Nature Appreciation | CEEE

Nature Appreciation Climate change is increasingly becoming a topic laden with anxiety, grief, anger, and other emotions, especially for today's youth ( Marks et al., 2021 ), leading to a need for educator resources that can help address these emotions. To support the whole student, the following activities explore the relationship between climate and mental health, focusing on accessible, youth-friendly resources that aid teachers in approaching complex and sensitive topics in the classroom.  We recognize that teaching about climate change may give rise to controversy in some classrooms. For strategies to help facilitate difficult discussions, please see the CLEAN teaching support pages on managing climate change discourse. The activities in this set are structured by objectives, overview, and delivery method. They are also aligned with a social-emotional learning focus and the strategies listed in the graphic on the next page.  Context for Use In the nature appreciation lesson, students will play, explore, appreciate, and practice perspective-taking in nature. All of these actions help positively connect youth to nature and instill an ethic of care for the environment Talk About Climate Change Today Graphic from CLEAN Resource "Have the Talk: Climate Conversations" Programs Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network Climate Mental Health Resource Type Lesson Topics Climate Change Climate Mental Health Elementary School Middle School High School University/College Out-of-school/Non-formal Instructional Time 30 minutes - 1 hour Published Date January 29, 2024 Costs NOAA/CIRES-CLEAN Goals Header What Students Will Do Take part in role-play or write about someone else's perspective to demonstrate one's ability to empathize.  Spend time exploring nature to manage stress and appreciate nature.  Name a nd implement actions that care for plants or animals. Teaching Materials User note: To make an editable copy of the teaching materials in Google Drive, select File > "Make a copy". This will make a copy for you to save to your drive and edit as you see fit. Nature Appreciation- Teacher Guide Nature Appreciation- Teacher Guide (Google Doc) Full Guide: Climate Mental Health Support Activities Full Guide: Climate Mental Health Support Activities (Google Doc) Additional Resources CLEAN Climate and Mental Health Webpages Similar Resources Mindfulness Practices & Guided Meditation Connecting with Special Places in Nature This lesson is a stand-alone lesson that is one of seven lessons in the Climate Mental Health Support Activities. Active Listening Skills The Emotions Wheel