Coastal Care Junior
December 8, 2022
Teaching Children About Climate Change – the New York Times
Two new picture books and a novel for young readers place children at the center of environmental calamity.
Despite all the global summits, impassioned warnings from scientists and general hand-wringing over the mounting catastrophe unleashed by our use of fossil fuels, humans are burning them more than ever. Efforts to transition to clean energy, while significant, are not happening nearly fast enough. Nature’s backlash — increased floods, fires and droughts — has begun, and it’s still building.
Some parents may want to shield their children from this grim reality. But around the world, children are already profoundly affected — 16 million by flooding in Pakistan this year alone, as rains worsened by climate change left a third of the country underwater.
Two new picture books and a novel for young readers place children at the center of climate calamity. Fittingly, they are stories of homes under threat; home, after all, is the thing climate change stalks, be it a house, a community or a livable planet. Each book offers its own lessons on how to cope with life under the monster we’ve created. The novel even shows how kids can help slay it.
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More in Coastal Care Junior . . .
“Earth’s Beating Heart”: 12 Coastal-Themed Books to Help Kids Grow Their Understanding and Empathy – Hakai Magazine
From the Arctic to the Antarctic and from the smallest bioluminescent organism to the biggest whales, this season’s selections take readers through the world’s oceans and introduce them to a range of incredible species.
K-12 Coastal Art & Poetry Contest – California Coastal Commission
This annual Art and Poetry Contest is open to all California residents in grades K-12 (excluding families of Coastal Commission staff).
All entries must be uploaded by 5:00 p, California time, on January 31, 2023.
See full Contest Guidelines in English and Spanish, on the Coastal Commission Website…Best Wishes to ALL!
Big wave surfer Maya Gabeira talks new children’s book – Good Morning America
Big wave surfer and two-time world record holder Maya Gabeira drops by Good Morning America to talk about her new children’s book, “Maya and the Beast.”
“Maya and the Beast” features illustrations by Ramona Raulitzki. Published by Abrams, it is available in bookstores and amazon.com.
To bond with nature, kids need solitary activities outdoors
A new study found solitary activities like fishing, hunting or exploring outside are key to building strong bonds between children and nature. Activities like these encourage children to both enjoy being outside and to feel comfortable there.
Keep learning with science activities that kids and families can do at home
With lots of kids home from school, here’s a quick roundup of NOAA’s most popular educational resources to help you safely hunker down while learning about the ocean and atmosphere. As well as some ideas from the UNEP, on how to teach them about the plastic pollution problem.
When lightning strikes the beach, it vaporizes the sand — and makes these glass tubes
When lightning strikes the beach or desert, the electricity vaporizes the sand in less than a second, creating a geological phenomenon you might have to see to believe.
Most parents want kids to learn about climate change, but most schools don’t teach it
A new study paints a glaring divide between what parents want their kids to learn in school and what’s actually being taught. According to a new poll conducted by NPR and Ipsos, more than 80 percent of parents are in favor of teaching of climate change in school.
“Beach Robbers”; By Charles O. Pilkey
“Beach Robbers”, is a book chapter written and illustrated by Charles O. Pilkey, excerpted from “The Magic Dolphin: A Young Human’s Guide to Beaches, Sea Level Rise and Living with the Sea” by Charles O. Pilkey with Orrin H. Pilkey.
Children living on Indonesia’s coast get free goggles to enjoy – and save – precious reef
Indonesia’s maritime affairs minister has come up with an unconventional way to help preserve precious reefs from marine pollution: distribute boatloads of free goggles to children in the archipelago’s remote coastal regions. She wants to give next generation ‘the eyes’ to appreciate the marine world.