Teaching young children about the climate and pollution is a wonderful way to help them care for the world around them! By exploring nature, talking about how we can keep it clean, and making small changes like recycling or planting flowers, children can learn that their actions matter.

It’s important for children to learn about the changing seasons and how the weather can be different in various places. Weather, like rain or sunshine, can be similar in places like tropical rainforests or dry deserts, but the long-term patterns of weather- what we call the climate – are very different.

One challenging topic to explain to young children is pollution. However, this gives us a chance to show them that pollution harms the world, but there are things we can do to make a difference.

Here are some simple ideas about pollution to share with young children:

• Pollution in the air makes it hard for humans, animals, and even plants to breathe.
• Pollution in the sea can harm or even kill animals and plants.
• Pollution that seeps into the soil can poison our water.
• Waste and pollution are unpleasant and can affect our health.

Exploring what happens to waste

You can show children how some things rot while others don’t by testing different items. Try a plastic block, a piece of paper, a teabag, a feather, a metal spoon, a bamboo spoon, and a porcelain teacup. Talk to the children about whether they think these items will rot if buried in the soil.

You can create a small “landfill” in the garden by digging a small trench, placing these objects in, and covering it up. Wait a few months and see what happens. Which items broke down, and which didn’t? This shows them that some materials, like plastic and metal, last forever, while others, like paper and leaves, disappear.

Learning from the world around us

Children can learn by observing the weather and its effects. On rainy days, they can draw around puddles to measure how large they get after different amounts of rain. On sunny days, you can mark the shadow of an object, then return each hour to see how it changes. This helps children understand how the weather works and how things like the sun and rain affect the world.

You can also talk to children about the materials in your garden. Are they natural, like wood or clay? Or are they man-made, like plastic and metal? Ask the children to point out things that can be recycled or reused. This helps them think about how we can use materials in ways that are good for the environment.

Simple ways to show the impact of pollution:

• Pollution in water: Fill a tray with water and add pollutants, such as cooking oil, paint, or small pieces of paper. Ask children to try cleaning it up. They will see how difficult it is to make the water clean again, helping them understand how pollution harms our environment.
• Dirty leaves: Collect leaves from trees in different locations- some near roads and others farther away. Wipe them with a cotton bud and observe how much dirt comes off. This shows how pollution from cars and buildings affects nature.
• The wind and litter: Show children how the wind can carry litter by throwing light objects like feathers or shredded paper into the wind. Watch where they go and talk about how litter can spread if it is not cleaned up.
• Icebergs and temperature: Freeze water into ice blocks, then place them outside in different areas- some in the sun, some in the shade. Let children observe how long it takes for them to melt and discuss why they melt faster in some places than others.

Ongoing learning

There are simple things you can have on hand to keep learning about weather and pollution:

• Rain gear: Umbrellas, ponchos, or even a clear tarpaulin to sit under on rainy days.
• Science tools: Magnifiers, thermometers, and rain gauges to measure temperature and weather conditions.
• Waste sorting tools: Litter-pickers and recycling bins to help children understand how to sort waste.
• Building materials: Blocks, small-world toys, and objects to build models of towns and factories to show how pollution happens.

Using technology to deepen understanding

You can use technology to help children think more deeply about climate, weather, and pollution. For example:

• Show videos of plastic in the ocean, polluted rain falling on crops, or wildfires caused by rising temperatures. Encourage children to think about how we can reduce plastic use and walk instead of driving.
• Use a digital thermometer to measure temperatures outside in the shade and sun. Ask children how we can stay warm outdoors or make our homes warm enough.
• Weigh waste with a digital scale to help children see how much trash is thrown away each day. Discuss ways to reduce waste and recycle more.

By giving children these hands-on experiences, we help them understand how pollution affects the world and how they can make a difference. It’s all about empowering them to protect the planet in small, meaningful ways.