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Earth Day 2020: Welcome to Earth School

OVERVIEW

22 April 2020, Bangkok, Thailand: Today, on Earth Day 2020, over 1.5 billion children aren’t able to go to school. During this moment of schooling at home, many parents are looking for top quality educational resources to help their kids learn about solutions to the most pressing challenges for our Earth.

In response to this education crisis, UNEP and TED-Ed – with the support of educators and partner organizations – have launched Earth School, 30 days of nature-focused content and environmental adventures for learners of all ages. This new online platform offers the best online environmental education material out there.

Earth School involves children in seeking solutions for our oceans, discovering how to reduce waste and recycle, learning how to move towards a more circular economy, and much more.

Now at the time of coronavirus, we are are acutely aware of the need to protect, nurture and care for the earth. Earth School will enable children to learn something amazing every weekday between Earth Day (April 22nd) and World Environment Day (June 5th).

Earth School is today embarking on a month of daily adventures – or Quests – that will help young learners understand and celebrate our natural world, while learning about how dependent we are on our planet.

Each Quest consists of a discovery video and quiz, combined with a series of engaging learning resources. Earth School learners are invited to check out additional content to watch, read, teach, do and share, all curated by environmental experts.

Earth School is offering young learners the opportunity to learn more, create, act and share their journey (#EarthSchool) towards a cleaner and greener life.

Here are some activities for learning about plastic waste and pollution with children. Children can share their creativity and discoveries in this online challenge.

Welcome to Earth School on Earth Day 2020 – and join solution seekers from all across the earth.

Dive in: Earth School


Week 1 The Nature of Our Stuff
This week, we’ll learn how all the stuff we need and use comes from the Earth. We’ll also explore some small changes we can make that have huge, positive impacts on our planet.

Week 2 The Nature of Society
Humans get most of the credit for life as we know it, but our economy, inventions and jobs were actually inspired by systems in nature. In our second week of Earth School, we’ll learn how the natural world shaped human society and put some of Nature’s best inventions to the test!

Week 3 The Nature of Nature
Water, Air, Life, Climate, Habitat: In these Quests, our Earth experts will lead us in exploring the systems that make life possible on our planet. With hands-on activities and experiments, we will get to know these elements to better understand their nature and how they work. We’ll learn where exactly our water comes from, the importance of biodiversity and how big the ocean actually is (here’s a hint: bigger than you ever imagined).

Week 4 The Nature of Change
The news about our natural world often seems like something out of a horror movie: devastating wildfires, an unstoppable climate crisis, mountains of pollution. This week, we’ll learn about Earth’s fragile ecosystem in this time of great change, but take an active, optimist approach to exploring the many ways we can rebalance our planet.

Week 5 The Nature of Individual Action
This week’s Quests focus on solutions that will protect and enhance nature, with themes on recycling, composting, tree planting, urban gardening and using renewable energy. Unlock your inner Greta Thunberg and learn the practical ways we can all build a healthy future for our planet.

Week 6 The Nature of Collective Action
In the final week of Earth School, you’ll learn about the most powerful tools for protecting our planet: collective action and collaboration. These Quests will illuminate the path forward for us all to be conscious, nature-minded citizens of Earth, and invite others in our communities to join the fight to protect it.

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