Very few of us live in an environment that is not man-made. In fact, many children do not know where the food they eat or the fibers of the clothes they wear truly comes from. In an effort to educate the child so as to promote responsible environmental stewardship, educators and parents play an important role in helping children to understand, love and respect nature.

Children between the ages of 6 and 12 are characterized by having both physical and intellectual energy. They are interested in many things and have a great capacity for imagining. They are seeking the answers to their questions: Who am I? What am I? Why am I here? Where am I going? Montessori believed it was crucial at this age to present the universe to children in an effort to help them find the answers to their questions. This was the basis of her “cosmic education” – to teach them that Planet Earth is a gift to each and every one of us.

There are many things you can do within your Montessori environment to promote and encourage stewardship of our planet. Some can be done at the classroom level and some involve the greater Montessori community. The more you model and practice ecological respect and responsibility, the more people you will touch who may follow your example.

Environmental Stewardship Activities: Montessori Cosmic Education

By learning to connect with nature, Montessori students learn to respect, protect, understand, and enjoy the natural world. Earth education is about more than just talking about saving the planet. It is about going outside and exploring the beauty of the earth. It is about learning about human’s place on the earth and the role we play in both the preservation and desecration of the planet. It is about learning to work together to protect the earth and the living things that inhabit it.

Earth education is the process of helping people live more harmoniously and joyously with the natural world. – Steve Van Matre, The Institute for Earth Education


School Level Activities

• Recycling
• Composting
• No-trash lunches
• Alternative energy
• Rain barrels
• Sustainable gardens
• Ponds/stream/river/lake clean up
• Habitat preservation

Going-Out Activities

• Farms – both agri-businesses and organic
• Botanical gardens
• Nature centers
• Nature Hikes
• Wetlands
• Riparian land
• Coastlines
• Water treatment facilities
• Recycling centers
• Garbage dumps

Community Level Activities

• Sunrise/Sunset weekend hikes
• Family camping weekends
• Stargazing
• Community gardening/farming
• Orienteering
• Adopt-a-Highway program

I had lunch at my son’s public middle school yesterday. As I took my lunch out of my bag, someone remarked that I must have taken all the leftovers out of my refrigerator because I had so many little containers. I told them, actually, I had just made all of my lunch fresh. I told the story how, three years ago, my family and I made the commitment to not using plastic sandwich bags or other consumables to wrap our food in an effort to reduce the amount of trash we throw out. Several at the table thought that was a good idea and even started thinking about how they might accomplish something similar. It doesn’t take a lot of effort to raise awareness, just a good model and commitment.