Climate Action Week 2022
Timed with the Scottish Government’s Climate Week, Climate Action Week is a series of interactive lessons, inspiring stories and activities about climate change and what we can do about it.
We are grateful to our special guests from the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS), and Children's Author and Illustrator Mini Grey courtesy of the Scottish Book Trust.
Early Years
Single lessons with supporting resources. Storytime for Early Years with Author and Illustrator Mini Grey courtesy of the Scottish Book Trust.
Upper Primary
A series of five interactive lessons aimed at helping your class understand what climate change is, its impacts, how we are contributing to this situation and how we can contribute to its solution. These lessons are supported with resources and activities that classes can carry out after the each lesson.
Lesson 1: What’s happening?
- What are Greenhouse Gases and where do they come from?
- Experiment: temperature
- Demonstration: warming effects
- Greenhouse gases in everyday life
Lesson 2: Our Human Footprint
- What we've learned so far
- The footprint of animals & humans
- Example: the footprint of chocolate
- How can we make a footprint smaller?
Lesson 3: Innovation & Observation
- What we've learned so far
- Special Guest: Claire Herbst - Forth Valley College
- The power of observation
- Innovation in nature
Lesson 4: Conservation Stories
- Ecosystems
- Scottish species
- Observing wildlife
- Conservation
High Schools
What is climate justice and how can we use our voice and consumer choices to support it? All living creatures leave a footprint, including ourselves. But humans have the power to make decisions about the size and shape of the footprint we leave. We will explore examples of how footprints can become unsustainable and unjust. We will then discuss how we all play a role in either allowing things to continue as they are, or to challenge them to create positive change, as a way of creating Climate Justice.
During the lesson, pupils will need something to write on to answer some questions we will pose and to jot down ideas about who they might want to write to. At the end of the lesson, pupils will be invited to compose a letter or email to someone in a business, organisation or government, asking to make a change to help the environment.
All Ages Assembly
- Do you remember?
- Your Questions
- Examples of your work
- Address from First Minister Nicola Sturgeon
- Running Out of Time Relay begins from Sunnyside Primary School
Craftivism
This year's Climate Action Week included an invitation for pupils to create a collective piece of craftivism inspired by the artwork of artist Paul Bartlett.
He says: “I am so impressed by the enthusiasm and skill demonstrated by all who took part in the collage competition. They have really embraced the ethos of recycling and through their work highlighted the importance of protecting our natural world. The variety of creativity is truly amazing. I have been inspired by some of the novel ways these young folk have used collage and I might be stealing a few ideas myself! Well done to all who took part and I hope that you continue to be inspired by nature and share this passion with others.”
Watch the video below to find out how to make your own amazing collages as a gentle form of activism.
This video was generously created by Paul to demonstrate the process of creating a collage from scraps of paper.
Please find more details and some of Paul Bartlett's work here.
Craftivism gallery
In 2022, we gave pupils the chance create their own collage to encourage others to protect our native wildlife. The winners of this competition were awarded a wildlife camera trap plus a virtual tour of either the Highland Wildlife Park or Edinburgh Zoo, courtesy of our friends at RZSS. Here is what they created!
Related Lessons
Climate Action Week 2021
Watch lessons from last year's Climate Action Week again. Learn how we are contributing to climate change and how we can contribute to its solution.
