Beth Anderson, Children's Writer

As an educator, it was truly exciting to watch as kids discovered their agency. Here’s a great post from author Laura Perdew with a super new book and activities to inspire children to adopt sustainable habits, discover how they can make a difference, and become agents of change. Please share this post with teachers, parents, and librarians! 

GIVEAWAY! Laura is giving a copy of YOUR SUSTAINABLE WORLD: A Kid’s Guide to Everyday Choices That Help the Planet! to one person who leaves a comment below. 

WHAT CAN I DO?

Using Books as an Inspiration for Action

by Laura Perdew

In a world where news about the challenges facing our planet feel so overwhelming, kids are left wondering, “What can I do?” The answer to that question is, “A lot!”

That’s where books come in. YOUR SUSTAINABLE WORLD: A Kid’s Guide to Everyday Choices That Help the Planet! is written for readers in grades 3-5, but the book can be used with kids of all ages, and the activities can be adapted for every grade level.

What is sustainability?

I was thrilled when an editor approached me about writing the book, YOUR SUSTAINABLE WORLD. Through my writing I try to share the wonders of the world with kids with the hope that they will be as amazed as I am and be empowered to act. So a book about sustainability? Sign me up!

Sustainability means using Earth’s resources now in a responsible way that helps keep the planet healthy into the future. It balances environmental, social, and economic needs. And the truth is that every human on the planet can make a difference, even kids. It’s about making sustainable choices in our everyday lives – thinking globally and acting locally.

Everyone Can Make a Difference

Don’t think individual choices make a difference? Part of the premise of YOUR SUSTAINABLE WORLD is that when many people make sustainable choices, the positive impact grows.

Open your classroom discussion about sustainability with an activity.

1. Beforehand, gather supplies. You will need a pot or bowl and a big box of dried macaroni (or other pasta). Hand out 5-10 pieces to each student.
2. Introduce the topic of sustainability and the need for everyone to make sustainable choices. Based on the age of the kids and their knowledge base, ask students why this matters and discuss how their actions might make a difference.
3. Put one piece of pasta in the pot and explain that piece of pasta represents one sustainable choice you made. Alone, it’s not much. Then ask, “What if each of us took one action?” Invite each student to add one piece to the pot. Then ask, “What happens if each of us does three things? Or five? Or ten?” Have students add pieces of pasta to the pot accordingly.
4. Take time for a discussion about how each one of those choices and actions added up to a lot! Where before there wasn’t even enough for a snack, now there’s enough pasta for a meal for one or two people. Draw the parallel to many people making sustainable choices and the impact that can have on helping our planet.

Sustainability Challenge

Read and discuss each chapter of YOUR SUSTAINABLE WORLD over the course of a week. Then it’s time to put learning into action.

1. Ask each student to select one sustainable choice from the book they are interested in trying, such as reducing their carbon footprint, refusing single-use plastic, reducing food waste, regrowing vegetables, upcycling, or trying green gifting. There are a lot of options to choose from in the book!
2. Students will commit to putting that sustainable choice into action for the next week. During that time, have students conduct further research or read other books about the topic.
3. Have regular discussions and journaling time about how forming new habits may be difficult, how they can measure success, and about their experiences making sustainable choices.

Sustainability Fair

Part of committing to sustainable choices is helping to spread the word. Because as they’ve already seen, the more people who make sustainable choices, the more impact there will be. You can ask other teachers and classes to join in the sustainability challenge.

The culmination of the sustainability challenge is a science fair based on sustainability. Each student or pair of students will create a display that educates others about their sustainable choice and the need for others to join them. Displays can include research, illustrations, graphs and charts, maps, and more.

Creating this science fair can have cross-curricular tie ins to math, language arts, social studies, the arts, and more. Students are creative – they will come up with ingenious ways to share their new knowledge!

I encourage you to invite the whole school to view the displays. Maybe your students will even be inspired to talk to other classes about sustainability. Invite parents and the community to an event. The goal? When someone asks your students, “What can I do to help the planet?” your students will have suggestions, experience, and research to answer.

Because kids can do a lot!

Don’t forget to leave a comment below for a chance to win a copy of YOUR SUSTAINABLE WORLD! (US addresses only, please. Winner announced 10/25/24)

😃 When you enjoy a book, please support authors and illustrators by posting reviews online. 

BIO: Laura is a teacher, writing coach, presenter, and the author of dozens of nonfiction and fiction books for kids, most with a  focus on nature and the environment. One of those, BIODIVERSITY: Explore the Diversity of Life on Earth (Nomad Press, 2019) is on the Booklist editor’s list of the Top 10 Books on the Environment & Sustainability for Youth 2020. She tries to make sustainable choices in her own life, including taking the bus, avoiding food waste, refusing single-use plastic, shopping at the thrift store for clothes, and even bringing her own plastic containers to restaurants for leftover food. She lives, plays, and writes in Boulder, Colorado. For more information, visit her website at www.lauraperdew.com.