Blog Updated: September 2026
Climate change is affecting our planet, and if you’re a parent, at some point you’re going to have to talk with your kids about it. We know this can be an intimidating topic so, to lessen the anxiety, we’ve compiled some information on climate change for kids, how solar helps combat it, and some easy science experiments for kids.
If you want even more easy science experiments for kids and to teach them about the power of solar energy, visit our “Solar Energy for Kids: Science, Activities & History” blog.
Key Takeaways for Climate Change and Kids
- Weather is temporary and climate is the typical weather of an area as measured over a long period of time.
- Scientists have observed that the earth’s climate is warming up due to greenhouse gases caused by human beings.
- Helping combat climate change may feel like an undertaking beyond your control, but if we all pitch in and do our part, it is possible.
What Is Climate Change and Why Is It Important?
First, let’s talk about the difference between weather and climate. When you look out your window and see that it’s snowing outside, that’s the weather! Weather is temporary. It may rain one day and be sunny the next day. It could be really cold one winter and milder the next winter. These are all examples of weather and short-term conditions.
Climate, however, is the typical weather of an area for a long period of time. Climate is often measured as the usual pattern of weather over 30 years or so. Scientists look at the average temperatures that happen during the different seasons or the average amount of rain or snow that an area gets.
There is a saying, “Climate is what you expect, and weather is what you get.” Climate tells us based on averages and past weather what someone could expect to experience in a specific location. Weather is what happens on any given day in that location.
To learn more about the difference between climate and weather, watch this crash course video:
But just like weather can change, so can climate. Earth’s climate has changed many times during its 4.5-billion-year history because of natural climate change – caused by factors such as volcanic eruptions and changes in the sun’s energy. However, scientists have also observed that the earth’s climate is warming up due to greenhouse gases caused by human beings.
Greenhouse gases (like carbon dioxide and methane) can be described as a blanket covering Earth that traps heat in the atmosphere and warms the planet. Because of human activities such as burning fossil fuels, cutting down trees, and creating trash, that blanket is making the earth hotter and hotter.
Here’s more information about climate change from a kid’s perspective:
What Can You Do About the Climate Crisis?
Helping combat climate change may feel like an undertaking beyond your control, but if we all pitch in and do our part, it will be much easier. This makes us all kind of like superheroes! Here are a few ways you, your friends, and your family can help:
- Big problems like climate change require big action. So we need everyone to be advocating for systemic change at the state and national levels! Write to your governor, your state legislators, and your national representatives. It’s easy to find how to contact them: usa.gov/elected-officials
- Research ways on how to be more sustainable with actions big and small.
- Follow the three R’s of the waste hierarchy: reduce, reuse, and recycle.
- Reduce: This is the first “R” for a reason – it’s the one that can have the biggest impact! To cut down on trash, try to reduce the amount of waste you create. Reconsider whether you really need something before purchasing new goods and consider how it’s packaged and what the material is made from.
- Reuse: Find ways to reuse items instead of throwing them away and look for opportunities to buy used items instead of new.
- Recycle: If you don’t think you can reuse an item, always check to see if you can recycle it before throwing it away! To practice your recycling skills, try out this recycle roundup game!
- Use clean energy resources, like solar, to create electricity. When we use solar energy to power our homes and buildings, we are using renewable electricity from the sun instead of burning fossil fuels. This is one way we can reduce our carbon footprint on the earth.
Activities & Easy Science Experiments for Kids
Let’s put everything we learned into practice. Here are a few activities and easy science experiments for kids to take our learning to the next level.
- Learn what a government representative is and how you can write them a letter. (I’m sure they’d love to get some artwork in the mail!) http://kidgovernor.org/student-action-resource-center/writing-to-your-elected-officials
- Make a wind chime out of recycled items:
- Create your own greenhouse gas effect experiment using simple household items:
- Cook s’mores using solar energy by building a solar oven:
We Can Combat Climate Change Together
Climate change might seem like an intimidating topic to discuss and act on, but it’s an important one. The future of our home planet hangs in the balance, and it’s up to us to do something about it. We love planet Earth and want to do everything we can to make it a better place!
For more advice on how to discuss climate change with your kids, NPR’s Life Kit series has a great 20-minute podcast on the subject, “How to Talk to Kids About Climate Change” or check out this blog that we wrote on the topic.
And if you feel that going solar is something you and your family can and want to do for the planet, get in touch with us today. Our non-commissioned solar experts can walk you through the process and help decide if it’s the right choice for you and your family.
Give us a call at 303-536-8920 or click the button below to get started.
