Earth School, which can be accessed on TED-Ed’s website
To ensure that students around the world are able to connect with nature during the COVID-19 pandemic, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and TED-Ed, the education arm of American media organisation TED, launched “Earth School” in April 2020.
Available for free on TED-Ed’s website (https://ed.ted.com/earth-school), Earth School is an online platform that provides free, high-quality educational content from notable media organisations including National Geographic, PBS LearningMedia and the BBC to help students, parents and teachers who have been at home since the global outbreak.
It takes students on a 30-day “Adventure” through the natural world via videos, reading materials and activities available in various languages (including English and Bahasa Melayu), with each Adventure comprising hands-on experiments and nature discovery to enable students to understand the environment better and consider their role within it.
Designed for students ages 5-18, Earth School spans 30 “school days” between Earth Day (22 April) and World Environment Day (5 June) this year with the ultimate goal of empowering participating students to be caretakers of Planet Earth.
“Billions of children are currently out of school because of COVID-19. But learning cannot stop. COVID-19 has revealed how deeply interconnected all life on this planet is,” said UNEP’s Executive Director, Inger Andersen in a press statement.
“I am delighted that UNEP, along with TED-Ed and other collaborators, are launching Earth School. Learning about the natural world will be critical to building a better and sustainable future for all.”