Abstract
Can local stories of climate resilience with play-based learning deepen environmental education for young children? This paper discusses how interdisciplinary, place-based teaching fosters multisensory, accessible, and practical learning. Tied to curriculum, this approach explores retention, supports creative problem-solving, and builds agency. Through observation, imagination, and participation, students connect global issues to local actions—responding meaningfully to climate challenges with compassion and actionable knowledge. Addressing climate change requires dismantling disciplinary, institutional, social, and cultural silos. Working in participatory design, community engagement, and art education, I’ve learned that climate solutions are most impactful and accepted when they emerge from collective processes rooted in local knowledge, and lived experience. When academics, educators, artists, scientists, youth, cultural workers, and community members come together, they contribute in diverse yet interconnected strengths—ranging from data and research to land-based knowledge, creative thinking, and pedagogical strategies. These collaborations foster solutions that are not only technically and scientifically sound but also emotionally resonant and grounded in justice. Climate Stories project brings together personal narratives through storytelling and play-based learning into an intervention-driven educational format for children ages 6–10. This interdisciplinary learning is organized around themes such as wind, water, and waste, the project communicates key scientific concepts, explores the social and ecological impacts of climate change, and highlights community-based strategies for resilience and remediation. By linking narratives of those impacted by the climate crisis to tangible, story-driven props and toys, Climate Stories fosters place-based learning, compassionate engagement, community participation, and ecological thinking—empowering learners to connect global challenges with local actions.
Presenters
Swati PiparsaniaAssistant Professor, Industrial Design, Pratt institute, New York, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Technical, Political, and Social Responses
KEYWORDS
Climate Literacy, Community Engagement, Industrial Design, Youth Education, Play-Based Learning
