What is World Environment Day?
The UN’s World Environment Day is held every year on 5 June. It is a global platform for inspiring positive change and brings together people from all over the world to protect the environment and encourage further conservation. This year’s World Environment Day, hosted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, will focus on land restoration, desertification and drought resilience. The slogan ‘Our land. Our future. We are #GenerationRestoration’ will be used to raise awareness of this important cause on social media.
Why should you get involved with World Environment Day?
Our students are the future, and as teachers, we can inspire them with a passion for the environment. World Environment Day is a brilliant opportunity to look at both local and global environments and investigate what can be done to help protect them.
Ideas for World Environment Day
These activities could be completed on 5 June, or used to promote a passion for the environment throughout the year, encouraging students to look after their local environment and become ambassadors for their future.
- Make your own seed bombs. Seed bombs contain wildflower seeds – perfect for encouraging butterflies and bees to your school site. They are fun and easy to make. Follow this handy Wildlife Trusts guide to help you.
- Make an insect hotel. Insects are an important part of our ecosystem. Make an insect hotel using this simple Wildlife Watch guide, or else watch this YouTube clip by Learn at Chester Zoo.
- Write to your local MP. Find out who your local MP is by entering your school postcode into the FindYourMP website. Write to them to tell them how your local area could be improved for wildlife.
- Connect with nature. Pupils take a walk outside and make a mental note of five beautiful things they can see, four natural things they can touch, three things they can smell, two things they can hear and one thing they feel. They can then discuss how being outside makes them feel.
- Create plastic ecobricks. Ecobricks are a great way to reuse plastic that would otherwise be used only once. Fill a container with clean, dry plastic, then use the Ecobricks website to help you make your own ecobricks. They could then be used to build structures around your school site – for example, a wall for your school garden.
- Investigate the soil quality at your school. How good is the soil at your school? Is it full of nutrients, or could it be improved? Carry out a soil investigation using this blog post. This is a fun way for pupils of any age to do some simple fieldwork on your school site.
These are just a handful of simple and engaging activities to promote a passion for the environment for World Environment Day and beyond. For more ideas, check out 15 ideas for World Environment Day.
Classroom resources for World Environment Day 2024
The World Environment Day theme for 2024, ‘land restoration, desertification and drought resilience’, provides an opportunity to teach students about the importance of these topics in our changing world. The effects of climate change are making these issues more prevalent and of greater impact. Teaching about them is crucial to raising awareness and fostering responsible attitudes.
In geography, the theme can be integrated by exploring the causes and effects of desertification and drought, understanding the role of soil in supporting life and ecosystems, and discussing the strategies for land restoration. Students can also examine case studies of areas affected by desertification and drought, and explore the measures taken for land restoration. Try these top resources for KS3 and KS4 geography:
- Drought and desertification (KS3)
- The extent of the desertification problem (KS4)
- The process of desertification (KS4)
In science, students can learn about the role of climate change in exacerbating these issues. They could investigate how rising temperatures affect soil quality and contribute to desertification and drought.
In English, students can explore the human impact of these issues, looking at how communities are affected and the steps being taken to mitigate these effects. This could involve studying information about climate change or writing persuasive speeches on the importance of land restoration.
In French, Spanish and German, students can explore environmental issues in a global context. They can read and discuss articles or watch documentaries in the target languages about the impacts of land degradation, desertification, and drought.
Incorporating the theme of land restoration, desertification and drought resilience into teaching and learning helps students understand the gravity of these issues and inspire them to contribute to solutions in their own ways.
