Early childhood is a crucial period for developing lifelong habits and values and is therefore an ideal time to introduce education for sustainable living. As part of a college course designed to teach pre-service teachers (PSTs) how to make important sustainability topics accessible for young children, an innovative model was introduced. The model emphasizes accessible content, active learner engagement, and sensory-based experiential learning. PSTs implemented the model in kindergartens through interactive workshops. The workshops follow a structured format beginning with a colorful, illustrative presentation of sustainability concepts, designed to simplify complex ideas and visually engage young children. After the presentation, children participate in hands-on activities such as experiments, observations, model-building, singing, and storytelling, concluding with a group discussion. This approach allows children to explore sustainability and sustainable living by stimulating multiple sensory pathways, fostering deeper engagement and understanding.

After implementing the model in kindergartens, the PSTs reflected on their experiences. In their written reflections, the 28 PSTs who participated in the study acknowledged the importance of introducing sustainable living at an early age and affirmed the model's effectiveness. However, they also provided valuable suggestions for improvement, including accommodating young learners' attention spans, optimizing the conditions for delivering the message, and linking sustainability topics to students' daily lives to make lessons more relatable and connected to their personal experiences. Additionally, they highlighted the role of young learners as ambassadors for sustainable living to their parents and communities.

Building on these suggestions, a more precise model for early childhood sustainability education has been developed. This refined model integrates academic and pedagogical knowledge with the invaluable practical experience gained by the PSTs in kindergartens, highlighting the importance of combining theoretical knowledge with real-world application.

Keywords: Sustainability education, Early childhood education, Pre-Service Teachers (PSTs), Accessible content, Active learner, Sensory-based learning, Pedagogical model, Practical experience.