A review of 30 studies from the past decade shows that storytelling can help young people make sense of climate science, explore their feelings about the environment, share cultural knowledge and imagine different futures. It works best when educators plan it with clear prompts, prepare themselves to guide it, and draw on the community relationships they already have.

Songwriting for Nature is a weekend camp where teens and adults write songs at a wildlife area in Saskatchewan, Canada. When researchers compared it with classroom songwriting and a nature camp without music, they found that being outdoors built connection to nature and a sense of awe, while writing songs eased stress and sparked creative thinking. The best results came from combining the two, with a mix of group work, quiet time alone and a final performance.

Artists at a regional Australian university spent a year researching eight animals that once lived in their area, drawing on old records and time spent where the animals used to be found. They turned each animal's story into an interactive artwork. Visitors who waited quietly heard a bilby scratching below ground, and visitors who left the birdhouses alone heard honeyeaters teach each other their song again. The project gives educators a practical model: start with what has gone missing from your own place, and design experiences where patience and care help nature return.

Many educators would like to bring the arts into environmental learning but aren't sure how learners will respond. This study offers a close look at one way to do it. In a university course in Jamaica, students were asked to make anything that showed their understanding of the environment, using materials they already had. The results ranged from birdfeeders made of plastic bottles to songs, websites and dresses. What stands out is what the students said about the task itself: it was more engaging than lectures, it made them proud, and for some it was nerve-wracking at first. Their experiences offer practical lessons for anyone planning a creative environmental project.

Could a short student-written play change how young people think and act about the environment? At a university in India, students spent four weeks turning local environmental problems into scripts, rehearsing, and then performing outside the campus cafeteria for their peers. Those who took part came away more confident that their own choices matter, and several changed small daily habits. They also gained something unexpected: a chance to recharge, speak up and connect with like-minded friends.

Is it worth adding a new activity to a program that already works? In St. Louis schools, students in a 15-week environmental program were given disposable cameras to photograph their surroundings and talk about what they captured. Their pictures showed that "environment" meant friends, parks and busy roads as well as nature, and the activity gave their confidence in science and teamwork an extra boost.