Sustainable development
Learning about the impact or ecological footprint of our communities can encourage young people to ‘think locally and act globally’.
Caring for the environment is a strong theme in much early years work. Recycling projects, involvement in Eco Schools and various creative productions have all involved very young children in thinking about how they can limit the damage to the environment now and in the future.
Examples from practice
Read the case studies on the Sustainable Development Education site that feature the work of early years centres, such as Crieff Road Pre School Centre, an Eco Nursery where the staff and children explore the outdoor and indoor space of their nursery to learn about caring for the environment.
A variety of sustainable development projects are detailed in the case studies.
- Centres have provided opportunities for individuals to bring about environmental change, and to explore the values on which such endeavours are based by surveying rubbish tipping in their local area and becoming involved in trying to improve this.
- Many nurseries have helped children to make informed decisions in relation to political, community and environmental issues by exploring recycling and energy efficiency and making changes in the nursery to reduce waste.
- Early education centres and schools have helped to foster in children a number of personal qualities and dispositions rooted in values of respect and care for self, for others and for the environment.
- As a result of their learning experiences, children have become progressively more able to identify and frame their own questions and problems and suggest possible solutions.
This last point was put into action by children in Glenwood Nursery, East Renfrewshire, when they got a grant from the local council, found out about removing graffiti and cleaning up litter and researched outdoor play equipment using digital cameras and voted on their favourites for the nursery.
Resources
Scottish Natural Heritage - the Wee Green Fingers Fun Pack
Download the Wee Green Fingers Fun Pack from Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), which includes lovely photographs, factsheets and activity ideas.
SNH also has a page of recommended resources, books and activities for pre-school centres. The site also includes information on funding for projects and suppliers of educational resources and packs and some great images of habitats in Scotland.
BBC education
Learn about mini beasts and Scottish woodland on the BBC education site.
Oxfam
Oxfam has an extensive list of picture books for early years which can be used to develop interest in sustainable development themes.
You can also download a lesson plan from Oxfam based on the popular children’s book 'Dinosaurs and All That Rubbish' by Michael Foreman showing how we all have responsibilities towards the Earth.
Grounds for Learning
The early years section on the Grounds for Learning website provides advice and support on using and improving outdoor spaces.
Scottish Water
Scottish Water produces a range of educational resources on the water cycle which are aimed at children in P1-P7. It also has an online game - Robopoop - to encourage children’s awareness of the Bag it and Bin it campaign, aimed at P1-P3.
Sustrans
Sustrans promotes cycling and walking as healthy and environmental alternatives to car travel. The website has a useful photo library and details of the various projects Sustrans runs, including Safe Routes to School, which aims to inspire and support safe, sustainable and healthy school journeys.
World Wildlife Fund (WWF)
The WWF website is an excellent resource. You can read details of WWF's work locally on its Scottish site and it also has a dedicated educational resources site.
Most useful for staff working with young children is the children’s site Go Wild, which has an ‘amazing animals’ section with videos of endangered animals alongside lots of images and facts about rainforests, oceans and much more.
Calculate your staff team’s environmental footprint using the Schools' Global Footprint resource on our Sustainable Development Education site.