Holistic Education for Environmental Sustainability: Cultivating Deep Connectivity Through Hands and Heart

Environmental education projects can often be short-term or in extra-curricular spaces, rather than holistically nestled into a way of teaching and learning. Research has high lighted the importance of considering the emotional and active aspects of learning, arguing that we must address education for sustainability through the hands (doing) and the heart (feeling) as well as the head (thinking). Here we ask how this consciousness can be embedded into a school ethos. This paper reports on a co-created ethnographic case study, drawing primarily on observation data, aiming to understand how connectivity with nature is cultivated within a Steiner Waldorf school in the UK. We found that Steiner Waldorf Education cultivates connectivity with nature through play and creativity, the use of songs and verses, prevalence of natural materials, a reverence for Mother Earth and a focus on the rhythm of the seasons through festivals. Through this holistic practice, a strong connectivity with nature is fostered. Based on the evidence that connectivity with nature increases pro-environmental behaviours, we seek to contribute to the environmental education literature the potential of a holistic approach to education that foregrounds the hands and heart in the elementary stages of education rather than addressing environmental challenges head on. We argue that this approach can inspire change through strengthening our relationship to the natural world, thus empowering young people to shape a more sustainable future.