ACTIVITY IDEAS
This is an opportunity for the children to start having real purpose to their writing.
Hopefully this news give them some increased motivation and reasons to write- and a clearer idea of how they can help the Inklings.
Look together at ideas of how WORDS CAN HAVE POWER and influence.
This might mean looking at and doing things together like the following ideas:
Letter writing - how to write a letter
Speeches & debates
Protest & persuasive writing
Poetry, songs and art about nature and how can be used in campaigns/to change the world
Intro to what activism is - making protest signs?
Older children may care more just about the tree, and it’s wellbeing, rather than the Inklings living in the tree so do focus on that.
Letters or notes can be written to MOUTH or others they choose to write to, explaining why the tree and trees matter to them, to the school, the planet, the inklings. Persuasive writing / poetry / story telling why the tree should not be removed.
LINK HERE TO A TEMPLATE PROTEST LETTER THAT CHILDREN CAN USE
NOTE: The first week of June, 2 fictional :tree warrior” eco campaigners will visit the school to assist with this campaign and hear/be shown what the children have created/written and help with this aspect. So as teachers, you can introduce the above ideas but don’t have to finish it all?
KIDS AGAINST PLASTIC
Amy and Ella Meek: Reducing Single-Use Plastic
Amy and Ella are 16- and 14-year-old sisters from Nottinghamshire and they’re on a mission to get people, businesses and schools to take on a “plastic clever” approach to reducing single-use plastics.
They say that their desire to make a positive change started when they began studying the UN Global Goals about a year ago. Inspired by what they learned and wanting to make a change, they established the charity Kids Against Plastic, and so far they’ve picked up over 60,000 pieces of single-use plastic litter and developed their own app to log it in. They’ve even done their own TEDx talk and as part of their work for Kids Against Plastic, they’ve made over 50 cafes, schools, businesses, festivals and councils Plastic Clever.
Amy and Ella may have built up a whole charity, but they also want everyone to know that the smallest actions can make a difference.
Find out more about them here
WEEK FIVE: 13May-17 May
PART TWO : ASSEMBLY ANNOUNCEMENT OF A LETTER
& WRITING ACTIVITIES MOTIVATED BY THIS
This week, in assemblies so that all children are aware of the news, it needs to be announced that a letter has been received and that need to share it with the whole school. The Head or Deputy/another teacher leading needs to read out or ask some children to volunteer (Year 6 children probably/confident readers) to read out the letter to the children? To share the news that received a letter from MOUTH agency saying they will come and chop down and remove the tree in the playground- the one the Inklings are residing in. MOUTH stands for Ministry of Unlawful Tree Harming-note: this is totally fictional but the address to write to is real so letters can be posted. MOUTH is to be the villain in our story!)
After the news of the letter received, see what the children think about it/if any questions. See if any ideas of what they might do?
What to do if the children are very upset/worried by this news/announcement/development in the story?
reassure the children that as teachers you’re also feeling angry/worried/concerned about this proposed action and that you agree it isn’t right- help justify their emotional response / encourage them to write it down and express how they feel. Let their feelings be the inspiration!
help children to feel that they are empowered to take action and to channel these feelings into action - that they have the power to change the proposal
ask the children “Do you think we should ask some experts in saving trees and the environment to come and help us with this?” So that then they feel they’ve invited the visitors who will come in a couple of weeks’ time
encourage the children to think about what TOGETHER the school can do and they can do individually, with teacher support, to help make a different action happen and avoid the tree being removed
let the children know that they are not helpless/powerless and that through writing letters/speeches/arguments/poetry about the tree and why it shouldn’t be removed/why it is important they can have POWER IN THEIR VOICE & campaign.
EXAMPLES OF OTHER CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE WHO ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD AND FOR THE PLANET WITH THE POWER OF THEIR VOICES…that can look at together
GRETA THUNBERG
“You are never too small to make a difference”
Swedish teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg started a school strike for the climate outside the Swedish Parliament. Since then, Greta has become a global phenomenon and has helped spread the movement, dubbed Fridays for Future, around the world. Greta has spoken at climate rallies in Stockholm, Helsinki, Brussels and London. In 2019, she gave a searing and emotional speech at the United Nations, calling on decision-makers around the world to commit to meaningful climate change action.
WELSH CHILDREN PLANTING TREES
St Mary's primary school pupils plant new trees with older residents in Wrexham, Wales.
LESEIN MUTENKEI - TREES FOR GOALS
Lesein Mutenkei is a 15 year old high school student from Kenya, Africa and the founder of “Trees for Goals”. An avid football player with a love for the outdoors, when Lesein was 11 years old he heard about deforestation, climate change and plastic pollution. He decided to take action by planting a tree every time he scored a goal! Now for every goal he scores, he plants 10 trees. He has planted over 1000 trees in the last few years. He spoke to his teachers and has got other students involved in the campaign too.
More info about Trees for Goals
HAVANA CHAPMAN-EDWARDS
“A girl with a book is a girl who is unstoppable,” 11 year old Havana says
Havana Chapman-Edwards (aka The Tiny Diplomat) is a 11-year-old United States diplomat living in Frankfurt, Germany with her family. She is a passionate community organizer, philanthropist, public speaker, and humanitarian.
She is the founder and executive director of Girls Have Rights which is a youth-powered global non-profit providing education through diplomacy to eliminate barriers so girls have access to their basic human rights.
You can find out more about her here
CHILDREN OF YEAR 4, WARWICKSHIRE PROTEST TO SAVE TREES & BEES
https://www.warwickshirewildlifetrust.org.uk/blog/daisy-robinson/year-4-pupils-say-save-our-bees
World Bee Day = 20 May 2024! Could share this of how children at this school in Year 4 took part in a protest to raise awareness of how bees need trees and plants to survive.
NOGA LEVY-RAPOPORT
Noga Levy-Rapoport is a super inspiring 17-year-old climate activist, public speaker, and organiser of the UK climate strikes at the UK Student Climate Network.
On 15 February 2019, Noga led London's first climate strike march – though that had not been the plan from the beginning! The February strike day saw thousands of schoolchildren and young people walk out of classes in London and it seemed like they might need some direction. As young protesters grouped together on the grass, Noga took charge and decided to lead the others on a march to Trafalgar Square. Once they arrived she was asked to speak and her passion and enthusiasm stirred up the crowd.
On 20th September 2019, Noga hosted London's global climate strike, the largest climate protest in UK history, with 100,000 protesters in the capital and 350,000 attending strikes across the country.