Activity: Earth Hour – Switch off to join the future – Early Learning

Quick summary: In this activity children are asked to think about some of the places in our environment where animals live. Younger children are invited to look at flashcards with images of places in our environment, and will match images of animals to these places. Older children will also match images of animals to places in our environment, but will also begin to explore how and why we should look after these places. They will begin to make connections between their personal behaviours and the health of these places and animals, by switching off lights and appliances for Earth Hour Schools Day.

This lesson has been created in partnership with WWF-Australia. Earth Hour is the world’s largest community-driven climate change campaign. At the centre of Earth Hour is switching off lights to show a commitment to taking action. Thousands of educators use Earth Hour’s education program to enrich their curriculum and provide pathways for young people to create change in their world.

For the most up to date Earth Hour dates, times, and events, check here.

EYLF Learning Outcome	Elaborations
Outcome 2: Children are connected with and contribute to their world	3. Children become socially responsible and show respect for the environment
Outcome 4: Children are involved and confident learners	1. Children develop dispositions for learning, such as curiosity, cooperation, confidence, creativity, commitment, enthusiasm, persistence, imagination and reflexivity 2. Children develop a range of skills and processes such as problem solving, enquiry, experimentation, hypothesising, researching and investigating 3. Children resource their own learning through connecting with people, place, technologies, and natural and processed materials
Outcome 5: Children are effective communicators	1. Children interact verbally and non verbally with others for a range of purposes 3. Children express ideas and make meaning using a range of media

 

Resources Required:

• Our Place Flashcards
• Animal flashcards
• Other assets you have in your service that relate to the images in the flashcards, such as toys, images, shells, feathers, leaves, sand etc.
• Our kids are switching off this Earth Hour – Poster

Supporting resources:

• Cool Australia Digital Library Earth Hour
• Cool Australia Digital Library Biodiversity

Cool Australia Presents … Biodiversity from Cool Australia on Vimeo: (https://vimeo.com/77933476)

Cool Australia would like to acknowledge the support of the Seedlings Early Years Education for Sustainability (EYEfS) program.