The Forestry Commission says its Early Years Teacher’s Pack is a free learning resource, which contains curriculum-linked activities, to teach learners about forests and how they’re looked after for people and wildlife. All the activities have been designed to be used outdoors, in your local woods, park or school grounds. There are also Gruffalo-themed forest activities that can be carried out at home.To get the pack , simply sign up here.
UNESCO has developed a partnership with the Royal Institute of the Chartered Surveyors in a new global competition to encourage students and young people to find solutions to the issues facing the world’s rapidly expanding cities. UNESCO UK says:
With three million people moving to cities every week, the growth of the world’s urban population is one of the most significant challenges facing society today. The competition asks entrants to propose solutions to specific issues affecting 24 global cities. The competition is open to all and offers a prize of £50,000 for the global winner to help implement their idea.
NUS has done some critical thinking on the SDGs and last week organised a week-long #SDGTeachIn when around 200 HE/FE staff included the SDGs in their teaching. NUS says that this involved some 11,500 students. NUS said:“The #SDGTeachIn should act as an entry-point for students and teaching staff alike, to identify the links between their discipline and the issues central to sustainability. Throughout the week, we encourage students and educators to engage in participatory, inclusive, creative, critical, and transformative learning experiences. The SDGs can serve as a tool for productive discussion, but the 17 goals will not ultimately create the world we want to see. Our ultimate vision is to see all students, regardless of discipline, leaving tertiary education with the knowledge, skills, attributes, and values required to tackle the world’s greatest challenges and to create a truly just and sustainable world for all. “
The GridCarbon app allows you to follow the UK’s electricity production in real time. Click here to download. The app presents a summary of generation data broken down into major categories of fuel type and various interconnections. GridCarbon is maintained by Prof. Alex Rogers (University of Oxford) and Dr. Oliver Parson (British Gas Connected Homes).
Data are also converted into a grid carbon intensity value by weighting each generation type by its contribution to total generation and by its individual carbon intensity. Click here to see how this is worked out.
The Geoscience Education Academy (GEA) offers UK secondary school teachers a great opportunity to understand how to teach the geoscience part of the curriculum if it is not their principal subject, as well as existing Earth science teachers who may need a refresher and some new material. Now in its seventh year, the GEA provides curriculum led training and support for science and geography teachers across the UK. Held at the Geological Society, Burlington House, London, this course is FREE to attend with accommodation included and all travel within the UK reimbursed. The GEA is a fully accredited CPD training course. This year’s GEA which will run from 24 – 27 July.
Earth Day Network [EDN] says that it’s committed to catalyzing the movement to put an end to one of the greatest threats to the survival of our planet and every living being on it. On Earth Day, April 22, 2018, with your help, the EDN says it will mobilize across oceans and continents to End Plastic Pollution.
It asks you to be part of inspiring, informing and mobilizing your personal and greater communities by participating in Earth Day and help to inform others and start a process for all of us to take personal responsibility. EDN says get started by visiting its website, and choosing whether you want to activate your Earth Day as an individual or as an organization.
You can then download your FREE Earth Day Toolkits offering critical information about the threat of plastic pollution and practical tips on things you can do to reduce your impact. You’ll also find full action plans designed to help you organize Earth Day events or activities in your communities—whether that means work, school, place of worship, clubs or in your neighborhood.