A Polar Bear’s Adventure

Age6-9

ValueDemocratic & Societal

LocationSchool

Recommended group size10-20

Recommended time / Minutes90-120

Topic	Solidarity
Overview	This activity has a double aim: to show children how solidarity can lead to achievement of their goals; to make them aware of the global warming and its effects on the environment.
Learning objectives	• Understand how our actions or non-actions affect our surroundings • Foster unity in action • Encourage habits against global warming (e.g., switching off lights, using water sensibly, etc.)
Skills developed	• Understanding the importance of taking action and helping each other • Learn the importance of unity • Solidarity spirit development
Method	Storytelling. The activity is based on Sandra Dieckmann’s book Leaf (http://www.sandradieckmann.com/books https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRQCHaiLmwk), the story of a polar bear unexpectedly arrived in the woods that tried to find its way home. The facilitator reads the story to the children and then they start a discussion about it. The facilitator gives the children information on the animal’s habitat, explains how global warming is affecting the environment, and how all of us can take small steps to fight against it. As a plenary exercise, the facilitator may ask the children to continue the story (What would YOU do so that no polar bear ever gets lost again?)
Materials	Sandra Dieckmann, Leaf, book available see above (Method); Sheets of paper, pencils
Guidelines	The facilitator starts a discussion about polar bears to see what the children already know about these animals. They can use supporting material from the Additional Materials section to help out the younger children (10 minutes). The facilitator reads the story (alternatively, the writer has uploaded a video where she reads the story and shows the book) (20 minutes). The facilitator starts asking the children questions about the story (Where did the polar bear come from? What is the polar bears’ habitat? Why did it lose its way? What is affecting its home and how? How did the bear manage to return to its home? Would it be possible for it to return without the help of the crows?...) while sharing information* on polar bears’ natural habitat, the dangers they face, the effects of global warming, and the actions we can all take to tackle the issue (50 minutes). After the discussion, the facilitator asks children to write how they would show their solidarity to polar bears and fight global warming (40 minutes). *See links below
TipsAdditional materialsHow to apply online?What to do at home?	If the activity can take place outdoors, children can collect leaves and create wings for their bear like in the book. Additional materials: Polar bears’ habitat: https://arcticwwf.org/species/polar-bear/habitat/ https://seaworld.org/animals/all-about/polar-bear/habitat/ https://polarbearsinternational.org/polar-bears/habitat/ Global warming: https://climate.nasa.gov/climate_resources/139/video-global-warming-from-1880-to-2020/ https://www.mmc.gov/priority-topics/species-of-concern/polar-bear/ https://www.mmc.gov/priority-topics/arctic/climate-change/ https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/arctic/issues/global-warming/ https://arcticwwf.org/species/polar-bear/threats/ https://www.npolar.no/en/themes/climate-change-in-the-arctic/#toggle-id-2 https://d2ouvy59p0dg6k.cloudfront.net/downloads/arctic_ecosystems_factsheet.pdf Actions against global warming: https://climatekids.nasa.gov/how-to-help/ https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/climate-change/ https://www.imperial.ac.uk/stories/climate-action/ https://www.worldwildlife.org/pages/what-you-can-do-to-fight-climate-change How to apply it online? If the activity takes place online, the same method can be applied. What to do at home? At home, the activity can be extended and the children can focus more on the solutions against global warming by visiting the online resources listed above.
Author	M. V. Kokota (CSI)
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