Pollution

• Key idea: Human activity affects air quality and water quality – .g. Identifying vehicle soot on street signs, Involving the children in litter picking activities. (UC1.5)

Emergent learning:

It is important that we don’t just talk about this topic we do something about it. We clean things up together, we take pride in doing it and celebrate our own, and the achievements of others in this area. We must show the children that we care. Children all over the world will be engaged in sustainable projects on Earth Day. Below you will find a link to the Earth day website and if you are planning a project you can post details on the site so that children around the world can see what you are doing.  This is important, if children learn about the efforts being made by children in other countries it will help foster co-operation and undermine prejudices.  It requires international co-operation and collaboration to solve the problems of climate change.  In cities in many countries there are air quality monitoring systems to warn the public of the dangers to health, and in teaching our children about these common problems and experiences and our efforts to solve them, we contribute towards the development of a more collaborative world in the future.  Our treatment of problems that are concerned with our Social and Cultural Environment require a similar approach to the natural environment.  

Activity recommendation:

Wiping a roadside street sign with a white cloth will identify the effects of vehicle exhausts which can also be observed from tailpipes, and engaging thechildren in filtering dirty water in tissues will show the particulates. Activities associated with hygiene and hand washing are relevant. If you put celery in coloured water this can demonstrate how pollution affects plants. The colour traveling up the stalk provides an illustration for the effect of a pollutant. Children can be engaged in street, countryside and beach Litter Picking activities. Where these involve the wider community the children learn more about solidarity and civic responsibility as well. Visits to public waste and recycling centres may be instructive

Other book recommendations:

https://www.books.com.tw/products/0010817298