Explaining Sustainability to Children Without Causing Eco-Anxiety
16 months ago I read that eco-anxiety among children is on the rise, and my heart broke. But I also thought to myself “Can I do something? What can I do?”. I recycled my communications experience and my psychology knowledge, did some serious research, and asked one of the best illustrators that I know, who happens to be also one of my best friends too, if she is eager to join me in helping children to learn how to turn eco-anxiety and sadness into meaningful daily eco-friendly actions.
16 months later we have 60 pages on which we created a positive and creative space for nourishing the growth of future environmental heroes that we all desperately need.
In other words, Ivelina Vasileva and I self-published our first book — Healthy Earth. Check it out here www.hellohealthyearth.com
Healthy Earth is packed with positive learnings and more than 60 practical ideas that are empowering every child with a toolbox that will unleash the environmental hero within.
Kids, families, teachers, and communities can learn together about sustainability through reading and coloring. Our dream is to enrich children with useful knowledge about sustainability without causing eco-anxiety.
Learning through coloring is an efficient method because the brain is relaxed, focused, and in the creative flow, almost meditative. Each coloring page in our book is a visual echo of the key educational messages. “Don’t get sad, get active” is our motto. Sustainability without eco-anxiety is in our DNA.
Our messages are aiming to be truly multi-dimensional. Because we see climate change as a problem that involves lots of layers and societal aspects. In addition to providing various eco-friendly suggestions, we also enhance good daily habits like teeth-brushing, cleaning the room, helping at home, volunteering, donating, etc. Our custom illustrations are diverse and inclusive — you can find kids from different cultures and races, as well as a child in a wheelchair.
Good habits, including mental, societal, and environmental, are shaped in childhood. And we truly hope that children, families, and communities would find Healthy Earth a valuable guide in their sustainability journey.
Get your copy here: https://etsy.me/3nKNSW0
#environmental #climateaction #climatechange #sustainability #ecoanxiety #selfpublishedauthor #growth #climateeducation #childrensbook #childpsychology #environment #environmentalimpact
