Education - Environmental assistance: Experiencing nature makes climate protection tangible for children
Schools should handle climate change from the perspective of the German Environmental Aid (DUH) less theoretically. "It is important to enable children to experience nature as early as possible in their education," said DUH managing director Jürgen Resch to the German Press Agency.
"Who feels nature as a child, experiences and understands its fascination and vulnerability, knows as an adult why, how, and for what reason they need to protect it, they have the knowledge and the heart for it," said Resch. Teachers should therefore consider how they can enable their students to really experience nature.
This task should not be left to individual teachers alone. "The Environment Ministry, Education Ministry, and Building Ministry should work together and ensure corresponding standards for green schoolyards and the integration of climate protection and nature experience into the curricula," emphasized Resch.
Experiencing Nature Tangibly
"If a child has had few experiences in nature, it is later difficult to convey to a person that habits and rules need to be changed, for example, a speed limit of 100 on the highways," explained Resch. "Who sees what is really happening is also willing to change their behavior." For experiencing nature tangibly, he considers more excursions into nature to be important - in any weather.
A separate subject for climate awareness does not make sense to Resch. "It must be integrated into all subjects. The curricula are unfortunately cumbersome, even if it has improved – also due to the initiatives of many engaged teachers."
The climate protection theme is essential, especially for young people. "The young people who are being trained now will suffer particularly from the climate change," said he. Fear, however, is the wrong approach.
"It's better to fight for something than against something"
"I am also against fear, so I would always positively anchor it. If teachers say: 'It's getting warmer, we're helping the plants and animals now,' then children develop the awareness that they can do something," explained Resch. Children could campaign for a green schoolyard or for a speed limit of 30 on the school route. "It's better to fight for something than against something."
It is important to give and convey security: "It pays off if I engage." In this way, discussions with parents arise at home: "Why don't we have a balcony solar system?"
- Jürgen Resch, the managing director of German Environmental Aid (DUH), emphasized the importance of schools handling climate change more practically, stating that children should have early experiences with nature.
- Resch suggested that teachers should consider ways to enable their students to truly experience nature, as this fosters an understanding and appreciation for its protection.
- The Environment Ministry, Education Ministry, and Building Ministry should collaborate, according to Resch, to establish corresponding standards for green schoolyards and integrate climate protection and nature experience into curricula.
- Resch explained that children with fewer nature experiences find it challenging to understand the need for behavior changes, like speed limits, as they haven't witnessed the consequences firsthand.
- For tangible nature experiences, Resch advocated for more school excursions, regardless of weather conditions, as these experiences encourage behavior change.
- Resch disagreed with a separate subject for climate awareness, arguing that it should be integrated into all subjects due to the complexity of curricula.
- Recognizing the impact of climate change on young people, Resch stressed the importance of a positive approach, advocating for teachers to engage students in projects, such as campaigning for a green schoolyard or lower speed limits.
