Connecting with Special Places in Nature | CEEE

Connecting with Special Places in Nature 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 c onnecting with special places in nature lesson, s tudents identify their emotions, explain their thinking to a peer, and consider caring actions. Man riding his bicycle on the road.  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 25-30 minutes (min. time needed) Published Date February 5, 2024 Costs NOAA/CIRES-CLEAN Goals Header What Students Will Do Identify emotions that students have for places in nature through drawing. Identify one's everyday connections to nature. Build reciprocal relationships with natural places. 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. Connecting with Special Places in Nature - Teacher Guide Connecting with Special Places in Nature - 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 Nature Appreciation Active Listening Skills The Emotions Wheel