The Eco Certified Child

While few could dispute the need for Environmental and Sustainability Education (ESE) for children and young people, this book explores the problems inherent in this educational practice. Despite good intentions, the author highlights how ESE can in fact contribute to a (re)production of harmful norms and possible subjectivities by categorizing various groups as ‘threats’ to the environment. The author analyzes how these categorizations are entangled in historical discourses on social class, nationality and race, thus resulting in double gestures of inclusion and exclusion. Even as sustainability and environmental engagement becomes a treasured identity for the affluent, the author highlights that despite the best of intentions, the discourse of ESE can reinforce positions of suborder and superiority, which could even impede real change in the long run. This illuminating book will be of interest to students, scholars and practitioners of sustainability education. Foreword by Thomas S. Popkewitz

A story for children about why we should care for our little blue planet, the only home we have, to teach ecology, sustainability and responsibility.

To forge a sustainable future, we need citizens who care for the Earth. We need citizens who understand that planet care is the ultimate form of self-care. But we also need generations who live according to their values and convictions and who can effect positive change in their lives and the lives of others. Because public schools and the popular media cannot be counted on to produce an Earth-friendly citizenry, the task falls to parents. Yet even aware parents often lack the understanding and resources to take on such a task. EcoKids addresses this gap by presenting a coherent plan that will help parents foster love for nature, teach children the importance of environmental protection, and promote environmental values and inspire action - actions that will last a lifetime. A hopeful and inspiring guide for parents, topics covered include ways to: avoid gloom and doom in favor of positive solutions foster love and empathy for nature develop environmental values put values into action help children discover the roots of problems and be part of lasting solutions walk the talk counter the consumer culture, starting in your own home and community generate hope and combat apathy. Each chapter includes an inspiring case study of a child who's making a difference, short pieces that highlight serious problems such as global warming, along with positive solutions that can be read aloud to children, and activities for children. A resource guide lists helpful books, articles, videos, and organizations.

The new updated edition of Children, Youth and Development explores the varied ways in which global processes in the form of development policies, economic and cultural globalisation, and international agreements interact with more locally specific practices to shape the lives of young people living in the poorer regions of the world. It examines these processes, and the effects they have on young people’s lives, in relation to developing theoretical approaches to the study of children and youth. This landmark title brings together the stock of knowledge and approaches to understanding young people’s lives in the context of development and globalization in the majority world for the first time. It introduces different theoretical approaches to the study of young people, and explores the ways in which these, along with predominantly Western conceptions of childhood and youth, have influenced how majority world children have been viewed and treated by international agencies. Contexts of globalisation and growing international inequality are explored, alongside more immediate contexts such as family and peer relationships. Chapters are devoted to groups of children deemed to be in need of protection and to debates concerning children’s rights and their participation in development projects. Young people’s health and education are considered, as is their involvement in work of various kinds, and the impacts of environmental change and hazards (including climate change). The book introduces material and concepts to readers in a very accessible way and within each chapter employs features such as boxed case studies, summaries of key ideas, discussion questions and guides to further resources. This edition has been updated to take account of significant changes in the contexts in which poor children grow up, notably the financial crisis and changing development policy environment, as well as recent theoretical developments. It is aimed at students on higher level undergraduate and postgraduate courses, as well as researchers who are unfamiliar with this area of research and practitioners in organisations working to ameliorate the lives of children in majority world countries.

This book provides a fascinating insight into the on-going process of self- reflection in the Science|Environment|Health (S|E|H) community. The basic vision of a new S|E|H pedagogy is to establish a transdisciplinary dialogue between the three educational fields of science education, environmental education, and health education. This approach finds growing interest among science educators. Since 2014, the ESERA special interest group S|E|H has united both experienced and junior researchers all over Europe in a burgeoning research community. This book presents a selection of results of these vibrant activities. Systems theory has turned out to be a stimulating theoretical framework for S|E|H. The limits of predictability in complex living systems result in structural uncertainty for decision-making, and they ask for emphasising and rethinking the role of pedagogical concepts like informed citizenship and scientific literacy. They challenge crude scientific determinism in environmental and health education, which all too often ends up with students’ eco- and health depression. Instead, S|E|H conceives coping with uncertainty in terms of an interplay between cognitive and affective factors. The horizon of the future remains always open. Hope must never die in a new S|E|H pedagogy. Chapter 3 is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.

• 28 exciting STEAM projects that combine creative play with eco-awareness. • Fun ideas range from building a wind turbine and a go-kart to creating light, growing vegetables and making green gifts. • STEAM jobs are expected to rise by thirteen percent in the next decade. Having a firm foundation in these areas is key for students to ensure potential for success. • When STEAM is applied to fun activities, learning takes on a whole new meaning.

This book explores a new repertoire for critique in the sociology of contemporary education, focusing on emerging social theories that respond to contemporary challenges in education, education policy and governance. Presenting a variety of approaches in the sociology of education including pragmatist critical sociology, neo-Marxism, post-digital sociology, new materialisms, affirmative critique of education, and post-colonial studies, the chapters in this book engage in a novel, collective dialogue and reflection on the affordances, limitations and challenges of emerging social theories in contemporary education. The book further justifies this novel approach through inclusion of a series of interviews with leading scholars and thinkers from within and outside the field of education on the subject of critique in contemporary society and education. The book offers relevant global and decolonial perspectives to study current transformations, drawing on innovations in theorizing and empirical illustrations from different countries. Highlighting alternative visions of these transformations in an era of globalization, fragmentation, and growing nationalism, this cutting-edge book will be of great interest to researchers, academics and postgraduate students in the fields of the sociology of education, the philosophy of education, social theory, political science and comparative policy and politics more broadly.

Encourage children to engage with environmental problems and inspire them to take care of our planet! This book will help readers gain love and appreciation for our home and all who live here. It offers information on pollution, extinction, climate change, and ways to help and feel hopeful! Parents, teachers, and gift givers will find: the perfect book for Earth Day! a perfect choice for kids who love nature books! great homeschool material Kids can learn how to become keepers of the coasts, friends of the forests, home heroes and much more through a mix of compelling facts, creative activities and proactive tips. Key environmental topics are clearly explained, and the easy-to-follow projects and suggestions help to put the issues in an everyday context. From recycling and composting food to reducing water waste and giving wildlife a helping hand!