A couple of months ago, I enjoyed visiting the Reception class at Ringsfield Church of England Primary School in full Arctic gear, and speaking to an excited class of very young pupils about the Arctic.  This month, I was pleased to be able to return not only to Ringsfield, but also to sister schools Bramfield and Brampton Church of England Primary Schools, to speak to Year 5 and 6 classes about climate change.

Taking the the Arctic as our case study, we began with a surprising fact — that not only isn’t it ‘winter all the time’ in the Arctic, but that the Inuit people of the eastern Canadian Arctic traditionally recognise not one, not four, but six different seasons!  These seasons are defined not by ‘leaves on trees’ or ‘hot days, cold days’ but by changing conditions of ice, snow and daylight.  Having had the privilege of once living and working in the eastern Canadian Arctic, it was delightful to be able to use my own photographs to illustrate how these seasons look and feel, and to bring some of the outdoor gear I used to wear for the pupils to try on.

But this wonderful seasonal calendar — indeed, these very seasons themselves — are changing and even disappearing due to climate change, which is affecting the Arctic faster than anywhere else on the planet.  As the pupils absorbed that sobering realisation, we moved naturally into a discussion of climate change, and how the way we live our lives here can have such a terrible impact on people and places far away.

It was heartening to see that all the pupils were extremely concerned about this injustice to both people and planet.  We brainstormed ideas for tackling climate change, and the pupils seemed to depart more energised about what could be done for the future, than anxious about what the future might hold.  When we hear of the paralysis of ‘climate anxiety’ among today’s youth, that can only be a good thing.

And I was especially encouraged by the lovely thank-you letters that I received from the pupils at Brampton Primary School.  A couple of examples:

Dear Dr Speca,

I am writing to say thank you for your outstanding visit to our school.  I really enjoyed learning about how climate change is really affecting the Arctic; it was really interesting seeing on the chart of the world that the Arctic was heating up the quickest.  I also loved putting on tht coat and it was interesting seeing how heavy it was, it was very warm too!

In the Arctic it looks like so much fun I would love to go and visit one day.  It is so unfortunate how it is all melting away so I am going to do all I can to make it stay cold and nice.  If it melts away it would be so horrible and it probably wouldn’t have six seasons any more.

It was amazing you coming in and I definitely learnt a lot!  It was so different in the Arctic compared to here in the UK.  Thank you for coming in and teaching us for half the afternoon and for teaching us more about climate change.

Dear Dr Speca,

I am writing to say a giant thank-you for visiting our school and teaching us about climate change and the catastrophe of the Arctic, you have improved our knowledge about the climate so much! I really enjoyed learning about the six different seasons and how you can learn to tell which season you’re in.  I found this really interesting and it has inspired me to find out more.

I was shocked to hear about the Arctic being destroyed because of climate change.  I now understand why we need to limit burning fossil fuels, and to promote car sharing.  I am so sorry to hear that the ice is melting because of human wants and needs.  If this monstrosity continues the six seasons may gradually fade into one.

The hour you spent teaching us was so enjoyable and incredible, I hope you can visit us again.  I was so amazed by the difference between the UK and the Arctic.  Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with us!  It was a fabulous experience thank you.

And many thanks from me to Mrs Jo Burns from Ringsfield Primary School for requesting and arranging these visits, and to all the Year 5 and 6 teachers at Bramfield, Brampton and Ringsfield who welcomed me into their classrooms!

If you’d like pupils at your primary or secondary school to explore climate change through a visit from someone with first-hand experience of the Arctic — and who has a passion for the Arctic as an critically important part of our global human community as well as our planetary climate system — then don’t hesitate to be in touch!