When we buy things, how can we do so in ways that do the most good and least harm? Use resources and articles/essays like these to help you think about what you buy and to find products and companies working to be a bit more ethical.
Read more »
environmental protection
Humane Education and Math: Reusable vs. Plastic Bags
by Institute for Humane Education As part of our educator professional development, we encourage teachers to start infusing humane education into their classrooms by finding small ways to tweak their lessons. After learning more about the impact of plastic bags, high school math teacher Tristan Bates decided to whip up a fun little activity for his…
Read more »
3 Sources for Funding Your Humane Education Project
by Marsha Rakestraw Many a great changemaking idea has been stifled by the challenge of finding funding. In the past, options were limited and often a bit complicated. But with the exponential growth of our digital world, it’s becoming a bit easier to gain traction in financing smaller projects. Here are three sources to help…
Read more »
19 Lists of Children’s Picture Books for Your Humane Education Classroom
by Marsha Rakestraw Children’s books are a terrific tool for sharing positive values, teaching students (in age-appropriate ways) about global ethical issues, and inspiring them to take positive action. They are a powerful part of any classroom and curriculum. Here’s a round-up of 19 of our lists of suggested children’s picture books on a variety…
Read more »
Great Peacemakers: True Stories From Around the World
“The way we see the world shapes the way we treat it.” ~ David Suzuki “When you have a vision, when you know that what you are doing is good for the people, then you cannot be stopped.” ~ Wangari Maathai “To stop any suffering, no matter how small, is a great action of peace.”…
Read more »
9 Resources for Finding Children’s Books with Humane Themes
by Marsha Rakestraw Children’s literature is often a reflection of society (and sometimes an influencer). As we humans continue to make progress in doing more good and less harm and in striving to create a better world, we’re seeing more books for children that explore and celebrate those themes. Although we can search online for…
Read more »
Students Compete to Create a Better World in First Solutionaries Congress
by Marsha Rakestraw Many schools have debate teams that choose an either/or side regarding a current event and then gather evidence and argue against other teams to support their chosen side. But what if instead of just discussing important issues, students were challenged to develop realistic, meaningful solutions to our pressing global problems? Students did…
Read more »Leave Only Footprints
Everyone has an ecological footprint. Participants use paper footprints to simulate the impact of their choices on the earth. Extension activities allow students to explore their ecological footprints and what choices can be made to reduce them.
Recommended: grades 6 and up
Time: 45 minutes
10 Reasons to Take Your Students Outside (& the Research to Back It Up)
A lot of teachers want to offer their students experiences in the natural world, but because of strictures on curriculum, the prevalence of standardized tests, and other challenges, encounters with nature can fall into the category of “nice but not necessary.” But we know from a plethora of research that we humans desperately need that…
Read more »
Exploring the True Price of Palm Oil
by Marsha Rakestraw Last updated 1/31/19 Look in your shopping cart, and you probably see soap and other beauty products, baked goods and other processed foods, perhaps some cleaning products. What you don’t see is that about half those products contain palm oil, which means they are contributing to the destruction of forests and communities,…
Read more »
