Delivering subject content through nine life themes
Ravaged oceans – A fishy tale: Preparing children for tomorrow’s world today ‘Sea monsters’, the size of football fields, trawl nets hundreds of metres long, catching everything in their path. These refrigerated, factory ships can catch and process up to 250 tons of fish… Continue Reading “What is to be done with super-trawlers?”
The world’s oceans — majestic, awe-inspiring and essential for the survival of life on the planet — are being destroyed by eternal plastic. ‘Every year, about 8 million tons of plastic waste escapes into the oceans from coastal nations. That is the equivalent of… Continue Reading “Make it, use it, throw it: A throwaway mentality is destroying the planet”
A major United Nations report has characterised humanity’s relationship with the planet as a war and called for a fundamental reset in order to secure a prosperous and sustainable future for us all. The report, called Making Peace with Nature, has been published by… Continue Reading “We need to transform our relationship with nature, says the UN”
According to the United Nations, 17% of all food is just dumped — almost 1 billion tonnes every year. It also says that as much as a third of all food may never be eaten. Although the UK is one of the leading countries… Continue Reading “Learning how to cut down on food waste promotes sustainable living”
It might seem fanciful to imagine anything dislodging Covid-19 from the headlines at the moment, but in the coming months we are likely to be seeing, hearing and reading a great deal about the forthcoming COP26 climate change conference. As the UK is the… Continue Reading “Using COP26 to press the environmental education reset button”
A recent Forum for Life-Based Learning post stated that the forthcoming COP26 climate change conference of world leaders, to be held in Glasgow, presented an outstanding opportunity to press the reset button on nature education. The environment is an issue that children are passionate… Continue Reading “The curriculum should reflect children’s interest in the environment and nature”
A bold and imaginative approach to boosting children’s post-lockdown mental health and wellbeing would include a coordinated effort — involving parents and schools, young people’s organisations like Scouts and Guides, and community-driven initiatives — to offer every young person encouragement and, more importantly, easy-to-access… Continue Reading “Being involved in positive change can boost children’s mental health”
A first-of-its-kind report from the Woodland Trust on the state of the UK’s woods and trees is calling for key changes in environmental education, including its inclusion in “core teaching curricula”, the allocation of guaranteed time for outdoor learning and the provision of nature… Continue Reading “Woodland Trust adds its voice to calls for environmental education reform”
‘Catastrophic decline’ is the quote used in the BBC headline accompanying yet another authoritative report warning of the threat to the Earth’s animal life. This particular report, published by the conservation group WWF in 2020, states that wildlife populations have fallen by more than… Continue Reading “Learning about animals is crucial if we want to protect biodiversity”
Two news stories in recent days — one saying that just 20 firms account for more than half of single-use plastic waste, the other a claim from Greenpeace that about 40% of the UK’s plastic waste exports were sent to Turkey last year and… Continue Reading “Reducing plastics use helps with learning about the need to live sustainably”