
Mountains are crucial to all life on earth. By declaring 2002 the International Year of Mountains, the United Nations affirmed the importance of mountains to all the world's people. The educational materials available on these pages have been prepared by the International Year of Mountains Coordination Unit at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, along with its many partners, to help educators throughout the world impart to children and youth some of the knowledge and skills that they will need to understand and address mountain issues.
Please consult the Guide to the Education Kit .
All the materials are in electronic "ready-to-print" formats. Copyright for the materials is held by the organizations and individuals that created them. You are free to use the materials for not-for-profit purposes to educate children regarding mountain environments and issues. As a user of the materials, you do not have the right to issue copyright to third parties.
The materials are available in two archive formats: STUFFIT for Mac and ZIP for Windows. Click on the corresponding icon to download the material.
![]() |
Discovering the Natural Resources of the Hindu Kush Himalayan Region This package was produced by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development . It includes a cartoon book and a teacher's guide. Focus: Environmental issues in the Hindu Kush-Himalayan region Languages: English Target ages: 10 to 14 years Time: 9 to 18 reading sessions, plus 13 activity sessions. The materials may require an entire school term to implement Resources: A copy of the 56-page booklet for each participating child and a 34-page teacher's guide for each educator Skills: Does not require any preparation or special skills on the part of the educator. Materials can be implemented by reading and following the instructions in the teacher's guide. Download: |
![]() |
Excerpts from 'Mountains Forever' This package contains three excerpted stories written by children from the 'Mountains Forever' project, run by Spiny Babbler with the support of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development and Helvetas . The stories are 'Poets, Painters, Mountains, and Me' by Kim Dima from Kazakhstan; 'The Mountain of the Holy Footprin' by Dulanjalee Seneviratne from Sri Lanka; and 'Mountains are Forever' Chandhi Goonasekera from Sri Lanka. Languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Italian, Russian and Spanish Target ages: Children and youth aged 12 years and over Time: Flexible Resources: A copy of the 56-page booklet for each participating child and a 34-page teacher's guide for each educator Skills: Educators do not require special skills.
Download: |
![]() |
Volcano Daily This package was produced by the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction . It includes a short illustrated colour booklet entitled Volcano Daily, information sheets and a poster. Various components are available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish. Focus: The dangers that volcanoes represent, and measures that can be undertaken to prevent and protect against volcanic disaster Download: |
![]() |
Lesson Plans The International Year of Mountains Coordination Unit has prepared six simple lesson plans to introduce some of the main themes of the Year. Focus: Water, biodiversity, food, sacred mountains Download: |