Climate Change It's time to talk about it By Drew Monkman & Jacob Rodenburg
Until recently, we could count on nature as a place of stability, offering the same wonderful experiences year in and year out. Sadly, as we’ve seen more than ever in recent months, this stability can no longer be counted on. All of us need to acknowledge, talk about, and engage with the elephant in the room: climate change. As educators, we feel it’s absolutely necessary that kids have an understanding of how and why the climate is changing, so they have both knowledge and emotional resilience to help them cope with the worsening climate impacts that are coming. A wonderful general resource for everything concerning kids and climate can be found at forourkids.ca.
How to talk about
climate change
Children may already be anxious or have misconceptions about climate change, hence the need to talk about it. The following guidelines are recommended in an article by Daisy Simmons at yaleclimateconnections.org. 1. These conversations are appropriate for children of all ages. Yes, it may seem difficult, but it’s no different from talking about things like divorce or death. You simply find ways to do so. 2. Ask them what they already know. It’s likely more than you think. 3. Brush up on the basic science ahead of time. Later, you and your child can learn together with resources like NASA’s interactive Climate Kids website at climatekids.nasa.gov. You can also use the ‘Climate Change 101’, next page. 4. Acknowledge climate feelings of sadness and anxiety. Assure your child that these are normal and help inspire solutions. 5. Give kids reasons for hope and ways to take action. Be sure to acknowledge the challenges, however. Mention what actions your family is taking, but stress that individual action won’t be enough. Point out inspiring examples of collective solutions already happening in your community and beyond, like new solar arrays or political and corporate initiatives. 6. On-going conversations are essential. Our knowledge of both climate impacts and solutions is changing almost daily. Refer to websites such as dailyclimate.org. 7. Consider doing some climate-related activities like those below. Take part as a family in public climate events. If you have older children, watch documentaries together like ‘Breaking Boundaries’ on Netflix. Excellent children’s books on climate change include The Tantrum that Saved the World by Megan Herbert and Earth Heroes by Lily Dyu.
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LOWDKIDS Lake of the Woods Area News Fall 2021
