CHILDRENS EDUCATION AND SUSTAINABILITY

This guide proposes and outlines a design of curriculum for those seeking to introduce ideas
of sustainable practices and to promote social responsibility to children. THE NEXT STEP
integrates historical, cultural, and scientific facts with hands on projects that provide an
opportunity for fun, engaging, and meaningful activity.

THE NEXT STEP

TABLE of Contents
Introduction
1-3
Week 1: Three Sisters Self Watering Garden
Week 2: Mats
Week 3: Driftwood
Week 4:
Dream Catcher
Week 5: Wind Chimes
Week 6: Mosaic

THE NEXT STEP

CHILDRENS EDUCATION AND
SUSTAINABILITY
ORIGINS
Looking out the window of a small plane leaving the
mountains of West Virginia, I felt completely insignificant in
comparison to sight of the valley below: peaks that have
weathered millennia, a river dancing the dance of eons,
and trees that have stood while generations of men have
come and gone. I am struck by the fact that below me is
an ecosystem that doesnt require humanity, yet whose
destiny is utterly in our hands. Despite its malleability to
human will, I know now that while we may conquer the
natural world, the beauty of it makes me want to preserve
it not only for its own sake but for the sake of those who
will follow me.
Despite the sanctuary of our artificial havens we are still
just as dependent on the Earth as our ancestors who
feared the oncoming winters and storms. The source of all
our food, water, and shelter ultimately comes from natural
resources. In the most basic sense, we cannot live without
the planet. Acknowledging this dependence is imperative
to understanding the ethical necessity to act as stewards
of the Earth for our own sake.

THE JOURNEY
We exist in a state of entropy. Things decay and break
down in the realms of astral physics and agriculture alike.
We cannot simply resupply the fossil fuels we burn that
have taken epochs to be used for our tinder. We are
unable to easily purify the skies which have been sullied
by our pollutants.

It is inherently a parasitic relationship. Some may argue that this was the way it was intended
to be; that the Earth exists for our subjugation. The problem is that this attitude hurts both the
conquered and the conquerors. Global warming has been linked to terribly destructive storms 1.
Pollution harms the lungs of many animals, including humans 2. Depletion of resources leaves
subsequent generations in doubt of their future 3. What we can do however is change our
behavior and begin to slowly repair what we have charge of.

While we may have differing backgrounds, beliefs, and experiences, we all share common
physical needs. These needs are met by this world we reside in together, and all of our fates
are directly linked with the future of the Earth. As such, to ignore the merit of sustainable
thinking and practices would be to ignore the duty we have for ourselves and our children to
provide and care for their future.
While many practices are labeled and rejected as unsustainable, at their core is truly injustice.
This injustice is a direct reflection of our connection with one another. When trash from the
United States finds its way in the slums of Asia 5 or when Chinas air pollution directs global
weather patterns what we are seeing is not mere irresponsibility but injustice. In America we
ascribe to a cornerstone philosophy that all men are created equal 6. If we believe that others
are equal in humanity then we by necessity must believe they are equally deserving in dignity.
As beings with finite minds, our perception tends to suffer from a myopic egoism that makes us
sadly short-sighted. But the Earth operates on a very different temporal scale. Its timeline
precedes and will secede our own. Yet still, think about a tree planted from a seedling. The
years it takes to reach maturity by outdate our interest in it, but those who enjoy it often are
different than those who tended to the seedling and sapling to begin with. There is no instant
gratification, but there is long-term satisfaction, and a gift that endures beyond immediate
influence.
But now the choice is ours. To blindly accept our history as a mixed legacy and a justification
for our continued patterns of abuse and avarice, or we can see it as an opportunity to stretch
ourselves in our capacity to do better.

THE NEXT STEP

While some may declare it too late to change existing attitudes of adults, it is not too late to
change the way we teach children to view the world and people around them. Social
psychologists have shown that peer influence in terms of educational efforts and how they
view the authority of those around them 7.
This six week program includes flexible curriculum that is suitable for classrooms, churches,
hospitals, nursing homes, daycares, and a host of environments where adults and children
interact. In each section there is a brief overview of the eco- and budget- friendly materials

needed for each weeks activity, a story for the lesson involved, a guide to the activity and
some questions for discussion.

WEEK 1: The Three Sisters

"We

do not inherit this land from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children."
Haida Indian saying.
MATERIALS

One 2 or 3 liter soda bottle with the cap

A piece of newspaper, a piece of plastic from a bag or a

piece of aluminum foil

Cotton string

scissors or knife to cut the bottle

a drill (or something similar) for making holes in the cap

tape (optional)

*paper, crayons, markers or some other decorative cover to keep the light out
OBJECTIVES
THE THREE SISTERS8
According to Iroquois legend, corn, beans, and squash are three inseparable sisters who only grow and
thrive together. This tradition of interplanting corn, beans and squash in the same mounds, widespread
among Native American farming societies, is a sophisticated, sustainable system that provided longterm soil fertility and a healthy diet to generations. Growing a Three Sisters garden is a way to feel
more connected to the history of this land, regardless of our ancestry.
Corn, beans and squash were among the first important crops domesticated by ancient Mesoamerican
societies. The Iroquois believe corn, beans and squash are precious gifts from the Great Spirit, each
watched over by one of three sisters spirits, called the De-o-ha-ko, or Our Sustainers". The planting
season is marked by ceremonies to honor them, and a festival commemorates the first harvest of green
corn on the cob. By retelling the stories and performing annual rituals, Native Americans passed down
the knowledge of growing, using and preserving the Three Sisters through generations.

Corn, beans and squash complement each other nutritionally. Corn provides carbohydrates, the dried
beans are rich in protein, balancing the lack of necessary amino acids found in corn. Finally, squash
yields both vitamins from the fruit and healthful, delicious oil from the seeds.

Native Americans kept this system in practice for centuries looking for signs in their environment that
indicated the right conditions for planting corn, like when birds would return. Early European settlers
would certainly never have survived without the gift of the Three Sisters from the Native Americans, the
story behind our Thanksgiving celebration. Celebrating the importance of these gifts, not only to the
Pilgrims but also to civilizations around the globe.

ACTIVITY
DISCUSSION