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Think about where you live. Have you ever been in a strong storm? Have you experienced flooding, a wildfire, or really hot days? These types of environmental hazards are happening more often because of climate change. Even though these events can be scary, there is so much you can do in your own community to make it better able to handle these challenges. When we work together to protect our communities from environmental hazards, we are building community resilience.
In this activity book, you will learn all about community resilience and discover ways that you can make a difference. As you do the activities, keep track of your points. You will earn a badge at the end!
Illustration of the NOAA ELP Vision of A Resilient Community depicting a city along a coast and river with the following depicted: trees being planted as urban heat island abatement; an aquarium with people restoring a nearby coastal wetland to mitigate flooding; sustainable design with green infrastructure; a healthy community with people biking and exercising outside; a city hall with youth and adults presenting their ideas to officials; a shoreline that is protected with restored oyster reefs; students on a boat mapping coastal resilience assets; community members engaging in citizen science; a house adapted to severe storms, flooding, and rising sea levels; people preparing their community for a flood; K-12 schools where teachers and students are creating a rain garden; a university where researchers study resilience solutions; and a science center where youth have convened a climate summit. The NOAA logo is in the top right corner of the illustration. (Image credit: NOAA Office of Education & Jessica B. Bartram, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
Download the activity book
How to use this activity book
You can view the activity book online or print it on 8.5 inches x 11 inches standard printer paper. To request a hardcopy of the activity book, please email education@noaa.gov.
The activity book was designed for learners in grades 3-8 for use in formal and informal educational settings. Each of the six sections of the book mirrors key concepts from the NOAA Environmental Literacy Program's Theory of Change to help learners identify ways to build resilience to climate change in their own communities. The end of the book includes additional activities and resources.
To go along with the activity book, we developed an Educators’ Guide to help educators facilitate the activities. The Guide includes tips for adjusting each activity for different grade levels, alignment of the activities with Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), and additional resources.
You may also want to check out the community resilience coloring page, where you can download a coloring page of our vision of a resilient community that allows young learners to explore ways communities can become more resilient.
Contributors
Environmental Literacy Program
NOAA’s Environmental Literacy Program supports projects that both inspire and educate people to use Earth system science to increase ecosystem stewardship and resilience to extreme weather, climate change, and other environmental hazards. The program builds capacity for institutions and networks to advance NOAA’s mission through formal (K-12) and informal education at national, regional, and local levels.
Nurture Nature Center
Nurture Nature Center offsite link (NNC) is a non-profit based in Easton, PA dedicated to engaging youth and adults in learning about environmental risks and building community resiliency by leveraging the power of informal science education, engagement in the arts, and community dialogue and networking. Some of NNC's programming includes community presentations and events, a NOAA Science On a Sphere® exhibit, and capacity for social science research and outreach. NNC is a recipient of an Environmental Literacy Program award.
