Tapestry of Faith: Sing to the Power: A Social Justice Program for Children Grades 4-5

Activity 4: Strategies for Fighting Climate Change

Activity time: 10 minutes

Materials for Activity

  • Newsprint, markers, and tape

Preparation for Activity

  • Place newsprint where everyone will be able to see it.

Description of Activity

The only way to truly make a difference in climate change is for each of us to get involved in as many and as creative ways as possible. Invite participants to brainstorm ways that they, their families and their communities (including their congregation) could reduce their use of fossil fuels (oil, coal and gas) which cause climate change. Remind them that manufacturing things always takes energy, so ways of using less or reusing items are ways to fight climate change. Write down all responses, even if they seem silly or crazy. Remind participants that creativity is an important part of solving very large problems such as climate change. Some examples to get things started might be to bike or walk to school, take shorter showers, buy used clothing or toys, set the thermostat lower, have people bring mugs to coffee hour rather than using disposable cups, etc.

When the list feels complete, invite children to consider which of the ideas they would be willing to actually implement. For each item on the list, ask for a show of hands of who is willing to take this step. Then ask who is willing to encourage a friend to take the step.

Including All Participants

Make sure that everyone has a chance to talk, including participants who are quieter or take longer to respond than others in the group. You may wish to pass a talking stick, or ask each person who speaks to choose the next person to speak, as a way of making room and time for everyone.