Sustainability Resources for Early Childhood Educators
Start laying the foundations for children to care for the world and the people they share it with.
Sustainability in early childhood education nurtures children’s connection to planet Earth. It can empower them to be positive change makers contributing to sustainability for years to come.
Our resources are there to help you embed sustainability practices in your childcare service. There are titles to help you Learn about Our Green Earth and put Sustainability in Action. You will also be shown how to create wonder using natural and recycled materials.
Each of the sustainability books takes a practical approach. They provide photographs, illustrations, equipment lists and instructions. You will find it easy to incorporate sustainable learning experiences and environments in your setting.
What is sustainability in early childhood education?
Sustainability in early childhood education is more than environmental education. It is a holistic approach, where children learn about local contexts and environmental issues through hands-on experiences and educator pedagogies (ACECQA, 2016).
Central to early childhood sustainability education is seeing children as active participants with the agency to create positive change. It is recognising their interest in the world and working to develop their creativity and critical thinking skills.
Ultimately, children should be empowered to make informed decisions and take concrete actions. These will enable them to contribute to the present and future positively.
Sustainability in the early years expands to include learning to be compassionate and respectful of differences, equality and fairness. It is helpful to think about it in terms of the 7Rs – reduce, reuse, recycle, respect, repair, reflect and refuse.
Why is it important to teach sustainability in early childhood?
It is important to teach sustainability in early childhood because every child has the right to participate in matters that affect their lives and help build a healthy, sustainable future. This is recognised in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989).
Our sustainability book, Sustainability in Action, also highlights the value of the early years for nurturing care for the world and the people in it:
“We can help (children) to form attachments, show them how to make healthy choices and give them ways to influence what happens around them.”
Additionally, “Through our everyday actions – and by building children’s sense of optimism and connection, and their confidence and enthusiasm to be involved – we play a part in influencing how today’s children live in our changing world, and how they will each contribute to sustainability for generations to come.”
What are the ideas for embedding sustainable practices in early childhood?
Ideas for embedding sustainable practices in early childhood can involve the service setting (eg, centre policies) and choices made within the curriculum. (eg, learning experiences).
Under the National Quality Standard (NQS), childcare services have an obligation to be environmentally responsible. “The service cares for the environment and supports children to become environmentally responsible.”
Sustainable practices need to become part of the day-to-day routines to be embedded.
An example is swapping chemical-based cleaning products for natural/green products. Bicarbonate soda makes a great alternative for cleaning sinks and basins.
Similarly, making sustainability a standing item for staff meetings means services continually look at ways to improve. Services can also implement energy-saving policies concerning heating, cooling, lights and appliances.
Ideas for embedding sustainable practices in the curriculum are wide-ranging. These include:
- creating edible gardens
- having discussions about waste, eg, noticing how full the bin is or the amount of leftover food scraps
- being involved in local community projects
- implementing a recycling program
- collecting natural materials ethically, eg, only taking a few and using respectfully
- reusing and repurposing materials for play
- investigating local indigenous environmental knowledge.