Abstract

In Tasmania, Kindergarten is part of the Department of Education and is available to all children who have turned four at the beginning of the year. The focus of this article is the development of global citizenship within the kindergarten setting through the implementation of the learning emphases of Global Education (GE). The particular emphasis selected is sustainability education. This paper explores ways through which nature play and concepts of sustainability are central to and can be developed and actioned by young learners in their journey to becoming global citizens. This paper outlines the case for implementing global education in the early years, followed by a focus on those values and pedagogies for kindergarten-aged children that link nature play with sustainability. Practical examples of successful pedagogy are presented, followed by recommendations for teachers for achieving the goals of increased contact with the natural world in early childhood education.

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