YHWWindy

Climate Stories

is a mobile educational platform designed to foster environmental awareness and responsibility through play-based learning and interactive storytelling for students aged 6-10 in NYC public schools. This project fills a critical gap in public school education by introducing pop-up, interdisciplinary learning that can be integrated into English, Science, and Math curricula. The goal is to break down complex climate concepts—such as sustainable practices, carbon footprints, environmental stewardship, climate migration, disasters, and inequity—into tactile, place-based, and storytelling-driven learning experiences.

1 Play–based learning

Transforming complex climate concepts into hands-on activities
that spark curiosity and deep understanding. Through toys and
exploration, students develop environmental literacy while
having fun and building problem-solving skills for actionable future.

2 Interactive storytelling

Engaging with local narratives from coastal regions that connect
children to real-world climate challenges through characters
and scenarios they can relate to. Stories become powerful
vehicles for empathy, showing students how their actions
create ripples of change in our shared environment.

3 Accessible Teaching Resources

Ready-to-use lesson plans and materials designed to integrate
into existing curricula of schools and museums. Communities
and make climate education relevant to all students.

4 Intergenerational Knowledge Exchange

Bridging generational gaps by connecting students with children
of diverse communities, elders, scientists, and activists who share
lived climate change experiences.Creating dialogue spaces where
children both learn from and teach others, becoming environmental
ambassadors in their neighborhoods.

5 Climate Action Awareness

Empowering young learners to move from understanding to
meaningful action in their schools, homes, and neighborhoods.
Building a foundation of environmental stewardship that grows
with children as they develop into informed, engaged citizens.

The project consists of two distinct components: a mobile structure and climate props. The mobile structure is designed as a three-step stoop, providing students with a space to sit and read, access storage beneath the stoop, and display props as needed. The climate props, inspired by themes such as survival tools, recycling & upcycling, and alternative energy sources, bring stories to life, fostering hands-on learning and interactive engagement.

The community engagement aspect of this project is via creative storytelling that covers multiple climate topics and occurrences. These stories are ethically collected from the experiences of children, communities and neighborhood leaders to represent a diversity of voices and experiences to create an expanded understanding is climate crisis. During the activity, a student volunteer reads the story, facilitated by a teacher as part of their public speaking curriculum, that aids confidence in communication and sharing topics of interest.

WHY this is important ?

01 This project highlights the importance of creating new learning spaces in the K-12 curriculum to address urgent concerns & societal issue.
[Serve as an example of how new content can be added to the existing curriculum for expansion and experimentation purposes.]

02 This project addresses the importance of
teaching social justice issues in early education.
[Opens conversations about systemic inequities,
human rights, and cultural differences that intersect with climate justice.]

The Climate Stories project challenges this approach by facilitating an experience of learning outside the classroom.
It functions as a symbolic third space, where students encounter education through interdisciplinary thinking, lived perspectives, and inclusive exchange.

The project's philosophy emphasizes valuing the ethics of collective care and future-making, which can shift our problem-solving skills to center on culture and equity.

Educational Philosophy

The project's philosophy emphasizes valuing the ethics of collective care and future-making, which can shift our problem-solving skills to center on culture and equity. Climate Stories represents a shift from climate education focused solely on problems toward an approach that balances awareness with agency and hope. By emphasizing children's capacity as problem-solvers and change-makers, the platform nurtures environmental responsibility without creating eco-anxiety.

The mobile nature of the platform also democratizes access to specialized climate education, reaching students in schools with limited resources for environmental programming and creating a shared experience across diverse communities globally. This adaptability allows the Climate Stories approach to be implemented in urban centers, suburban districts, and rural communities alike, with content that can be customized to reflect regional climate challenges and cultural contexts.

Highlight Moment

CONTACT

Swati Piparsania spiparsa@pratt.edu