During a little experiment, 4ᵗʰ graders investigate the atmosphere’s greenhouse function. They first measure the temperature on a globe without an isolating cover …
… and then again, this time with the cover. The Plexiglas simulates the effect CO₂ has on the atmosphere and illustrates how important it is to reduce the CO₂ emissions.
Students are eagerly calculating their CO₂-footprint. A questionnaire takes them through their daily routines and helps them visualise how much CO₂ is emitted through traffic, food, heating etc. The course takes the students through this important step slowly, taking the time to answer individual questions.
In the module “Food and climate”, information cards show the ‘CO₂-content’ of different food products. In other words, the amount of CO₂ emitted during the production of the different items. Re-enacting a shopping-situation, the students get to list a day’s worth of food and then deduce which shopping decisions would be climate-friendly and why.
A direct comparison shows which types of transport are more climate-friendly than others. Key question is: how many people are actually using the vehicle?
Ms. Merkle is a dedicated environmental pedagogue working for the Deutsche Umwelt-Aktion who is behind the successful launch of the atmosfair-DUA project in Hamburg’s schools.
Summary
| Knowledge transfer : | Transferring knowledge about the causes and repercussions of climate change by demonstrating how to take action in a playful and age-appropriate approach. |
| Target group : | 4ᵗʰ grade students (9-10 years old) |
| Number of schools : | Around 2.700 teaching units at over 1.100 schools since 2017 |
| Project partners : | Deutsche Umwelt-Aktion e.V. |
Teaching climate at elementary schools
A climate-friendly attitude requires knowledge and—above all—motivation. Imparting these two elements is an essential step in environmental education where elementary schools can play an important role. By bringing the debate into the classroom and showing how everybody can take action, children can identify positively with environmental protection from an early age.
Together with the Deutsche Umwelt-Aktion e.V. (a German association for climate education; DUA), atmosfair has developed two teaching modules that have been successfully implemented in elementary schools since 2017 all over Germany. “My CO₂-Footprint” and “Food and Climate” are age-adapted interactive modules that encourage children to reflect about global warming and inspire them to take action.
“My CO₂-Footprint”
The ‘footprint’ is a powerful and widely used image, present in almost every climate talk, that helps understand one’s own climate responsibility. The “My CO₂-Footprint” module shines a light on this useful tool and explains what it’s all about. The module starts by making the class outline the elements of human-made climate change as a group, while emphasizing the importance of understanding it as a worldwide phenomenon. Using a questionnaire, students get to analyse their daily routines and establish their own CO₂-footprint. This helps them recognise different CO₂-sources present in everyday life, like traffic. Lastly, in a round table, they will list the different possibilities to take concrete action and stay fair to the atmosphere.
“Food and Climate”
The module “Food and Climate” also assesses possible personal action in everyday life, but this time with a focus on nutrition. Different methods help the students deduce the context, understand the value of climate-friendly behaviour and recognise the role of the food they consume daily. The students then get to re-enact a shopping-situation and discover the CO₂-balance of their meals. This opens the discussion about which shopping decisions are best for the climate, their health, or even both.
Project development
At atmosfair, we are delighted about the smooth running of the project with our partner Deutsche Umwelt-Aktion!
Together, we developed our new teaching modules “My CO₂ Footprint” and “Food and Climate” in 2017 and were able to offer them just a few months later in an initial pilot phase to schools in Hamburg and Berlin .
After one year, we were able to expand the project so that we could offer and conduct our climate lessons in 2 cities in parallel (Hannover and Magdeburg), and just another six months later even in 12 different regions throughout Germany. We were even able to visit 2 cities in Austria and France with our climate education program.
Since 2019, we have been able to attract various funding partners, so that we could expand our activities even further. In total, we have been able to invite elementary schools in over 160 districts (partly also special schools). Over 1,100 schools have accepted our invitation so far, some of them participated several times.
Our partner
Deutsche Umwelt-Aktion e.V. has been successfully bringing the idea of environmental protection to schools since 1958. Since the foundation of the Deutsche Umwelt-Aktion, more than 20 Million children have been able to enjoy a lively and age-relevant education. They currently offer approx. 30 different course modules, with diverse themes such as drinking water, renewable energies, waste separation and recycling, climate change, mobility, or soil and water conservation.
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