Earthwatch at 50: Kasia Kozysa

Earthwatch at 50: Kasia Kozysa’s story

Kasia Kozysa, Climate Change Education lead at Brindishe Manor Primary School in London, uses the Roald Dahl book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as a platform to explore cocoa production in Ghana. It’s just one part of her focus on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, as she sets out to embed outdoor learning and innovative science into her school.

 Kasia was inspired to adopt new strategies for outdoor learning after taking part in two of Earthwatch’s Teacher Training programmes — Teach Earth, and the Discover Earth programme. Since taking part she has used her skills to host a Discovery Day for local teachers at her school and a roadshow day to get the whole student body at her previous school taking part in citizen science and learning about the SDGs. The activities, which included soil experiments and taking part in FreshWater Watch, proved very popular with her students.

“The children don’t need an excuse to go outside. They find the activities fun and enjoyable.”

More recently, Kasia has started using Earthwatch’s Naturehood programme with the whole school, aiming to bring children and their families closer to nature, as well as fostering more outdoor activities in a very urban environment.