8 • The Southwest Portland Post
Dear EarthTalk: Do you have any
tips for explaining global warming
and other complex environmental
problems to my kids?
– Peter Buckley, Pittsburgh, PA
Kids today may be more eco-savvy
than we were at their age, but complex
topics like global warming may still
mystify them.
Luckily there are many resources
available to help parents teach their
kids how to understand the issues and
become better stewards for the planet.
A great place to start is the U.S. Envi-
ronmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s)
“A Student’s Guide to Global Climate
Change” website.
The site is divided into sections
(Learn the Basics, See the Impacts,
Think like a Scientist and Be Part of
the Solution) so kids can get just the
right amount of detail without feeling
overwhelmed.
One feature of the site is a virtual
trip around the world to see the effects
of climate change in different regions.
An emissions calculator—with ques-
tions tailored to kids’ lifestyles—helps
connect everyday actions (like running
FEATURES
the water while brushing teeth) and
climate change.
And a FAQ page answers some of
the most common questions about
climate change in easy-to-read short
paragraphs.
Another great online resource is
NASA’s Climate Kids website, which
engages kids with games, videos and
craft activities and offers digestible info
on what’s causing climate change and
how kids can make a difference.
A guided tour of the “Big Questions”
(What does climate change mean? What
is the greenhouse effect? How do we
know the climate is changing? What is
happening in the oceans? and others)
uses cartoon characters and brightly
colored designs to help kids come to
grips with the basics.
Perhaps even more engaging for
those eight and older is Cool It!, a card
game from the Union of Concerned
Scientists (UCS).
The game, designed in collaboration
with science educators, requires play-
ers to collect “solution” cards in the
categories of energy, transportation and
forests, while slowing opponents down
by playing “problem” cards along the
way.
“The game enables teachers and
parents to talk about global warming
in a fun and hopeful way,” reports
UCS. “Kids, meanwhile, will learn that
all of us make choices that determine
whether the world warms a little or a
lot, and which of those choices reduce
global warming emissions.” The game
is available for purchase ($7.95) directly
from the UCS website.
Younger kids curious about climate
change can consult the Professor Sneeze
February 2014
There are many resources available to help parents and educators teach kids how to
understand environmental issues and become better stewards for the planet. (Photo
courtesy of Global Imagination)
website, which features online illus-
trated children’s stories that present
global warming in a familiar context.
The stories for five- to eight-year-olds
follow a cartoon bunny on various
warming related adventures. A few of
the story titles include “The Earth Has a
Fever,” “Where Are the Igloos of Igloo-
ville?” and “Tears on the Other Side of
the World.” The site also features stories
geared toward 8 to 10-year-olds and 10
to 12-year-olds.
Of course, teachers can play a key role
in making sure kids are well versed in
the science of climate change.
A recently launched initiative from
the National Center for Science Edu-
cation (NCSE)—long respected for its
work in defending and supporting
the teaching of evolution in the public
schools—aims to help teachers do a
better job of teaching climate change in
the classroom.
The group’s Climate Change Educa-
tion website points teachers to a trea-
sure trove of resources they can use to
demystify the science behind global
warming, combat “climate change
denial” and support “climate literacy.”
CONTACTS: EPA’s “A Student’s
Guide to Global Climate Change,”
www.epa.gov/climatestudents; NASA
Climate Kids, http://climatekids.nasa.
gov; NCSE’s Climate Change Education
Initiative, http://ncse.com/climate;
Professor Sneeze, www.contespeda-
gogiques.be/pages/accueil_angl.html.
EarthTalk® is written and edited by
Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss and is a reg-
istered trademark of E - The Environmental
Magazine (www.emagazine.com). Send
questions to: earthtalk@emagazine.com.
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