Earth School for Students by TEDEd: Keeping Children Connected

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When life for most children is confined to their houses; how do we keep them curious and wondering?

Today, over 1.5 billion children are unable to go to school. Coronavirus’ impact goes beyond the health and economic crisis; it is also jeopardizing the education of students around the world.

Ted~Ed

What is Earth School?

Feels like an eon since our kids attended school. The tangible feel of a class, the desk, the bench, class mates~who are now our virtual friends~ feels straight out of a sci-fi novel.

Teachers are scrambling to offer students lessons online and parents are desperate for activities that will keep their kids engaged and connected to the outside world.

In response to this crisis, an unprecedented coalition of over fifty environmental and education experts have collaborating to launch The Earth School: 30 adventures for learners of all ages to discover, celebrate, and connect to nature. This global team came together under the guidance and support of TED-Ed and UNEP to design lessons for students of all levels and host Earth School at a time when it matters the most.

This is a great reservoir for children of all ages to understand and celebrate our natural world, while learning about how dependent we are on our planet. Now more than ever, we need to protect, nurture and care for Earth .

Straight from the Experts

These experts are from over 30 organisations including National Geographic, WWF, and the BBC who have offered top caliber videos, articles, and interactive resources that will be shared around the world. The Earth School is comprised of daily adventures, or Quests, each organised around a theme.

The lessons use real world concepts like the t-shirts we wear, the water we drink, the trees in our forests or the food on our plates. Each Quest consist of a discovery video and fun quiz combined with a series of interactive resources – including additional content to watch, read, teach, do, and share, with age-adjusted exercises built into each lesson.

The Three main Problems

• First is the environmental issues which takes precedence, and rightly so . TED has created several unique and informative lessons on climate change that will provide students, educators, and parents with the science and background necessary to understand the true impact of this issue. I consider these five animations my must-watch list:

• Secondly, young people (in fact, all people!) are stuck inside, more disconnected from nature than ever before. Earth School encourages young people to understand how nature and our ecosystems provide the foundations for a healthy planet, and healthy people. We aim to inspire the awe and wonder of nature in Earth School students and help them finish the program with a firm grasp of how deeply intertwined we are with the planet.

• And finally, the Earth school helps parents to find quality resources for their children . Never before have parents found themselves in this dilemma of locating quality lessons and activities online. During these unfamiliar times, the Earth school is a great resource to provide the spark of inspiration that will connect young people to nature.

Conclusion

The resources are endless on Ted~Ed: from climate change to student talk. This is a one stop shop for students and educators. There are other resources you can check out and involve kids as well.

The Count Us In project, which has 16 actionable steps you can take on your own, with your family, friends or school

United Nations Environment Program

NASA: Global Climate Change

NPR: Resources on Climate change

NOAA Climate

Coloring Book: Get ready with your crayons and pencils and start drawing and coloring the prickly desert world of Cacti. Large, blank images with … to learn how to draw and color for kids.

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