Pollution education resources for ages 4 to 7
Reducing pollution: keeping nature clean
When we litter or dump dangerous products in nature, we cause pollution. And pollution can be bad for plants, animals, and even humans.
Luckily, there are lots of things we can do to reduce pollution. Even you can help protect our planet and all living things!
For more information on this topic, check out the teen page.
What is pollution?
Have you ever seen gray smoke coming out of a chimney? Plastic bottles floating in a river? Or smelled something bad behind a big truck? That’s all pollution!
We say there is pollution when we dirty nature with things that shouldn't be there: trash, toxic products, gases that are bad for the planet.
Pollution can be in the air, water, or soil, and sometimes it makes humans, animals, and plants sick.
Figure 1: Different types of pollution
Long description
The image is titled “Different types of pollution” and visually represents four kinds of pollution: Air, Water, Soil, and Light and Noise. “Air” pollution is illustrated with a factory emitting smoke from its chimneys. “Water” pollution features a cow and barn near pipes releasing wastewater into a waterway. “Soil” pollution shows a garbage truck dumping waste. “Light and Noise” pollution is depicted with an airplane, a car, and a transmission tower. Each type has its own label and relevant icon.
More and more pollution
Today, there are lots of things that cause pollution: cars, factories, planes. Even making your shoes creates pollution before they reach your feet! And when you throw them away, that will cause pollution too.
Figure 2: Wildlife affected by pollution
Long description
The image shows an underwater scene with a green sea turtle and small orange fish swimming among seaweed and corals. At the bottom, various pieces of trash—including plastic bottles, cans, a plastic bag, and other litter—are scattered across the ocean floor.
Pollution everywhere
Imagine you spilling juice on the ground during a picnic. The juice doesn't stay there: it soaks into the ground and can flow into a river. If it's just juice, it's not too bad! But if it's a toxic product, like paint or oil, it can make the water dangerous for the fish and even for us!
Wind, rain, and rivers carry pollution and trash everywhere. There's even pollution at the bottom of the oceans and on top of the mountains!
Too much trash!
If you never cleaned your room, after a while there would be toys everywhere, piles of clothes, and no space to walk! Would it be nice to live in that kind of mess all the time? Well, that's kind of what’s happening with trash on Earth.
A long time ago, humans didn’t throw much away. But today, we make and throw away a LOT of stuff! In Canada, each person throws away around 30 large garbage bags full of trash every year! That's a lot!
Figure 3: Waste produced per person
Long description
Illustration with a garbage bin filled with waste at the top, and a large bowling ball with pins at the bottom. The text reads: “300 kg of waste per person per year is equal to 100 bowling balls,” visually comparing annual waste generation to the weight of bowling balls.
What happens to our trash?
Garbage picked up by garbage trucks is often buried or burned. This pollutes the environment, but it's much better than throwing trash directly into nature. Doing that is really bad for animals, plants, and even people.
Some waste, like food scraps, breaks down quickly thanks to earthworms and other tiny creatures that live in the soil. But some things, like plastic items, take a very long time to disappear if we don’t recycle them. A plastic bottle you throw away today could still be there when your children's children are grown up!
That’s not all - the Earth is getting warmer, and the climate is changing. This warming can mean less rain and snow. This sometimes causes rivers and lakes to dry up, making pollution more concentrated.”
Figure 4: Garbage collection
Long description
The image shows a sanitation worker wearing a safety vest and helmet standing next to a large garbage bin filled with waste. There is some trash on the ground, and “Garbage Collection” is written beside them.
Pollution: enough is enough!
It's impossible to stop polluting completely, but we can pollute a lot less! And you have a role to play too.
With your family and friends, you can:
- ride your bike or walk instead of using the car, whenever you can
- sort your trash properly and put things like bags, containers (boxes or bottles), and printed paper, like newspapers, in the recycling bin
- only flush toilet paper down the toilet after using it
- don’t throw trash into nature
At school, you can:
- use a lunch box, reusable containers and a reusable water bottle instead of disposable things
- use both sides of a sheet of paper for writing or drawing before putting it in the recycling bin
Figure 5: Shrink your pollution!
Long description
Circular graphic with the words “Shrink your pollution!” in the center. Surrounding the text are icons representing environmentally friendly actions: joining local clean-up initiatives, biking or walking, using reusable containers, buying second-hand goods, and sharing with friends and family.
Every little bit helps! And the more people who take care, the better we can protect our planet and enjoy clean water, fresh air, and healthy food.