Eco-Literacy & Physical Education
I admit that when I think of Physical Education (P.E.), E.L. does not come to mind. I think of sports, aerobics, and maybe even dance. However, the truth is that Physical Education isn't limited to the gym. More and more frequently called 'Physical & Health Education' P.E. also includes health, nutrition, anti-drug, growth and development, and more.
When it comes to integrating E.L. with P.E., it is possible to build connections via physical activities in outdoor spaces. Sports like soccer, football, track and field, baseball usually occur outdoors and can at least help kids feel comfortable with being outside. Other activities such as an obstacle course, rock climbing, or backpacking tend to occur in outdoor spaces that are less modified by humans. Using such 'adventure activities' promote physical health and wellbeing while also helping kids to build an attachment to the 'wild world'.
To go beyond the warm fuzzies of getting kids be to active and outside, the health side of P.E. is where we can create the strongest connections to E.L. Nutrition education is a direct tie-in to learning how food is produced, about the environmental impact of our food choices, as well as about how we can make better food choices personally and ecologically. For older children, nutrition education would be a great area to dive into controversial topics like vegetarianism, Genetically Modified Organisms, or organic farming. General health education could cover topics like the connection between air pollutants and asthma or the rise in allergies as a result of our increased cleanliness. Older students could also explore how endocrine mimicking chemicals in plastics affect human growth and development.
P.E. and E.L. can integrate together. We as teachers need to help our students see the connections and then explore them.
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| A class garden Photo source:gotfarms.wordpress.com |
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