Small hands, big messages: Messages that deserve to be heard
Updated: 12 hours ago
What happens when young children are given the opportunity to explore environmental challenges, express their ideas and explore solutions? Through drawings, posters and handwritten messages, Grade 3 learners are demonstrating that climate change literacy can start early, grow through everyday experiences and inspire meaningful environmental responsibility.
Dr Sarah Otanga showcases the posters that Grade 3 Learners from Xaverian Comprehensive School in Kenya have created. She has been working on climate literacy by developing interactive learning resources and storytelling with learners, teachers, and curriculum developers.
Every child has a message about the environment
A child writes that we should plant more trees because they attract rain and give us fresh air. Another child draws attention to the dangers of throwing rubbish into rivers. Yet another writes a simple but powerful appeal, “Let’s be good citizens by planting more trees and keeping the environment clean.”
Posters that were created by Grade 3 learners as part of a practical class exercise in Kenya.
These may appear to be ordinary classroom drawings and handwritten messages. However, they reveal that young children are beginning to recognise environmental challenges and can communicate what they believe should be done to protect the environment.
This is the story emerging from an initiative that integrates climate change literacy into the Environmental Activities learning area for Grade 3 in Kenya. Through supplementary digital interactive storytelling resources, the initiative supports teachers in introducing children to environmental issues, helping them understand their causes and effects, and exploring practical ways to care for the environment. At the end of the learning period, learners were invited to demonstrate their understanding. Their responses provide a glimpse into how climate change and environmental education can become meaningful when connected to children’s everyday experiences.
Climate change literacy begins with what children see around them
For young children, discussions about rising global temperatures, greenhouse gas emissions and changing climate patterns may be difficult to comprehend and relate to their experiences. Yet, children encounter the environment every day. They see trees being cut down, rubbish accumulating around them, rivers becoming polluted, and plants growing. These familiar concepts provide an entry point for introducing climate change and environmental concepts.
For instance, water pollution emerges as a theme from the children’s presentations. One poster carries the message, “Do not throw trash in the rivers”. Another learner lists several behaviours to avoid, including throwing plastics into drainage systems, washing clothes in rivers, and disposing of industrial waste and pouring dirty water into rivers.
These messages communicate that learners are beginning to recognise that human activities can damage water resources.
Posters with strongly worded environmental messages.
Tree planting also emerges as a theme. One learner writes, “We should plant more trees because they attract rain and give us fresh air.” Other drawings reveal watering trees and caring for growing vegetation.
Posters showcasing the uses of clean water.
From understanding environmental problems to imagining solutions
These illustrations indicate that learners do not simply identify environmental problems. They also communicate solutions such as planting trees, watering plants, disposing of waste responsibly and avoiding activities that pollute rivers. One poster reads, “Let’s be good citizens of Kenya by keeping our environment clean”. Another learner conveys the importance of protecting rivers through a short poem and a repeated message: littering should not be tolerated.
These expressions demonstrate how young children can connect environmental knowledge with practical actions. At home, children can help keep their surroundings clean and participate in caring for plants. At school, they can support tree-growing activities, maintain school gardens and encourage responsible waste management. In their communities, they can share environmental messages with family members and neighbours.
It should be noted that these actions are not intended to place the responsibility of addressing climate change on children. Rather, they help children understand that environmental responsibility is shared among individuals, families, schools, governments and communities.
Making climate change literacy part of everyday learning beyond the classroom
The experience here demonstrates that teachers can connect climate change to familiar environmental experiences rather than introducing it as an isolated topic.
For climate change literacy to have lasting value, learning must extend beyond the classroom. Parents could reinforce environmental responsibility through everyday household practices such as responsible waste disposal, water conservation and caring for trees. Schools could provide opportunities for learners to participate in environmental clubs, school gardens and tree-growing activities. Moreover, adults need to model the environmental responsibility they encourage children to practice.
Small hands, big messages
The illustrations by the Grade 3 learners remind us that climate change literacy need not begin with complex scientific terminology. It can start with a child understanding why trees matter, recognising that rubbish should not be thrown into rivers, learning to care for plants and appreciating the importance of a clean environment.
The posters and drawings may be simple, but their messages are significant. They remind us that environmental education should go beyond merely informing children about the world around them and instead empower them to understand and care for it.
The key message is that building a climate-conscious generation should begin much earlier by encouraging children to observe, question, create, participate and recognise that their voices matter.
Small hands may produce simple drawings, but the messages these drawings carry are big. These messages deserve to be heard.
Dr Sarah Otanga is a lecturer in the Department of Educational Communication Technology and Curriculum Studies at the School of Education, Maseno University, Kenya. As part of the Future Africa Research Leadership Fellowship (FAR-LeaF II) Programme at the University of Pretoria, she focuses on promoting climate change literacy in lower primary schools through interactive learning resources and storytelling. Read more about her research project here: https://www.scienceblog.africa/fellows/dr-sarah-otanga
