Cheryl was delighted to be asked to contribute to a ‘Teaching sustainability’ article featured in Nursery World’s 2019 Nursery Equipment supplement; she took the opportunity to explain the Tops approach to sustainable childcare & education, and how GECCO is sharing best practice.
Natural curiosity
Why the natural world issues are best introduced in the early years – and how practitioners can do so
‘Early childhood is the time to start teaching children about sustainability. Early childhood settings have a duty to give all the information available to the children otherwise they will grow up to be adults who are uninformed citizens,’ says Diane Boyd, senior lecturer in early years at Liverpool John Moores University.
Diane has worked with Lesley Curtis, head teacher at Everton Nursery School and Family Centre in Liverpool to establish the inter-generational Skills Café; details of this, a case study from Merseyside, advice, tips and a children’s reading list are all available in this inspiring article by Annette Rawstrone.
Natural curiosity: Why the natural world issues are best introduced in the early years – and how practitioners can do so
Nursery World / Nursery Equipment supplement 2019
Download the article (pdf)
‘We have got to be provoking children to ask questions because children are more authentic questioners than adults and we don’t give them enough credit for this,’ Diane continues. ‘If we can provide children with a starting point on sustainability, just think about the ripple effect it can have through their coming school years.’
