The Eco-Schools Programme is focused around nine key environmental topics which are:
Each topic is detailed below.
Water is a very precious resource and one that we tend to take for granted. However water is not as abundant as we think. In England and Wales we have only 1334 cubic metres (m3) per person a year – much less than France or even hotter countries such as Italy and Spain.
Water organisations have an important role to play in managing, treating and distributing supplies to make sure that our demand for clean, fresh water is satisfied.
But this process is expensive – and will become more so as our demand for water grows. A vast amount of water is lost due to faulty and leaking pipes and dripping taps. The wastage from a dripping tap alone can reach a couple of litres each hour, resulting in almost 20,000 litres a year. That is often the entire amount many people around the world have access to each year.
Activity Tip– Take the children on a tour of the centre and count any taps which are left running or that are dripping and ask the children to record this. This will not only help to identify where the centre is losing water and therefore money, but will also help to meet the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) learning outcomes such:
Discuss with the children why it is important to turn off taps, not only to help our own immediate environment but also those in countries where water is sparse.
If you do detect a leak ask the children to ensure all taps are turned off. Check your water meter and note the reading. Then check the reading again after about 3 hours. If no water has been used, the reading should be the same. If the meter has moved you have a leak that needs to be found and fixed. Changing the washers usually fixes dripping taps.
Activity Tip – Water activities can be used in many different topics. Why not work with the children to paint pictures, view or present performances or sing songs that convey the water conservation message. There is a downloadable colouring sheet of Rupert turning off a tap which is available in the Resources and Links section of this website.
Biodiversity is defined as the number and variety of plant and animal species that exist in a particular environmental area or in the world generally. This includes the wealth of wildlife around us ranging from insects and mammals, to wetlands, canals and even ‘wasteland’ can be valuable for wildlife.
Loss of biodiversity affects us all in a variety of ways, such as:
Species are becoming extinct at an unprecedented rate. Over the past few decades so many species have become extinct that international concern over their protection has become extraordinarily high. Some studies show that about one eighth of known plant species is threatened with extinction. There are numerous factors which contribute towards the loss of biodiversity; many of these are due to human activity. These include overpopulation, deforestation, pollution (air pollution, water pollution, soil contamination and global warming or climate change.)
At the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, 159 countries signed the Biodiversity Convention, committing them to “conserve the variety of animals and plants within their jurisdiction”, with further items agreed at the Johannesburg Summit in 2002. The UK Biodiversity Action Plan was launched in 1994, providing a nationwide framework for species and habitat conservation (www.ukbap.org.uk) and encouraging local people and local organizations to work together to ensure that biodiversity is seriously considered as a key part of our local environment.
Biodiversity for Early Years
The centre or nursery grounds can provide an excellent opportunity to raise children’s awareness and involvement of biodiversity. They offer a safe and potentially exciting facility for outdoor education that can complement classroom-based activities.
Activity Tips – Children love to get their hands dirty. A great way for children to learn about biodiversity is for them to interact with the local wildlife. Why not take them on a minibeast hunt around the centre and collect their findings. This will provide children with hands on experiences where they can see, touch and feel the world around them. Back in the classroom why not discuss with the children what they found, explain the different varieties of wildlife, what they are called and draw pictures.
Another great way to learn about biodiversity is by asking the children to help build wildlife habitats and then observe the range of birds and insects it will attract. This could be something simple such as installing bird boxes and feeders to creating a pond or minibeast hotels or hedgehog boxes. The broad range of activities surrounding biodiversity, including the activities above, can be linked to the classroom in topics such as science and art and can help children meet a range of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) learning outcomes. These include:
There are a number of links available in the Resources and Links section of this website which offer advice and activity ideas.
The amount of energy the world uses every day has trebled over the past century. To keep up with the growing demand for energy to heat and light our homes and power our industries, power stations are burning more and more fossil fuels.
As well as using up limited natural resources, this process is releasing increasing volumes of carbon dioxide (CO2) – the gas most responsible for global climate change – into the atmosphere. Energy use will continue to increase. It has been calculated that, if present energy consumption trends continue, by 2010 global energy consumption and CO2 emissions will rise by almost 50% above 1993 levels. Increasing evidence supports global warming. Between 1949 and 1989, tropical ocean surface temperatures increased by half a degree Celsius. Since 1983, there has been an 8% decrease in snow cover on the continents of the northern hemisphere.
The rising cost of fuel can mean that the energy required for heating, lighting and powering equipment in an ordinary children’s centre can be costly. However by making small changes there can be a massive variation in how much money is spent on energy bills. As part of Eco-Schools you are required to complete an environmental review, this will enable you to assess how energy efficient the centre is and what can be improved.
Activity Tip – When completing the environmental review ask the children to tour the centre with you. Not only will this ensure that the children are involved in the Eco-Schools process, but will also increase their awareness of the nine topics in relation to their own environment. Ask the children to count how many lights are needlessly switched on, computers left on standby or windows and doors left open thus wasting heat. Once the tour has finished discuss with the children how they can save energy and why it is important. The energy topic can also be closely tied into an art project. Work with the children to design “switch off” posters and stickers to place around the centre and above the light switches. By completing such activities not only will the children’s knowledge of energy and the need to preserve it increase, you will also be meeting a number of the Early Years Foundation Stage learning outcome such as:
Please refer to the Resources and Links section of this website for information on energy and the different agencies which can help. There are also further activities available, including:
Young people need the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes that will enable them to participate as full members of a global society. As global citizens, they need to consider rights and responsibilities and the role of citizens in a democratic society.
Young people also need to engage in the global dimension to topical issues that affect them such as global warming, migration, the arms trade, and the prices of goods in the shops. They need to be able critically to assess the information that they receive via the media and to understand their consumer rights and responsibilities and thereby make informed decisions as consumers, employees and later employers. Students can also learn about democracy by studying forms of government, political and justice systems at a national, European and global level.
Whilst children aged 0 to 5 are not expected to understand such complex issues, it is vital that they are aware of the world around them and to develop an understanding of their own culture and the culture of other people. This global perspective topic not only helps to prepare children for the citizenship curriculum subject, but will also encourage children to think about the environmental and social impact of the decisions they make. For example they will understand that wasting water is not only detrimental to the environment but understand that many people in the world often do not have enough water to drink.
The global perspective topic can also coincide with the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) learning goals in the following ways:
Activity Tip – Choose or ask the children to help select a country they would like to learn about. Give class talks and discussions about that country detailing the type of clothes the population wear, what they eat and drink, their hobbies / pastimes and the weather. From this the children can draw pictures of the country and the items they now associate with them. Consider asking the children to look at what is in their lunch box and identify where in the world the food originated from.
Discuss with the children the different weather systems of a country and how that affects the way a country functions. Design a weather tree where the children can stick paper suns or rain clouds for each day and then discuss the weather in your chosen country. This will help children understand how precious resources such as water can be to some countries and why.
The Resources and Links section provides details of organizations that can help tackle the global perspective. This section also includes a Rupert Bear global perspective themed comic strip.
Thanks to the media and the likes of celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, the state of our children’s health has become an increasingly important issue on the public health agenda.
Obesity in children has escalated dramatically in England over the past 20 years. Obesity can lead to a number of chronic diseases such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes. It has been predicted that, if the current upward trend in childhood obesity continues children will have a shorter life expectancy than their parents, potentially reversing the gains of the last century.
The state of our health is related not only to our long-term physical well-being but also to emotional and social factors – our general happiness, confidence and outlook on life. There is also a clear relationship between health and educational attainment. Poor health deters educational success and educational achievement strongly affects social and economic prospects and choices about health.
In order to be healthy, children and young people ideally need a family, a home, some friends, somewhere to play, a future and access to treatment and support services. Eco-Schools dovetails with the Healthy Schools programme and Every Child Matters. If the centre is already working through the Healthy Schools programme, this work can be included within your Eco-Schools action plan.
Children’s centre’s play a significant role in delivering these outcomes. Environments that encourage healthy eating and active living are vitally important. Children’s centre’s are key to promoting the health and well-being of young people and the wider community in the following ways. They can:
Litter is waste disposed of in the wrong place rather than in the bin. This can be anything from small items like sweet wrappers, large collections of waste or scatterings of litter dispersed around public places outdoors.
The majority of litter comes from people dropping it either on purpose or by accident, although some litter comes from other sources, for example wind-blown or natural litter.
Litter can harm the environment in a number of different ways. It is a breeding ground for disease causing insects and rodents and can seriously injure animals. Wildlife and small animals can get cut by broken glass, sharp tin cans and even get stuck in bottles. It has been reported that cigarette buts and filters have been found in the stomachs of fish, birds and whales who have mistaken them for food.
Most people are aware that they shouldn’t drop litter and the majority of adults feel very guilty when they do. However, research has shown that most children (particularly those aged 12+) do drop litter and are not ashamed to admit it. Children are more likely to bin their litter when in the company of their parents or teachers than when alone or with their friends. If children are taught from an early age not to drop litter then they will be less likely to litter as adults.
Litter is often the first topic centres choose to work on as part of their action plan. There are numerous activities to work through and these usually have an immediate visual impact. Litter is a topic that is easily understood by all ages and a litter free centre can improve its image in the community.
Activity Tip – Litter Pick - A great way to improve the local environment and involve the wider community is to organise a litter pick. Not only will the children learn about why it is important not to drop litter they will gain experience and knowledge of cleaning it up. When the litter pick is over ask the children what type of litter they saw the most and discuss the issues around this. Why not contact the local press, children and the wider community on a litter pick provides a great photo opportunity.
Activity Tip – Waste Garden - Choose a range of organic and non-organic waste. Organic waste is anything that was once living and will break down at a fast rate. Non-organic are man made materials such as tin cans and plastics and these may not break down in our lifetime. Ask the children to place the items in a designated area of the centre grounds and observe over time. Discuss with the children the reason why some types of litter disappear much quicker than others. This will emphasise the importance to not litter. If the centre does not have adequate grounds for a waste garden, the exercise can be completed indoors. Ask the children to draw a picture of the chosen items and stick the images to each item. Fill a plastic transparent container with soil and make sure that this is kept moist. It is important that the soil does not dry out. Place the items inside the container and ask the children to observe this over a four week period. Discuss with the children why some of the items have decomposed quicker than others.
Activity Tip – Litter Pledge – Explain and discuss with the children the problems of litter and why it is important not to drop any. Ask the children to then design a litter pledge. This could be a poem or statement, the children could design this as a leaf or a litter bin and take this home for parents to sign. This will not only improve children’s knowledge of litter but also involve parents and the wider community.
Activities such as these centres will not only improve their image and children’s knowledge but can also link with the Early Years Foundation Stage learning goals, such as:
The Links and Resources section provides details of organisations to contact for further help on this issue.
The way centre grounds are developed, used and managed can have a significant impact on children’s attitudes and behaviour towards school, each other, the wider environment and society. Children can spend a considerable amount of their time in the centre grounds and so it’s important that the experiences they have there are the best and most positive they can be.
Children interpret the condition of their surroundings as a reflection of the value adults place on the environment and on themselves as they are the main users. If children are taught to value and take care of the environment but then see grounds which are poorly cared for, this will convey mixed messages. In order for your Eco-Schools projects to support what is said inside the classroom, practical ideas need to be applied outside. These could include recycling and composting in the grounds, introducing native plant species to encourage wildlife, using recycled materials for creating elements within the grounds or maintaining the grounds using organic methods.
School grounds are also rich in heritage and can be a source of inspiration for learning about changes in society, why and how these have happened and their impact on the environment. The Early Years Foundation Stage also encourages children to explore and learn about the natural world and their surroundings. In order to learn outside, children need their grounds to be developed and managed accordingly. The centre grounds can be designed and used as a setting for a broad range of lessons and activities – using the outdoors to teach small groups or a whole class. This requires suitable places for children to gather, seating for different sizes of groups, shade and shelter from the sun, wind and rain, seating that is created for the young people who are going to use it and appropriate for how it is to be used.
Whilst children can learn about the outdoors through books, videos and the internet, younger children especially will learn much more if they can have practical experiences and get their hands dirty. They will remember the mini-beasts they are discovering if they get to handle them rather than just looking at pictures. They will understand how the sun moves around the sky creating different shadows at different times of year and day if they see it happen in their own immediate environment.
Play and lunchtimes are very important to children. Children’s centres provide opportunities for children to play a variety of games and to interact with other children and adults in a variety of ways. These games can be active, some thoughtful, some creative and some social in nature. All of these different aspects need to be accommodated and the grounds developed in such a way as to support this.
Activity Tip – Many centre grounds projects can link closely with other Eco-Schools topics. Consider joining healthy eating and centre ground topics together to create an eco garden. Work with the children to create a garden in the centre grounds, this can vary depending on the size of the centre and space available. Consider asking parents or wider community members to help, there are a huge number of organisations both regional and national which can offer help. Ask the children what plants they would like to grow, perhaps carrots, broccoli or even fruit trees. Once the produce is ready for harvest explain to the children how important it is to eat fruit and vegetables, perhaps they could take some home for their parents.
If the centre grounds are not suitable for an eco garden why not ask the children to help planting hanging baskets or use old car tyres and plant flowers in them. The children could help to paint the tyres a variety of colours and observe the local wildlife they attract.
Activities such as these can help children work towards a variety of Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) learning goals such as:
The National Initiatives section contains important information about how the Eco-Schools programme delivers the "Learning Outside the Classroom" agenda, whilst the Links and Resources section provides details of organisations that can help you improve your school grounds.
Our growing use of cars has a variety of environmental, social and health consequences. Some are highly visible and directly relevant to everyday life. For example, accident statistics show that our roads are dangerous, while traffic congestion has adverse effects on our health and well-being. Other impacts are less immediately obvious but no less important. For example, the gases and chemicals released by engines make a large contribution to global warming and air pollution.
The more we use cars, the more the air becomes polluted. Exhaust fumes contain carbon monoxide, oxides of nitrogen, volatile organic compounds and particulates, all of which are harmful to health when released into the atmosphere. Soot particles cause lung damage, especially when they contain chemicals such as benzine.
Increasing amounts of urban traffic – partly caused by greater distances between home and places of work – have created fear of traffic. Because people feel less vulnerable driving compared with walking or cycling, more and more trips are being made by car. The resulting lack of exercise can cause problems for health and overall fitness. Government statistics demonstrate that:
Young children today have far less freedom than their parents had at the same age. Fear of traffic and stranger danger, combined with the overall increase in general car use and ownership are leading to an increasing number of parents taking their children to the centre or nursery in the car. This has a number of consequences for children, staff and those living close to the centre.
Walking and cycling are excellent forms of physical activity and the journey to the centre can make an important contribution to increasing these activity levels. Patterns of activity are set in early childhood, so early lack of exercise can lead to a higher risk of future obesity, high blood pressure, poor psychological well-being and coronary heart disease. Walking and cycling can help children to gain confidence and make friends, helping both to increase independence and traffic sense. Current research also suggests that more active children are more alert and focused and achieve better academic results.
Activity Tip - Each centre is different, with its own local problems and possible solutions. All local authorities have Local Transport Plan funding for Safe Routes to Schools, road safety training and education campaigns. There will also be a local travel advisor who can offer help and guidance. Contact the local authority and ask for help and assistance in developing a travel plan.
Activity Tip – Refer to the Resources and Links section of the website for a downloadable Rupert Bear travel colouring sheet.
The Links and Resources section also provides details of organisations that will be able to offer your school help on transport issues.
Waste or rubbish is what people throw away because they no longer need it or want it. Almost everything we do creates waste and as a society we are currently producing more waste than ever before. In the UK, we produce more than 430m tonnes of waste per year and every year this figure increases.
Waste management is the human control of the collection, treatment and disposal of different wastes. This is vital in order to reduce the negative impact waste often has on the environment and society. Disposing of waste is difficult and costly. Most of it ends up in holes in the ground (landfill sites) or is burnt in incinerators. Making things from recycled material often uses less energy and causes less pollution. This is important if we want to keep the earth a beautiful place to live in. If we recycle our rubbish, less rubbish will need to be buried in the ground or incinerated. Landfill sites are already becoming full and there are concerns about the impact on people’s health and pollution caused by landfill sites and incinerators.
What are the alternatives to throwing away rubbish? Increasingly, the Government is encouraging people to reduce the amount of rubbish they produce in the first place in order to reduce the amount of waste we produce the Government and environmental researchers advise us that, wherever it is practical and beneficial, people should take the following steps:
Any building or environment where people live or work will produce a certain amount of waste, and children’s centres are no exception.
Minimising waste has a number of benefits for the centre including saving money on disposal costs by reducing the amount of waste they produce and may also be able to make money by selling materials to be recycled.
Paper is a good candidate for re-use. Are both sides of sheets of paper used before being thrown away? Reducing waste may involve reviewing the types of resources the centre buy and considering ways of cutting down.
How easy or practical it is for you to recycle waste usually depends on local amenities. Some centres will have a service which picks up their recyclables whereas others may have to take their materials to recycling banks.
There are numerous ways a children’s centre can reduce the amount of waste produced and handle waste in a more environmentally friendly way. Does the centre recycle and if so what types of waste do you recycle. Could you recycle more or re-use materials such as paper and yoghurt pots.
Activity Tip – Ensure that paper recycling bins are placed in every classroom and discuss with the children what they are and why they are needed. Encourage children to use both sides of paper and when they are finished to use the recycling bins.
Composting is a great way of disposing of food waste in an environmentally friendly way. Place compost bins around the centre grounds and ask the children to help empty the food into the bins. Children could then draw pictures of the different foods which are composted and why. Ask children to look into their lunch box and identify what waste can be composted and what can’t. Explain how certain items such as yoghurt pots can be re-used to make paint pots etc.
Visit the Resources and Links section to download a Rupert Bear themed waste dot to dot activity. This section also provides details of organisations that will be able to help your centre tackle the waste topic.
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