Earthwatch Education
Applications open for fully funded Green Earth Schools Program! 🏫💚🌍
Applications are now open for your school to become a Green Earth School in academic year 25/26!
Transforming school grounds into nature-rich spaces for exceptional outdoor learning and play.
Through our Green Earth Schools programme, we collaborate with schools to create the optimal nature features for their grounds to support outdoor learning.
We help students build a strong connection to nature and use their voices to drive solutions-based approaches to environmental challenges. These skills and experiences are essential in creating inclusive pathways to the green careers that are needed to tackle the climate crisis.
Our Green Earth Schools approach is centred on:
Empowering students to create a quality green space in their school grounds that they can access and enjoy on a daily basis, and enabling them to take positive action for our planet.
Building a lasting green legacy as these living science labs will be maintained for future generations of pupils to enjoy.
Equipping teachers and educators with the tools they need to take learning outside, inspiring their children and young people to build curiosity of the natural world, create solutions-focused thinking and build a foundation of strong scientific knowledge of the environment.
This year, we are looking for schools in Sunderland, Peterborough, West Drayton, London, and South Wales (Cardiff, Swansea & Port Talbot) to sign up for our fully-funded Green Earth School Project this academic year!
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact our team at education@earthwatch.org.uk.
From Classroom to Impact: Empowering Inquiry and Action through Citizen Science 🌍🖊️👩🔬🔬
Bridging Classroom Learning with Real-World Research
Young learners often experience science as predictable or abstract—experiments with known outcomes and limited real-world relevance. This is where citizen science comes in: it transforms classrooms into gateways for authentic, meaningful research where students’ observations really count.
About the Course
Designed for educators across all levels—primary, secondary, teacher trainers, and beyond—this MOOC invites participants to:
Discover what citizen science is and why it matters for scientific literacy, societal impact, and student engagement.
Evaluate existing citizen science projects for classroom suitability.
Explore how these projects align with the European Union’s five Missions: climate, cancer, oceans, smart cities, and soil.
Design learning scenarios that harness the scientific inquiry process and connect students directly to meaningful data collection and real-world challenges.
Complete and submit their own Learning Scenario, and participate in peer review to earn a certificate (95% passing grade required).
Why It Matters for Earthwatch Educators?
Deepened Engagement: Citizen science turns students from passive learners into data-driven investigators.
Multidisciplinary Connection: Whether tracking biodiversity, monitoring air quality, or examining soil health, these activities spark cross-disciplinary exploration.
Global-Local Linkages: By aligning with EU Mission goals, you can help your students understand how local actions feed into global challenges.
Certification & Recognition: Besides the EUN certificate, participants in certain regions (e.g. Galicia, Emilia-Romagna, and Ireland) may be eligible for additional official CPD recognition.
Ready to Take Action?
If you're passionate about bringing real-world scientific inquiry into your classroom—empowering your students to make meaningful contributions—this MOOC offers structured support, community, and recognition. It’s a unique opportunity to help shape a more engaged, empowered generation of citizen scientists.
Let’s make it happen. Start your journey from classroom to impact!
Find out more here: Addressing societal challenges with Citizen Science | European Schoolnet Academy
It's the summer for Nature Connection with the Family! 👨👩👧👦🌿🐌🌞
Looking for simple, meaningful ways to spend time outdoors with your family before summer slips away? TreeSisters has put together a beautiful collection of free nature connection activities designed just for families—and they're perfect for all ages!
From creative crafts to mindful outdoor adventures, these activities are a gentle reminder to slow down, explore, and reconnect with the natural world together. Whether you're in your backyard, a local park, or on a camping trip, there’s something here to inspire curiosity and joy.
Check them out here: Nature Connection for Families
It’s a great way to get outside, get grounded, and spark some meaningful conversations with kids about caring for our planet. 🌍💚
Let’s make nature a part of our summer memories—together!
Photo credits: TreeSisters | charity
As School Closes, Let’s Rethink Staff and Student Wellbeing 🍓🌱🌻
As schools close for the summer, we want to take a moment to recognise something too often pushed aside: the well-being of school staff. Across the UK, staff burnout, anxiety, and exhaustion are at an all-time high. According to Sec-Ed,
45% of school staff report experiencing anxiety,
35% burnout,
and 28% symptoms of depression.
Behind these numbers are real people – teachers who are struggling to keep going while supporting the mental health of young people.
The truth is this: exhausted staff cannot support flourishing students.
Yet there is hope — and it doesn’t always come from more policies or hours in front of screens.
The Healing Power of Nature
Nature offers one of the most accessible, evidence-based, and nourishing paths to recovery. Time in the woods. Quiet connection. Movement, creativity, and community. These are not luxuries — they’re essentials.
At Circle of Life Rediscovery, they have worked with schools across the UK to design nature-based programmes and trainings that radically shift the wellbeing of both staff and students.
✔️ From CPD outdoor learning and nature connection courses to comprehensive Level 3 Forest School Training, learn everything you need to know about transforming education, health and family through nature-led learning
✔️ Develop the knowledge, skills and confidence you need to design and deliver best practice educational and therapeutic outdoor learning programmes
✔️ Use your new skills to have more fun in your work, and transform your career
Who are outdoor learning CPD courses for?
These outdoor learning CPD courses are suitable for:
Teachers
Health workers
Outdoor practitioners
Who are the outdoor learning CPD course tutors?
All Circle of Life Rediscovery tutors have a background in education and sustainable schools. Also, knowledge and experience of nature connection, nature-centric models, the curriculum and the natural world
Why learn with Circle of Life Rediscovery?
They show you how you can teach outdoor experiences that connect individuals with nature and the wider community.
Better still, you’ll learn practical and theoretical nature-based practice tools you can tie into the national curriculum or use to meet key health outcomes.
As a result, your students will:
Appreciate their beautiful surroundings and understanding their place in nature and the world
Learn social responsibility
Explore our outdoor learning CPD courses for teachers, health practitioners and outdoor practitioners here!
Upcoming Learning Lunch with Our Shared World and Professor Stephen Sterling 📖🖊️🥪
Upcoming Learning Lunch with Our Shared World and Professor Stephen Sterling
Date: July 22nd 2025, 13:15 – 13:45 GMT.
Our Shared World are excited to bring you the latest Learning Lunch, coming from Professor Stephen Sterling.
Professor Stephen Sterling is an Emeritus Professor of Sustainability at the University of Plymouth, President of SEEd and the foremost mind in Education for Sustainable Development. Having worked in environmental and sustainability education for 50 years, he has received numerous accolades, awards and achievements for his work.
With too long a list of accolades and achievements to mention here (find out more on his website here), this is an exciting opportunity to explore his insights into education for sustainability in the next Learning Lunch.
Structure:
13:15 - 13:30pm: Welcome and Presentation
13:30 - 13:45pm: Questions and Discussion
Get involved with this exclusive Learning Lunch with one of the top thought leaders in this wonderful field!
Before you sign off for summer, sign up for this Autumn 2025 webinar for your students - What's in your water? LIVE!! 💧🌍💻
What's in your water? Live is an engaging, curriculum-linked live lesson for KS2 pupils that brings science and geography to life through real-world action. Developed by Earthwatch Europe, this interactive session immerses young learners in the world of fresh water, environmental threats, and the Great UK WaterBlitz a UK-wide citizen science project.
Aligned with national curriculum and timed to support World Monitoring Day (18 Sept) and Great UK WaterBlitz Week (19th–22 Sept) this session empowers pupils to become scientists for a day — and environmental champions for life.
If you live near a fresh water source why not consider getting your class involved in the autumn 2025 WaterBlitz - sign up here: Great UK WaterBlitz -Org signup - Earthwatch Europe
Find out more by clicking the link below 👇
Why Cities Need a Wild Side 🌇🌼
Ever feel like your city needs a bit more life? Check out this refreshing blog post by Earthwatch: "A Case for Urban Nature" – a passionate call to bring more green into our grey spaces.🌳🐝
From pocket parks to buzzing bee hotels, urban nature isn’t just nice to look at—it boosts our health, biodiversity, and even community spirit 💚✨. If you're curious about how cities can be both people-friendly and nature-rich, this one's for you.
Let’s rewild our cities, one planter box at a time! 🌱🏙️
Read it here: https://earthwatch.org.uk/blog/a-case-for-urban-nature/
Count pollinators with your pupils for Bees' Needs Week from 14 July!
With Bees’ Needs Week around the corner (14th July), now is the perfect time to do a Pollinator Count with your students!
Bees' Needs Week is an annual event run by Defra, working with a range of organisations including conservation groups, businesses and charities.
The aim of the week is:
to raise awareness of the importance of bees and other pollinators
share ideas, actions and activities that highlight the ways in which everyone can help them thrive
Use the 'Pollinator Count' activity from the National Education Nature Park to promote learning about pollinators and flowering plants, support an important citizen science project, and even make improvements to your site!
This is a timed count of insects that visit the flowers in your outdoor spaces. The data will show you how many and what types of insects are visiting your site to forage for food (with some pollinating the flowers when they visit), and which types of plants are most supportive to different insect groups. Your learners can use this information to identify where and what improvements they can make to the site, and use the information to research and tell stories about the insect antics at your setting.
Together, the data collected by you and others will show how educational settings support wildlife. At the Natural History Museum, researcher Dr Victoria Burton will analyse this information to assess the health of pollinators across the Nature Park and to explore which habitats and flowers best support pollinators. For more about the science behind the Pollinator Count, visit this blog post.
There is no need for prior insect or plant identification experience and the activity is specifically designed for young people, so its perfect to get involved!
Here is the link to the activity!
Join the Climate Action Countdown! ⏰🌍🌳
Join thousands of schools across the UK for a week of climate action, creativity and community! Monday 23 – Friday 27 June 2025
Free resources when you sign up
The Climate Action Countdown is a free, flexible week of curriculum-friendly climate lessons designed to help schools take simple, powerful steps towards a zero carbon future.
What’s included in your FREE resource pack?
A step-by-step teacher guide to running a climate assembly
A pick-and-mix menu of fun, impactful climate actions
Tailored resources for primary and secondary settings
Printable posters, templates and manifestos
Inspiration to involve your whole school community – from pupils to parents and PTAs
Why take part?
End the term with fun and purposeful activities
Behaviour-change lessons that could help cut your school’s cost!
Bring climate action into the curriculum in a creative, engaging way
Be part of a nationwide schools movement making real impact
Connect your work to London Climate Action Week
Show that schools are leading the way to a zero carbon future
Find out more and sign up here!
Photo credits: UK Climate Change • Let's Go Zero
Upcoming Learning Lunch with Our Shared World and Archway School, Stroud! 🌍🐝🖊️
Upcoming Learning Lunch with Our Shared World and Archway School, Stroud! 🌍🐝🖊️
Date: June 24th 2025, 13:15 – 13:45 GMT.
Our Shared World are excited to bring you the latest Learning Lunch, coming from Archway School in Stroud, Gloucestershire.
Kieron Smith (Headteacher) and James Hayes (Young Changemakers Lead Facilitator) at Archway, will be giving us insights into the implementation of sustainability education around an already packed curriculum. The talk will explore this from the point of view of a school and teachers – those on the frontlines of sustainability education.
What is a Learning Lunch?
Each month, a Learning Lunch is held where OSW members, friends and organisations can connect, share their work and engage in discussion and debate around the themes introduced.
Bite sized, participatory and supportive, the Lunches welcome a very broad range of speakers, engaging in all types of education and changemaking. They aim to celebrate, connect and amplify the cutting edge work being done to foster a more just, equitable, peaceful and sustainable world.
Learn more and sign up here!