Year 9s lead environmental storytime for Year 1s

POSTED July 17 2025 , Junior School, News, Senior School

Our Year 9 Environmental Science students took on a creative challenge with a meaningful twist: writing and illustrating storybooks about real-world environmental issues, then sharing them with the curious minds in Mrs Kennedy’s Year 1 class.

With titles like Orca Escape, Voices of the Forest, and Beneath the Waves, the girls explored big topics such as habitat loss, pollution, ocean health and the ethical treatment of animals in zoos. Their mission? To make these important issues understandable, engaging and inspiring for our youngest learners.

The Year 1s were delighted to welcome the older girls into their classroom for a special storytime session. There was plenty of wide-eyed wonder, thoughtful questions and lively discussions about how we can all help care for the planet even in small ways.

One standout story was Beneath the Waves, created by Abbey. Using Canva, she designed stunning underwater scenes that brought her message about plastic pollution to life. Her book combined vibrant digital art with gentle storytelling, helping the Year 1s understand how our actions affect marine life.

Another creative highlight came from Ashton and Elise, whose book featured an impressive pop-out art element of an orca escaping from a zoo. Their clever design added a fun and interactive twist to the story, sparking excitement and curiosity among the Year 1 girls.

Environmental education in the early years is so important. Young children are naturally curious, and when we nurture that curiosity through storytelling and meaningful conversations, we help them grow into thoughtful, responsible citizens of the Earth.

For our Year 9s, this project was more than just a school assignment; it was a chance to deepen their understanding of environmental issues and inspire the next generation of changemakers. And judging by the smiles and questions from the Year 1s, they did just that, one story at a time.