UK mum teaches daughter how to be a green changemaker like Greta Thunberg
2 年前
A mum pulled her daughter out of school because she didn't think she was learning enough about climate change - and is homeschooling her on how to be the next Greta Thunberg.
Clare Gregory, 39, believed daughter Cora Gregory was not learning enough about sustainability and the climate crisis in traditional school.
In January, Cora had her first day of home-school, being taught about permaculture and how to look after chickens by Clare, who has no previous primary teaching experience.
Lessons don't start until Cora says she's ready, and they only work for about three hours a day.
And after the little girl has had enough, they head out to learn abut keeping chickens or growing vegetables.
Clare believes Cora's former school was not teaching her anything about climate change, although they did support the Friday Strike for Climate Change.
She said she hopes that by providing their daughter with the skills she needs to protect the natural world she can lead others to do the same as the next green changemaker.
Clare, from Wilmslow, Cheshire, said: "Cora is learning through everyday life, how to succeed and thrive and be a future green change-maker without her necessarily realising it yet at this young age.
"We wanted Cora's education to be more nature-based and focused on how to live more sustainably.
"As parents, we feel not enough is being done to tackle the climate crisis.
"We worry about what the future holds for our children and grandchildren
"The popular opinion is that children do not need to be burdened by the issues and problems we are facing regarding climate change."
The school day begins when Cora initiates it and, for about three hours a day, she learns about renewable energy or carbon footprints with books and 'traditional' learning methods.
The rest of the day is spent outdoors learning how to look after the chickens or grow food.
At present though, the seven-year-old's dream job is simply to be a postwoman.
"Which I think illustrates quite effectively that we are not forcing the need to 'be' anything on her," Clare said.
"We hope than she will grow up to have a good understanding of the natural world, how it works, how it supports human life."
Mum-of-two Clare and her husband Christian Gregory, 44, have been inspired by the creative teaching styles of Norway, Finland and Denmark, which don't follow such regimented structure.
Lessons incorporate permaculture - developing sustainable ecosystems for growing food, the UN's 17 Sustainable Goals for Development and how to achieve Net Zero Britain.
They allow Cora decide what she wants to learn about, and before her first lesson bought her some chickens to help teach her animal handling skills.
Clare said: "We learned what free-range and organic mean and we are presently working on producing the UK's first zero-carbon egg.
"More recently though, Cora expressed her wish to sell our eggs, so she had to design an egg box label, produce a flyer, and help construct an honest box."
Clare feels this allows her to learn classic lessons like Maths, IT, and Art in a more practical way and not constrained to a regimented structure.
"We do not follow a curriculum," she said.
"We like that learning this way is more hands-on, relevant and experiential.
"We feel, like to schools abroad, it better prepares children for life."
Little Cora was inspired by Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, who pioneered the School Strike for Climate in 2018.
Clare said: "She is aware of who she is and totally admires her for 'standing up to grown-ups'.
"She thinks she is 'brave' for doing what she is doing and says more people should do something to make people listen to them, like Greta, if they believe something is that important."
The family of-four try to live as sustainably as possible by living close to zero waste and recycling what they do produce, composting, walking and cycling when possible and mending their own clothes.
Clare gave up her job as childbirth educator to teach Cora full-time, so the family are supported by Christian's job as a Customer Services Manager at Manchester Airport.
This is conflicting for them, as air travel is such a large contributor to climate change.
Clare said: "What the world needs is many people doing sustainable imperfectly, rather than a few doing it perfectly."
Family and friends have mixed opinions as to how the parents are raising Cora, who plan to also implement a similar education on their son 15-month-old Kit.
Clare said: "Family think we are crazy for taking her about of school, they think we will deeply regret it.
"Far from preparing Cora well for the future, they believe she will be ill-prepared having not learnt the national curriculum."
But they are pushing forward with their eco-curriculum in a bid to practice what they preach and help make a better future for their kids.
Clare is starting a course to become a Green Educator with Green School later this month.
She said: "How can anyone with young children in their lives not worry about the world our children will inherit and how it will affect them?
"We would like to inspire families to see the benefits of taking responsibility for teaching their children greener ways of living."
*Videos filmed throughout 2021.
相關影片推薦
- 1:42【直擊】余天孫子女終於回家了!樂樂緊抱余筱萍 拉著余祥銓捨不得放娛樂星聞126,633 次觀看・1 天前
- 2:16基隆區公所停車場遭控荒廢 廠商:翻新屬市府權限華視影音4,423 次觀看・23 小時前
- 1:41都更後變無家可歸! 住戶拿70萬怨:廁所都買不到東森新聞影音133,519 次觀看・1 天前
- 1:08粉絲抱怨IVE服裝張員瑛又獨自美麗 秋天甚至被說像工地主任:只差一頂安全帽娛樂星聞3,671 次觀看・1 天前
- 0:55月薪8萬!夜市大腸包小腸 徵店長2年請嘸人華視影音13,250 次觀看・8 小時前
- 2:53具俊曄個人秀小S衝上台性感熱舞 現場飆出BLACKPINK Jisoo夯曲嗨翻全場娛樂星聞3,750 次觀看・17 小時前
- 1:07王力宏難敵歲月摧殘顏值崩塌! 新造型網友不買單直呼:老態盡顯娛樂星聞10,091 次觀看・1 天前
- 2:02停紅燈遭後車撞亡 業務員上班遇死劫獨留妻兒TVBS新聞網影音7,814 次觀看・1 天前
- 1:37虎山巖金針花開了!假日估湧2萬人 聯外道塞爆華視影音14,953 次觀看・1 天前
- 1:45「刑事戰將」遭收押 同寢被告挑選背景單純|#鏡新聞鏡新聞2,785 次觀看・1 天前
熱門必看
- 13:05雪力神分析INF人!精彩到連唐老師都忘了講星座!?Ep.216-3唐綺陽談星室29,714 次觀看・5 天前
- 14:06到京都別只衝伏見稻荷神社 想變美、求戀愛運來這才內行Yahoo創作摩人22,010 次觀看・5 天前
- 11:30【淚之女婿】突變劇情被罵爆... 原來賢祐就是白血球?眼淚是海仁找回記憶關鍵?七大《女王》解析&主演幕後故事Ki笑人生25,031 次觀看・3 天前
- 8:05拿水沖香奈兒!?90萬小廢包沒人帶?! 2024精品新趨勢 永續環保最時尚!!Sherry袁曼軒4,874 次觀看・6 天前
- 7:40花200萬存0056後悔了?4年定期定額0050與0056投報大公開!SHIN LI22,577 次觀看・5 天前