to take them out in the playground every day; you can have an outdoors literacy or numeracy lesson, build nests and houses for tiny little creatures, plant trees or flowers, litter pick or organise a race around the school. Whatever you choose to do, it will benefit not only your learners’ relationship with the outdoors but also their mental and physical health.
• Take your learners on nature walks in the local park or visit national parks. If you can’t visit national parks, look online as there are many that you can access digitally from the convenience of your classroom.
• Use only natural and sustainable materials. Demonstrate to your learners how to reuse old clothes to create cushions for the classroom and create recycling bins from unwanted boxes.
• Be a role model. Make sure you turn off the lights and electronics when you leave the room. Use these lovely posters as a reminder for you and your learners. Ensure that you print in black and white whenever possible or use Twinkl’s Super Eco version, which saves ink. 
• Teach your learners how to be more sustainable in their everyday life, from their clothing, to their nutrition and home life. 
• Engage learners in eco groups, encouraging them to take part in ‘green’ discussions in their school and local community and take positive action.

How Can Twinkl Help Me?

Twinkl is here to support you in your mission to help build a sustainable future by starting from your classroom. Twinkl Scotland have collated a variety of resources that we’re sure will support you in creating meaningful and high-quality learning experiences. 

• Check out our wide range of resources on the topics of Global Citizenship, Sustainability and Global Goals. There are plenty of resources for every primary school stage.
• We believe that gaining knowledge on how our planet works and how other beings live on it is very important for raising awareness. Visit here for Early Level, here for First and here for Second Level and teach your learners all about planet Earth.
• Since education starts from the people who deliver it, we have created resources that aim to support you in your learning about ‘green’ practices, which you can incorporate into your teaching. 
• Why not read our lovely blog that provides ways in which you can help your learners connect with nature? Moreover, Twinkl Green Week has a variety of resources that we’re sure you will love.

Learning doesn’t stop there. Twinkl Scotland have partnered with MOBIE, Ministry of Building Innovation and Education, to bring to you resources that will inspire young people to build the homes of the future, which are sustainable, friendly to our planet and healthy places to live. Keep your eye on our Scotland Partnerships page for these in the near future!

Many think that one person can’t change the world. However, if we work together to educate our learners on environmental issues, we will guide them to have a greater awareness of the challenges facing our planet and inspire them to protect it.

As UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon once said, “There can be no plan B because there is no planet B.” Earth is the only home we have and it’s our duty to protect it.

Nature and Expressive Arts

“Our vision for outdoor learning in Scotland is that:

• all children and young people are participating in a range of progressive and creative outdoor learning experiences, which are clearly part of the curriculum
• schools and centres are providing regular, frequent, enjoyable and challenging opportunities for all children and young people to learn outdoors throughout their school career and beyond
• Teachers and educators embed outdoor learning in the curriculum so that learning in the outdoor environment becomes a reality for all children and young people.”

Learning and Teaching Scotland, 2010, Curriculum for Excellence Through Outdoor Learning

It has been well established that outdoor learning, as part of the Curriculum for Excellence in Scotland, plays a large role in supporting learners to develop lifelong skills and enhances their educational experience. In 2010 the value of outdoor learning was formally recognised and over a decade on, the role outdoor learning remains a prominent feature of the Scottish curriculum. As learners return to school after many months of learning remotely in front of screens and away from their peers, the role of outdoor learning is arguably more important than it has ever been.

Why Take Learning Outdoors?

What topics do you think you’ll write about?

Outdoor learning provides learners with excellent opportunities to develop lifelong skills and access many, if not all, aspects of the curriculum. The outdoor environment is rich in learning experiences, whether within the school grounds or further afield, and each outdoor learning space will offer different opportunities based on how educators and learners engage with them. An art lesson outdoors can easily offer additional learning opportunities in literacy, maths and wellbeing, making outdoor learning a great way of exploring interdisciplinary learning.

If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?

In addition to offering a rich variety of learning across the curriculum, it also helps build coherence for learners. Being outdoors contextualises learning and allows learners to explore concepts in a meaningful way within a real-life context. This develops transferable skills that learners can apply in other areas of their lives. Creativity, critical thinking, problem solving and communication are just some of the core skills that learners can develop when using an outdoor environment. These skills are valuable in their lifelong educational journey and later on in the world of work.

Moreover, outdoor learning is thought to have a positive impact on all aspects of wellbeing. It contributes to improved physical wellbeing as learners tend to be more active in their learning and sitting for shorter periods of time. It also can have a positive impact on emotional and social wellbeing by offering challenge and enjoyment to learners. Being outdoors provides unlimited opportunities to collaborate and express themselves.

The ‘great’ Scottish weather can often be used as an excuse not to go outdoors, but being well-prepared with the appropriate clothing means that learning can happen in any weather. Even the coldest winter weather offers rich teaching opportunities, for example exploring the symmetry in a snowflake or the different states that water can be found in. Open the door of the school building and you can open the door to a world full of learning opportunities.

Expressive Arts and the Outdoors

Within the Curriculum for Excellence, the area of Expressive Arts covers Art and Design, Music, Drama and Dance. The subject focuses on developing creativity and self-expression as well as providing a way of representing learning across the curriculum. Expressive Arts are an important part of the school curriculum and can be a powerful tool in tackling sensitive issues such as exploring feelings or emotions.

The outdoor environment allows an increasing sense of freedom to learners who may feel constrained within the four walls of a traditional classroom. This freedom can help them explore media, materials, thoughts and ideas with a more creative outlook as well as helping them to express themselves more clearly. The ability to make more noise than can be allowed within a classroom can encourage learners to communicate and be more open to discussion. 

The outdoor environment can contribute greatly to the development of the skills explored through Expressive Arts. Not only does it provide inspiration, but it can also provide tools, materials and resources to support learning and teaching. The world around us is full of patterns, colours, sounds, interactions and beauty. All of this can inspire creativity in Art and Design projects, Music, Dance and Drama. Twigs and leaves can be used as painting equipment, walls and surfaces used as untuned percussion; the possibilities are endless and learners’ imaginations can run wild as their creativity flourishes.

How Can Twinkl Help Me?

At Twinkl we recognise the value of using the outdoor environment to support learning and teaching within Expressive Arts. Here are a few of the resources that could support your outdoor learning.

1. Outdoor Learning Big Art Challenge Cards 

Use these Outdoor Learning Big Art Challenge Cards to develop Art and Design skills in the outdoor environment. Encourage learners to work in pairs or small groups to develop their knowledge of colour, tone, depth and using a variety of materials.

2. Art in the Natural World First Level Challenge Cards

Use this set of challenge cards with ideas for creating artwork using the natural environment. This resource is aimed at learners working within First Level.

3. Outdoor learning with the Weather Second Level IDL Topic Web 

Use this detailed topic web to support learning outdoors. It provides Experiences and Outcomes as well as a variety of activities across different curricular areas, including Expressive Arts, Literacy and English, Health and Wellbeing, and Technologies that will support learning about the weather and will encourage outdoor learning. It’s ideal for Second Level learners working within the Curriculum for Excellence.

4. Nature Pedagogy Adult Information PowerPoint 

This Nature Pedagogy Adult Information PowerPoint will introduce staff to the rationale behind increased time dedicated to outdoor learning activities. The presentation explains the basis of nature pedagogy and discusses how to mitigate some of the barriers that many settings have faced when introducing it. Ideal as a whole staff meeting and can be adapted to be used as a parents and carers information evening.

5. CfE First Level Take it Outside Painted Pebbles Activity 

This outdoor pebble painting activity will stimulate creative learning. It is inspired by our Twinkl original story, ‘Treasures in the Garden’. It is aimed at CfE First Level learners and covers Expressive Arts outcomes.

6. Outdoor Art Homework Grid

This fun homework overview encourages learners to take their artistic skills outdoors! Activity suggestions include sketching flowers, painting pebbles to make colourful creatures and making a wind chime.