Here is NAEE’s latest round-up of news…

Squirrel Moon

The Squirrel Moon

Have you been following our Year of Environmental Lunacy https://naee.org.uk/a-year-of-environmental-lunacy/  project? Each lunar month we bring you a new Blogger who offers their thoughts about an appropriate lunar name based on what we might be noticing around us in nature during this time.

We have just come to the end of the so named ‘Fox Moon’ and now as February takes hold, a new lunar cycle has begun and the next full moon is already waxing. Our guest Blogger is Professor Justin Dillon, President of NAEE, who makes the case for a ‘Squirrel Moon.

Find out why and discover more about the Squirrel Moon here and view suggested teaching activities at the end of the blog.

National Astronomy Week 1 – 9 February 

It’s national astronomy week this week and there are resources and storytelling that link with a Year of Environmental LiteracyYou can find further details, inspiration and information here. 

News, in the papers and new resources 

In a speech on Wednesday 29th January, Rachael Reeves announced the government’s backing of the Heathrow expansion, stating it is ‘badly needed’ as part of the plan to ‘kickstart economic growth’. A full assessment of the plans will not take place till summer. Friends of the Earth have a petition to stop the airport expansion which can be accessed here.

The National Trust’s 10-year plan to restore 250,000 hectares of nature in the UK. The Trust vows to take action against the catastrophic decline of nature in the UK and the growing threat of climate change as part of their 130th anniversary. Read more from their press release here.

Two good news stories about trees…. 

Thousands of trees planted in Devon to start creation of Celtic rainforest; the Guardian reports on the planting of over 2,500 trees in Devon to form a temperate rainforest in years to come. 

And north of London, significant planting and conservation has been going on in Heartwood Forest, to restore native woodland to a large area that was once open, arable cropland. It started a few years ago and is really changing the landscape. All different types of native British trees have been planted there. It’s claimed to be the largest continuous new native forest in EnglandYou can find out more here

To mark Childrens Mental Health Week (3rd – 9th February 2025)

Percussion Play, the world-leading designer and manufacturer of outdoor musical instruments, highlights how music-making in the great outdoors can benefit children’s mental health.

How to Beat Ultra Processed Foods

How do we improve our dietary health, and decrease our environmental footprint? That is the question tackled by Neil Kitching in his most recent blog on the Carbon Choices website. 

You can read all about Neil’s radical idea to reduce the dominance of ultra processed foods in supermarkets here

News about schools, Further Education, Higher Education and Initial/Teacher Education

Free CPD from the Historic Towns Trust 

Place Detectives through Geography and History

The Historic Towns Trust is offering free CPD to encourage teachers to take children outdoors. The session will be run at Bath University and focuses on KS2 geography and history. 

You can find more information here. 

Funding for School Climate and Biodiversity Projects and from the National Education Nature Park 

Two major school funding projects

1. Starting from the 3rd February 2025, UK primary and secondary schools can apply for grants up to £3,000for projects tackling climate change and biodiversity. This funding is provided by the Royal Society’s Tomorrow’s Climate Scientists Programme, an extension of their Partnership Grants Programme, which aims to engage students in environmental challenges while promoting STEM education. To qualify, schools must partner with a STEM professional from academia or industry. The grants are primarily intended to cover the cost of necessary equipment for these projects. The application process for the Partnership Grants scheme involves two stages, with the first stage applications due by the 30th April 2025.

Find more information click the link here.

2. There is £10,000 available to schools in disadvantaged areas for work related to the National Education Nature Park funding to increase biodiversity in the school grounds and those schools already involved are now eligible for the next round of funding. 

Click here for more information. 

Environmental Education and Democracy – online discussions in February organised by Civic Ecology Lab (Cornell University) and North American Association for Environmental Education

Environmental Education & Democracy Two-part online discussions: Feb 12, 2025 at 4pm ET (Eastern Time) and Feb 26, 2025 at 4pm ET

Join us for a two-part exploration of how environmental education can foster democratic participation and decision-making for a sustainable future. These sessions are designed for educators eager to enhance democratic environmental governance, and help students and communities influence sustainability practices, policies, and institutions.

February 12, 2025, at 4:00pm-5:00am Eastern Time February 26, 2025, at 4:00pm-5:00pm Eastern Time

Learn more and register: https://www.civicecology.org/eed

Climate Literacy Survey 

The Royal Meteorological Society is looking for schools to participate in this year’s Climate Literacy Survey, which is open to schools in Scotland, N. Ireland, Wales and England.

If you are in a school which teaches year 11 (England/ Wales), year 12 (N Ireland) or S4 (Scotland) please take part and share the request with your networks

For Wales, England and N. Ireland they will be collecting data until the end of March 2025. 

For students in Scotland, the survey will remain open until the end of June 2025. 

The survey and further information can be accessed via this link

Classroom activities on challenging consumerism available from Good Life Schools 

In a world where there is increasing pressure to buy lots of ‘stuff’, young changemakers from the Global Action Plan National Lottery-funded Good Life Schools programme are challenging the pressure to consume and showing that low-impact lifestyles are possible. Through a series of Key Stage 3 and 4 activities, this resource offers the chance to explore how choices we make impact people and planet, and helps raise young people’s awareness of (and build their resilience to) marketing tactics that impact their wellbeing.

Click here to download their resources. 

Online event: Understanding the Values Perception Gap: Helping young people find their shared values 

Online zoom meeting organised by Music Mark, Tuesday 4th February 15:00 – 16:30

We live in an uncertain world where change is constant, and global issues like climate change, nature loss, poverty, and injustice weigh heavily on both adults and young people. As awareness of these challenges grows, so does the desire to take action and create a fairer, greener world. Research by Global Action Plan found a ‘Values Perception Gap’ in young people: believing that others do not care about social and environmental issues when actually they do. 

This session aims to help you understand this gap, how to close it, and its impact on young people’s well-being.

To find out more and register click the link here

When We Go Green – An Eco-Kids Book 

The children’s E-book “When We Go Green”, written by Denise Salmon, presents a holistic view of environmental solutions and their benefits. It was written to empower children so they can begin building environmental awareness in a simple way; with simplified environmental solutions and tips.

A link to buy the book is available here

Schools’ Big Garden Birdwatch continues to run for two more weeks … 

The Schools’ Big Garden Birdwatch runs until 14 February and is a great way to connect children with nature while supporting curriculum learning. Schools can still register here now

Growing the future!

Growing the future – please participate!

Inspired by ITE work with the RHS, teacher educators from the IOE, UCL’s Faculty for Education and Society are embarking on a piece of research on gardening and growing in primary schools with the aim of writing an open access publication for UCL press next year. The title of the book will be:

Growing the future  Connecting children with nature through school gardening and growing: starting and sustaining growing in primary and early years education

They hope to work with several schools, across England to gain an insight into teachers, children and their wider community’s approach to gardening and growing and the narrative around how it has developed, the challenges faced and the benefits gained.

To initiate the research, they are asking for volunteers to complete a short questionnaire (which should take no more than 10 minutes) on school gardening and growing in primary schools. 

Please be assured of confidentiality at all times – all names will be anonymised in the writing up of the research and identity will be protected. You may withdraw your responses at any point in the process by contacting us and asking for your data to be deleted.  Your consent to participate in the questionnaire will be given through completion and submission of the form.

The survey, Primary Schools engagement with school gardening and growing can be found at the following link here. 

With many thanks for your time and please do contact them if you would like further information:

Tessa Willy (tessa.willy@ucl.ac.uk)

Janet Davies (janet.davies.citizengeographer@gmail.com)

Jane Tillin (j.tillin@ucl.ac.uk)

IOE, UCL’s Faculty of Education and Society

 Virtual Week-long Amazon-themed Initiative for pupils

Emma Espley and Marcella Haddad are offering a virtual workshop aimed to connect pupils with the Amazon rainforest and the Kameba indigenous community in real time. 

An insight into the format and content of previous, similar events can be gained by visiting their blog: https://stepintotheamazon.co.uk/blog/

Cost: The fee for a virtual single school workshop is £250, whilst the charge to participate in one of our scheduled virtual multi-schools events is just £125 (you can include as many teachers and Key Stage 2 pupils as you can feasibly accommodate your end).

The next virtual multi-schools initiative will be held on Monday 3rd March 2025, from 9.30am until 12.00 noon, and Friday 7th March 2025, from 2.00 pm to 2.30 pm approx.

For further details or to reserve a place, please contact Emma Espley: emma.espley@gmail.com

The Harmony Project: Webinar ‘Leadership for Sustainability in Science’on Thursday 6th February at 4pm.

The Harmony Project is leading a webinar on Leadership for Sustainability in Science on 6th February at 4pm.

During this free to access webinar, The Harmony Project will offer guidance on how to put sustainability thinking at the heart of primary science curriculum design.

Here is a glimpse at the agenda:

• A brief overview of the recent work of The Harmony Project

• Discussion of the connection between Harmony Project resources and the development of Climate Action Plans

• Insights into practical starting points which will support the inclusion of sustainability within the primary science curriculum and beyond

• Next steps to join the free spring lesson plan resources pilot

This webinar is essential viewing for anyone looking for guidance and support to embed sustainability thinking through the lens of science curriculum design.  

You can sign up using this link 

Employment, education and training opportunities 

Climate Nature and Action in Education – 3rd February, Grafham Water Centre, Cambridgeshire. 

This event is providing support for your education setting’s climate and nature action journey.  The DfE has asked that all education settings are to have a Climate Action Plan and designated sustainability lead in place by 2025.  Whilst the event is aimed at educational establishments, outdoor learning is very much an important part of that. To find out more click here, and to sign up, use this link.

The National Climate Change Conference 2025  4th February, online.  

Hear the latest guidance and policies from the new Labour government, and their proposals to empower local government to reach their ambitious targets. A unique opportunity to hear from across all tiers of local and regional bodies as they discuss comprehensive strategies to deliver on climate change adaptation and resilience. Find out more here, and sign up using this link.

The French Institute proudly presents the Night of Ideas on 6 February, a free event featuring dynamic discussions on today’s most pressing topics.   

You may find the panel Activism: By All Means (21.40) especially compelling, as it explores the balance between legal action and civil disobedience in driving social change. Featuring Lisa Vanhala, Prof. of Political Science at UCL and Graeme Hayes, Prof. of Political Sociology at Aston University alongside activists Juliette Brown and Rosalie Mann, Founding President of No More Plastic, the discussion will examine how activists challenge systems and spotlight urgent issues through grassroots approaches, fostering dialogue on justice and advocacy. 

Find out more and book by clicking here. 

Sustainability in Education Conference – 12th February, University of Bedfordshire. 

“By 2025, all education settings will have nominated a sustainability lead and put in place a climate action plan.” The Department for Education’s (DfE)’s sustainability and climate change strategy. Whether you have an existing sustainability action plan in place or are just getting started, this one-day course will provide Primary, Secondary and Further Education Sustainability Leads, Teachers, School Improvement Directors, Operations/Facilities Directors and Governors with the tools to develop and progress their school’s climate action plan and put that plan into action. For more information and to sign up, click here.

Free Peace Education Workshop for Educators – 12th February, Online

Online workshop introducing Principles & Practices of Peace Education. This interactive session will explore ways to build peace in educational settings, drawing inspiration from the course content. Learn with experts and contributors to the course and gain valuable insights and ideas on fostering a culture of peace. Whether you’re a teacher, student, or simply passionate about peace, this workshop is for you. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to enhance your understanding of peace education!

For more information and to sign up, click this link.

Climate Leaders Conference – 6th March, Sheffield Hallam University.  

 This one-day conference will support education settings, schools and trust leaders to understand the benefits of a sustainability leadership and climate action plans, support to develop a plan and identify opportunities to support their settings in taking action on climate change, sustainability and biodiversity. 

For more information, have a look here and to sign up, follow this link.  

Climate and Energy Summit 202518th  19th March, Chatham House, London. 

On the road towards COP30, this annual conference will gather senior leaders and decision-makers from the business community, multilateral organizations, government agencies, academia and NGOs. Two days of high-level panel dialogues, networking sessions and an interactive workshop under the Chatham House Rule will focus on multi-stakeholder collaboration for increased ambition, action and impact. For more information and to sign up, have a look on their website.   

5th Annual South Yorkshire Schools Climate Conference 2025  20th March, AESSEAL Rotherham United Football Stadium, Rotherham. 

 All schools in South Yorkshire are invited to register an expression of interest for groups of up to 6 primary pupils (Y4-Y6) or up to 5 secondary students (Y7-Y11) with 2 adults. It will be a jam-packed day of interactive workshops and speakers exploring the Green Skills and Careers theme. Attending the conference is also a great way to gain more knowledge to boost your school’s Climate Action Plan. For more information, access their website here and to sign up, use this link.  

Together in Nature – Trauma-informed Nature-based Training- 24-30th March, Malvern, Worcestershire and 6-10th May, Aberdeenshire. For people working with children, young people and adults, those interested in their personal development and are curious about the power of connection with the more than human world. The key elements of the 5 days include – holding space; storying our story with nature-based metaphors and more; attuning and resonance with each other and the natural world; creating coherence from separation. To book your space and find out more information, follow this link.  

Step up your game as a campaigner – Online, Shelia McKechnie Foundation. Explore various specialist workshops designed to provide advice, tools and information to help you succeed in campaigning. They work for those who are new to campaigning or who want to hone their skills in a particular specialist area. They offer a series of three-hour online workshops with a focus on active learning. To find out more information and book, check out the website here.

Some exciting job opportunities available:  

Programme Manager – Green Action Trust (Hybrid, North Lanarkshire) (Deadline 10th February) 

Hot Spots Development Phase Officer – Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (Bournemouth) (Deadline 26th February)

Engagement Trainee – Friends of the Lake District (Cumbria) (Deadline 16th March) 

Head of Research and Policy – Sustainable Fibre Alliance (Remote) 

For a wide range of further opportunities, do look at:  

https://www.environmentjob.co.uk/updates/last_update

And to wrap it up… 

Help Wildlife and Ecosystems Recover from the LA Fires

The January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires have created a crisis for local wildlife and natural habitats, marking one of the most significant ecological disasters in the region’s recent history. To find out more information and how you can help, click on this link.

To Donate: 

Sharing News and Contact Details 

Please do share our news round-up with colleagues who might be interested. If someone has shared it with you and you would like to join NAEE to support our work, you can do so here.

National Association for Environmental Education (UK)  

Email:  info@naee.org.uk         Web:  http://naee.org.uk  

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