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墨尔本大学于2026年10月推介免费视频系列《Climate Kids》第二季：以小学生自己提出的气候问题为起点，用科学解释与“来自已解决问题的未来”的叙事，帮助教师在课堂讨论气候变化时兼顾准确信息与儿童焦虑。本文讨论为何从孩子的问题出发设计气候教育。

正文

How should teachers talk about climate change without making children more anxious? In October 2026, the University of Melbourne highlighted the return of Climate Kids, a free YouTube series that answers questions from primary school pupils. Research cited by the creators says nearly nine in ten Australian children aged 12 and 13 think climate change is something people should worry about. Why begin climate education with the children’s own questions?
Co-creators Dr Lily O’Neill and climate scientist Dr Linden Ashcroft said they could not find enough warm, up-to-date explainers for young listeners. Series 2 draws on unprompted questions from students at Bright P-12 College in Victoria. New episodes examine alpine animals, carbon credits, how fewer vehicles might affect global warming, where people displaced by climate floods could go, and what climate laws already exist. The videos are open source and free for classroom use.
Ashcroft appears as a scientist speaking from a future in which the worst effects of the climate crisis have been overcome. The time-travel device is meant to ease anxiety by showing that a better future is possible and that children can help. Associate Professor Kathryn Coleman of the Faculty of Education argued that teachers need resources that are scientifically sound yet attentive to how children encounter uncertain futures.
Coleman said Climate Kids begins with curiosity and concern, then moves toward discussion, critical thinking and meaningful action. O’Neill added that educating children can also educate parents, because research suggests parents listen when kids demand climate action. Season 1 had already covered fossil fuels, oceans, snow and ice, and whether technology could help address warming.
The approach matters because climate topics sit across science, humanities and other subjects in the Australian Curriculum. Debates earlier in 2026 asked whether some school materials raise anxiety. Education experts replied that children still need accurate information, not silence. Climate Kids tries a middle path: face hard questions, but frame them through solutions and agency rather than fear alone.
Not every short video can settle a child’s worry, and classroom talk still depends on trained teachers. Yet the Melbourne series shows a practical idea for primary education: treat children’s questions as the starting point, answer them with clear science, and keep room for hope. If schools use such tools carefully, climate lessons may inform young minds without closing them in panic.

新闻来源

• University of Melbourne · ‘Climate Kids’ returns, answering more children’s questions about climate change (Oct 2026)
• The Educator K/12 · University of Melbourne launches climate education videos for primary schools (14 Oct 2026)

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