Research work “Experiment in kindergarten”
Experiment in kindergarten.
The material was prepared by the teacher of the preparatory school group Stolika S.E.
We live in a rapidly changing world, in the era of information, computers, satellite television, mobile communications, and the Internet. Information technologies give us new opportunities. An interesting future awaits our current students. In order for them to be successful and skillfully navigate the ever-growing flow of information, they need to be taught to easily and quickly perceive information, analyze it, master new things, and find innovative solutions in various situations.
The problem of developing the intellectual and creative potential of a child’s personality is one of the main educational tasks. Each child has individual cognitive abilities. Abilities are found not in knowledge, skills and abilities, as such, but in the dynamics of their acquisition.
The content and methods of teaching preschoolers are aimed at developing attention, memory, creative imagination, developing the ability to compare, highlight the characteristic properties of objects, generalize them according to a certain criterion, and receive satisfaction from the solution found. When a child acts with objects himself, he understands the world around him better, so priority in working with children should be given to practical teaching methods: experiments, projects, experiences.
One of the optimal technologies that supports a competency-oriented approach in education can be considered the project method. The project method is based on the idea that forms the essence of the concept of “project” - its pragmatic focus on the result that is obtained by solving a particular practically or theoretically significant problem.
Using the project method allows you to develop children’s cognitive abilities, teach them to independently construct their knowledge, navigate the information space, and develop critical thinking.
Experimentation is of great interest to children. Experimentation is a truly childish activity that is leading throughout preschool age.
Having set ourselves the goal of developing the cognitive abilities of children, we naturally turned our attention to the use of design and research methods in working with children.
At this stage, we used a variety of methods and techniques, applied TRIZ technology, organized experimentation, and widely used the project method.
The use of models and diagrams, in our opinion, allows us to comprehend and systematize the acquired knowledge.
In the process of using models and diagrams, children master symbolic activity: they learn to substitute, code, and model. Children have fun coding fairy tales, playing the game “Find the Treasure”, where they use a drawn map - a diagram, draw a plan of the group, kindergarten, our area and ask each other various questions. For example, how can we get from our kindergarten to the children's park faster? Tell in words how to get from the book corner to the experimentation center, etc. Boys often model, sketch imaginary models of cars, airplanes, etc.
Map of interests for preschoolers.
Dear parents!!!
Identifying a child’s interests and inclinations is a very difficult matter, like any other psychodiagnostic work. The teacher, using the presented methodology, can obtain primary information about the direction of interests of schoolchildren. This, in turn, will give him the opportunity to more objectively judge the child’s abilities and the nature of his giftedness.
When studying the direction of interests of preschoolers, it should be taken into account that the interests of most children of this age are not clearly differentiated and unstable. But this cannot be a reason to refuse to study them. Without information about the child's inclinations and interests, our pedagogical measures may be inadequate.
It is also important that despite the lack of absolute coincidence noted by researchers between interests and inclinations, on the one hand, and abilities and talents, on the other, there is a close connection between them, which is already quite clearly expressed in the early stages of personality development. A child is, as a rule, interested in the science or field of activity in which he is most successful, for achievements in which he is often encouraged by adults and peers. Thus, aptitudes act as an indicator of abilities and giftedness, on the one hand, and as a starting point, on the other.
To ensure that the information received is objective, it is advisable to conduct a survey using this method not only of children, but also of your parents. To do this, it is necessary to prepare answer sheets for the number of participants - this is the most labor-intensive operation. The survey can be carried out collectively. The instructions are extremely simple and do not require much effort to learn. The results can also be processed within a short time.
Instructions for parents.
In order to give you the right advice and specific recommendations for developing your child’s abilities, we need to know his inclinations. You are asked 35 questions. Think and answer each of them, trying not to overestimate or underestimate the child’s capabilities. For greater objectivity, compare him with other children of the same age.
Write down your first and last name on your answer sheet. Place your answers in the cells whose numbers correspond to the question numbers. If what is said in the question is not liked (from your point of view) by the child, put in the box (-); if you like it - (+); I like it very much - (++). If for any reason you find it difficult to answer, leave this cell blank.
Question sheet
Each question begins with the words “Do you like...”
1. Solve logical problems and intelligence problems.
2. Read independently (listen when they read to him) fairy tales, stories,
stories.
3. Sing, play music.
4. Do physical exercise.
5. Play various group games with other children.
6. Read (listen when they read) stories about nature.
7. Do something in the kitchen (wash dishes, help prepare food).
8. Play with a technical constructor.
9. Learn the language, be interested in and use new unfamiliar ones
words.
10. Draw on your own.
11. Play sports and outdoor games.
12. Supervise children's games.
13. Go to the forest, to the field, watch plants, animals, insects.
14. Go to the grocery store.
15. Read (or listen to) books about technology, cars, spaceships, etc.
16. Play games with guessing words (names of cities, animals).
17. Compose stories, fairy tales, stories on your own.
18. Follow a daily routine, do exercises in the morning.
19. Talk to new, unfamiliar people.
20. Take care of your home aquarium, keep birds and animals (cats, dogs, etc.).
21. Clean up books, notebooks, toys, etc.
22. Design and draw designs of airplanes, ships, etc.
23. Get acquainted with history (visit historical museums).
24. Independently, without encouragement from adults, engage in various types of artistic creativity.
25. Read (listen while they read) books about sports, watch sports TV shows.
26. Explain something to other children or adults (convince, argue, prove your opinion).
27. Care for domestic animals and plants, help them, treat them, etc.
28. Help adults clean the apartment (wiping dust, sweeping the floor, etc.).
29. Count independently, do math at school.
30. Get acquainted with social phenomena and international events.
31. Take part in dramatization games and staging performances.
32. Play sports in sections and clubs.
33. Help other people.
34. Work in the garden, vegetable garden, grow plants.
35. Help and independently sew, embroider, wash.
The questions are drawn up in accordance with the conditional division of the child’s inclinations into seven areas:
mathematics and technology; humanitarian sphere; artistic activity; physical education and sports; communication interests; nature and natural science; household chores, self-care work.
Processing the results.
Count the number of pluses and minuses vertically (plus and minus cancel each other). Dominance where there are the greatest number of advantages. When summing up the results and especially when formulating conclusions, allowance should be made for the objectivity of the subjects. It is also necessary to take into account that a gifted child’s interests in all areas can be equally well expressed; at the same time, a number of children sometimes exhibit a lack of pronounced inclinations; in this case, we should talk about some specific type of direction of the child’s interests.
This technique is not only diagnostic, it can also help in solving correctional and pedagogical problems; with its help, you can intensify your parents’ work with you in this direction, push them to study the interests and inclinations of their own children, and give them the opportunity to at least think about this complex problem. The results obtained can be very useful as a reference scheme for observations of children. It is also interesting to compare the responses of teachers and you parents. This will create a more objective picture of the direction of the child’s interests and identify areas for correctional work both with the children and with you as parents.
"Cognitive activity of an older preschooler."
Development of cognitive activity in the process of children's experimentation.
The most important type of search activity is experimentation.
Children's experimentation is a special form of research activity in which the processes of emergence and development of new personal motives that underlie self-development are most clearly expressed (N. Poddyakov).
One of the areas of children's experimental activities that we actively use is experiments. They are carried out both in classes and in free independent and joint activities with the teacher. Experience is observation of natural phenomena, which is carried out in specially organized conditions. The cognitive task of the experiment must be clearly and precisely formulated. Its solution requires analysis, correlation of known and unknown data. During the experiment, children express their assumptions about the causes of the observed phenomenon and choose a method for solving a cognitive problem. Thanks to experiments, children develop the ability to compare, contrast, draw conclusions, express their judgments and conclusions. Experiments are also of great importance for understanding cause-and-effect relationships.
It is very important that every child is involved in the process of conducting experiments.
It is especially interesting for children to experiment with objects of living and inanimate nature. So, having planted the seeds of zorka and calendula flowers in special cups, children observe their development: which seed sprouted faster, why; what influence does a person have on the development of plants, does the growth of flowers depend on weather conditions. We record the results of observations in a specially designed calendar. Children record its daily changes in the “weather” line using symbols (clouds, sun, rain, etc.). The line “flowers” marks the day the sprout first appeared and its changes in subsequent days. An experiment is carried out with two types of flowers to compare and identify the reasons for the discrepancy. The line “care” records how children care for the plant, also using symbols (a stick for loosening, a mug for watering, etc.). In the calendar, information is encoded, and then, based on analysis, patterns and connections are established between the growth and development of a plant, the role of humans and weather conditions, and changes in nature. In order to establish why the calendula seed sprouted faster than the zorka seeds, we examined them through a magnifying glass, felt them, sniffed them, etc. As a result, the children established: the shell of the zorka seed is hard, thick, rough, does not crumble under the influence of force, while that of calendula the shell is thin and very fragile, the seed is in the form of a hair, and is quickly destroyed by external influence. Consequently, under the influence of damp soil and heat, the calendula seed germinates faster.
In the process of conducting research activities, we develop children’s environmental literacy and foster an active environmental position. After observing the changes occurring on the tree over several days, one girl in my group asked the question: “Why did the leaves curl up?” This question served as the impetus for examining the object and establishing the cause: the appearance of a butterfly pupa. What needs to be done to prevent the tree from dying? One solution: spray the plant with a soap solution. We did this together with the children.
While working in the garden, the guys notice that where there are a lot of weeds, the radishes are small, and where there are none, they are large. Conclusion: Weeds interfere with plant growth. Carefully cutting off tree branches, we observe together with the children which tree and where (in a dark place or in the light) the leaves will bloom faster. Children draw conclusions: what conditions are necessary for plant growth.
Thus, several stages can be distinguished in organizing and conducting experiments:
1. Statement of the problem (task).
2. Finding ways to solve the problem.
3. Conducting experiments.
4. Recording observations.
5. Discussion of the results and formulation of conclusions.
Objects of inanimate nature are also studied: sand, clay, snow, stones, air, water, magnet, etc. For example, we suggest making a figurine from wet and dry sand. Children discuss what kind of sand is being molded and why. Examining sand through a magnifying glass, they discover that it consists of small grains of sand crystals, this explains the property of dry sand - flowability.
We introduce older preschoolers to the movement of bodies and its main components, the sphericity of the Earth, daily and seasonal changes, the mass of bodies using scales, aggregate changes in matter, the straightness of the propagation of light, etc.
The content of observations of natural objects includes the following points:
— determination of the structure of plants and animals, identification of the whole object and the parts of which it consists;
- various manifestations of living beings (methods of functioning, for animals - different forms of behavior);
— determination of the properties and characteristics of objects and their parts (color, size, shape, surface features);
— identification of components of the external environment and their qualitative characteristics.
So, looking at a dandelion, children note what it consists of, what its functions are (what it does: blooms, grows, smells, sways, drinks, bends, dies, reproduces), what it feels like (wet, soft, rough), why In the morning the bud is closed, and in the afternoon it opens? Thus, the more sense organs are involved in cognition, the more properties the child identifies in the object under study. Consequently, his ideas expand, allowing him to compare, differentiate, actively reflect and doubt.
In order to clearly trace changes in living and inanimate nature that occur from season to season, we use various models of observation calendars. For example, in the middle group - a pie chart.
Each sector is painted in a specific color: yellow - autumn, white - winter, green - spring, red - summer. On this “magic circle” we note the signs of the season that the children observed. The pie chart has pockets and cuts where symbols and icons are placed, indicating the signs of each season. A sign, a symbol helps the child generalize and retain information.
We use, for example, the following conventions:
Icons are entered only after observations.
In the older group, children record observations of the growth of planted plants and animals in the nature calendar with the help of symbols. Creative knowledge of nature contributes to the formation of ideas about the basic laws of nature. At a younger age, this is the variability of the seasons and the dependence of changes in living nature (i.e. in the life of plants and animals) on the changing conditions of inanimate nature. In order to teach children to identify the simplest connections in observed natural processes, we begin working with them at the age of 4. At this age, we develop in children an understanding of individual, frequently occurring phenomena of inanimate nature (precipitation - snow, rain, hail, the distinguished properties of sand, water, morning-evening, day-night, etc.), and also introduce them to objects living nature: indoor and wild plants, wild and domestic animals. As a result, children acquire a certain amount of knowledge about the natural world. They develop a cognitive interest in natural objects, a desire to learn new things about the properties of things, and to actively explore them. They ask questions: “Why do birds fly away in the fall? Where do bugs and butterflies live in winter? Why is the snow melting in the room? At this age, children's attention becomes more stable; they can observe animals and plants for quite a long time.
The essence of observations lies in the sensory knowledge of natural objects, through various forms of perception - visual, auditory, tactile, kinesthetic, olfactory, etc. Children are introduced to a small number of plants in the room and on the site. By examining them, observing their growth and development in different environmental conditions, preschoolers learn to distinguish plants, name them correctly, focusing on characteristic features - shape, size, color of leaves, fruits, flowers, stems. They become familiar with the functions of the organs: the plant is held in the ground by its roots, sucks water and nutrients from it, which pass through the stem, trunk, and branches into leaves, flowers, and fruits. The main function of leaves is to absorb sunlight. A flower is a reproductive organ; in its place a fruit appears with seeds, from which new plants can later grow.
The content of animal observations includes the following components:
— methods of movement (how and with the help of which organs it occurs);
— appearance: parts of the body, structural features, characteristics (color, shape, size) of external organs;
- orientation in space (how they listen to sounds and noises, how they look around);
- how they react to the environment;
- habitat - terrain features, food, other animals - neighbors (enemies, neutral);
- relationships with people - reaction to their appearance;
- life manifestations in different seasons: changes in color during transitional seasons, nest building, food supply, their search in winter.
In addition to the content, it is extremely important to determine the organizational and methodological forms of conducting observations of natural objects. The pedagogical process should be structured in such a way that children’s interest in the inhabitants of the corner increases, their ideas about them constantly expand, and by the end of the school year any child could be a guide to the corner of nature. These requirements are met by cyclic observation, which is organized at various routine moments in everyday life. A separate cycle is a series of interconnected observations of a specific object in a corner of nature or a section of a kindergarten. Each of the observations in the cycle has its own content, its own purpose, does not repeat other observations, but is interconnected with them. The cycle of observations allows the child to sensory and independently acquire a system of specific knowledge about the animals or plants that live in his neighborhood. Repeated reference to the same object over a period of 1-3 months forms children’s stable cognitive interest in it. As a result, children develop a need for new independent observations.
Requirements for conducting observations.
1. The spatial organization of observations should be such that any natural object is as accessible as possible to every child. In each specific case, the teacher considers how many children can simultaneously participate in the observation, and how to arrange them so that they are all in the same row. The child should be able to independently receive sensory information about nature (feel the nature of the surface, determine the shape, temperature, weight of an object, hear the sounds emanating from it, smell it). You can place the whole group along the bed (if the bed is large), and no more than five people around the aquarium.
The teacher verbally designates everything that the children see, but the word must follow the perception - only in this case the child develops full-fledged knowledge.
2. The perception of any objects should be short-lived, since observation is a mental, intellectual activity that requires concentrated attention, volitional effort, and mental effort. During observations, you cannot talk, play, or manipulate objects. The optimal time for intensive mental activity in children is 3-10 minutes, and observation is limited to this time.
3. Observation develops according to a certain pattern: beginning, main part and end. First you need to gather the children and concentrate their attention. It is better to use the following techniques that evoke light positive emotions and a willingness to listen to the teacher:
- an invitation to watch something interesting together;
- affectionate, intriguing intonation;
- riddle-description, riddle-action about the object of observation.
The second part is the main one, it ensures independent receipt of sensory information. The teacher offers to look at the object and asks questions with pauses of 2-3 seconds. Seconds of silence and silence are the main point in observation: they allow children to concentrate in finding answers to questions. The main part must be solid, unified. It should not be interrupted by stories, explanations, poems, games, riddles. You can use logically selected actions and movements. For example, after two seconds of observation, ask the children to show how a fish opens and closes its mouth, how a bird closes its eyes, and ask what the children feel. Observations, when paired well with actions, make it easier to obtain information. At the end of the observations, the teacher reads poetry, sings songs, plays, and makes riddles about the observed object.
4. Special preparation for observations is required. For example, before observing a bird resting and sleeping in the evening, you need to turn on the light on one side, maintain silence, etc. In some cases, tasks are given for independent observation: listen to how the bird sings, what sounds it makes, what the bird’s singing means, etc.
“Conducting experimental search activities in kindergarten”
An experiment or experience is a special type of observation organized in specially created conditions.
Involving children in carrying out simple experiments in classes, walks or in a corner of nature and in the kindergarten area is very important for the development of observation and curiosity, cultivating an active and correct attitude towards objects and natural phenomena.
With the help of elementary experiments, you can show children such phenomena in inanimate nature as the freezing of water, the transformation of snow and ice into water, the formation of a rainbow, etc.
Through an experiment, children will learn about the role of water and fertilizers in plant life. However, it should be remembered that one should not get carried away with experiments that harm plants. So, for example, wanting to explain the importance of water for plants, they sometimes suggest leaving one of the flower beds without watering on a hot day. The next day the plants wither. Some educators make a similar mistake in experiments with fertilizers.
You can cultivate a sustainable interest in nature and a caring attitude towards plants through the example of positive results of work. Children should be taught care techniques that ensure good growth for plants.
The experiment is carried out in specially organized conditions. The cognitive task must be clearly and precisely formulated. Its solution requires analysis, correlation of known and unknown data. During the experiment, children express their assumptions about the causes of the observed phenomenon and choose a method for solving a cognitive problem.
Thanks to experiences, children develop the ability to compare, contrast, draw conclusions, express judgments and inferences. Experiments are also of great importance for understanding cause and effect relationships.
Experiments should be built on the basis of ideas that children already have, which they received in the process of observation and work. It is important that children be active participants in setting up and conducting experiments. When discussing the results of experiments, the teacher leads children to independent conclusions and judgments.
Experiments that can be carried out in kindergarten:
Experience No. 1. Record weight
To conduct the experiment you will need: 2 coffee or canned food cans, a sheet of paper, an empty glass jar.
1. Place two tin cans at a distance of 30 cm from each other.
2. Place a sheet of paper on top to create a “bridge.”
3. Place an empty glass jar on the sheet. The paper will not support the weight of the can and will bend down.
4. Now fold the sheet of paper like an accordion.
5. Let's put this “accordion” on two tin cans and place a glass jar on it. The accordion does not bend!
Experiment No. 2. Pipette straw
To conduct the experiment you will need: a cocktail straw, 2 glasses.
1. Place 2 glasses next to each other: one with water, the other empty.
2. Place the straw in the water.
3. Pinch the straw on top with your index finger and transfer it to the empty glass.
4. Remove your finger from the straw and the water will flow into the empty glass. By doing the same thing several times, we will be able to transfer all the water from one glass to another.
A pipette, which you probably have in your home medicine cabinet, works on the same principle.
Experiment No. 3. Teach an egg to swim
To conduct the experiment you will need: a raw egg, a glass of water, a few tablespoons of salt.
1. Place a raw egg in a glass of clean tap water - the egg will sink to the bottom of the glass.
2. Take the egg out of the glass and dissolve a few tablespoons of salt in the water.
3. Place the egg in a glass of salted water - the egg will remain floating on the surface of the water.
Salt increases the density of water. The more salt there is in the water, the more difficult it is to drown in it. In the famous Dead Sea, the water is so salty that a person can lie on its surface without any effort, without fear of drowning.
Experiment No. 4. “Bait” for ice
To carry out the experiment you will need: thread, ice cube, glass of water, pinch of salt. Bet a friend that you can use a thread to remove an ice cube from a glass of water without getting your hands wet. 1. Put the ice in the water
2. Place the thread on the edge of the glass so that one end of it lies on an ice cube floating on the surface of the water.
3. Sprinkle some salt on the ice and wait 5-10 minutes.
4. Take the free end of the thread and pull out the ice cube from the glass.
Salt, once on the ice, slightly melts a small area of it. Within 5-10 minutes, the salt dissolves in water, and clean water on the surface of the ice freezes along with the thread.
Experiment No. 5. Running toothpicks
To conduct the experiment you will need: a bowl of water, 8 wooden toothpicks, a pipette, a piece of refined sugar (not instant), dishwashing liquid.
1. Place toothpicks in rays in a bowl of water.
2. Carefully lower a piece of sugar into the center of the bowl; the toothpicks will begin to gather towards the center.
3. Remove the sugar with a teaspoon and drop a few drops of dishwashing liquid into the center of the bowl with a pipette - the toothpicks will “scatter”!
What's going on? The sugar absorbs the water, creating a movement that moves the toothpicks towards the center. The soap, spreading over the water, carries along the water particles, and they cause the toothpicks to scatter. Explain to the children that you showed them a trick, and all tricks
are based on certain natural physical phenomena that they will study in school.
Experiment No. 6. Invisible ink
To conduct the experiment you will need: half a lemon, cotton wool, a match, a cup of water, a sheet of paper.
1. Squeeze the juice from the lemon into a cup and add the same amount of water.
2. Dip a match or a toothpick with cotton wool in a solution of lemon juice and water and write something on paper with this match. 3. When the “ink” is dry, heat the paper over the turned on table lamp. Previously invisible words will appear on paper.
source https://kladraz.ru/blogs/olga-borisovna-guzhova/interesnye-opyty-dlja-detei.html
Publication date:
13.04.2020
Job title:
teacher
Educational institution:
Locality:
Republic of Sakha Yakutia Tomponsky district, Khandyga village
Publication file
Municipal budgetary preschool educational institution Kindergarten "Mishutka"
Report on the topic: “Experimental research activities of children in preschool educational institutions”
Prepared by: Yulia Yurievna Sivak
Tell me and I’ll forget, Show me and I’ll remember, Let me try and I’ll understand” (folk wisdom)
Relevance
Experimentation is one of the types of cognitive activity, any experience, an attempt to accomplish something.
margin-bottom: 0;"> A child is born an explorer. An unquenchable thirst for new experiences, curiosity, a constant desire to observe and experiment, to independently seek new information about the world. Knowledge acquired independently is conscious and more durable. The child learns about an object as a result of practical activities with it.
Honey mushrooms help develop a child’s speech, thinking, logic, and creativity
Research gives the child the opportunity to find answers to the questions of how and why.
Target:
The main goal of experimental activities in kindergarten is the development of the free creative personality of the child.
Experimental activities are aimed at achieving the following objectives
Tasks:
Develop the ability to see the diversity of the world
-Develop observation skills, the ability to compare, analyze, generalize, develop cognitive interest in the process of experimentation
-Develop speech
_Expand the prospects for the development of search and cognitive activity, support children’s initiative and independence
Hypothesis:
If you use experimental experience to develop the cognitive research abilities of preschool children, then the formation of these abilities will happen faster and more efficiently.
In kindergarten, experimentation can be organized in three main directions: specially organized training, joint activities of the teacher with children, and children’s independence.
Experiments help develop a child’s speech, thinking, logic, and creativity
The child must think for himself and learn to draw conclusions. In preschool age, this method is the leading one, and in the first three years it is practically the only way to understand the world. All work is carried out under the supervision of an adult! We always put the health and safety of the child first.
To engage in experimental activities, the group must have an “Experimentation Corner”
The corner should have a variety of materials and instruments for experiments - natural material: stones, tree cuts and leaves, moss, seeds, different types of soil, etc.
-waste material: wire, pieces of leather, fur, fabric, plastic, wood, cork, etc.;
-different types of paper: plain, cardboard, sandpaper, copy paper, etc.
-dyes: food and non-food (gouache, watercolors, etc.
-medical materials: pipettes with rounded ends, flasks, wooden sticks, measuring spoons, rubber bulbs, syringes without needles
-other materials: mirrors, air bullets, butter, flour, salt, sugar and the like; sieve, funnels, halves of soap dishes, magnifying glass, hourglass, microscopes, magnifying glasses, oilcloth aprons, sleeves, rubber gloves, rags
Everything should be accessible and safe for children; the older children become, the more independent they are in preparation for experimentation. It is important to remember that the child hears, sees and does everything himself - he learns and remembers this better.
Children's experimentation has enormous developmental potential. Its main advantage is that it gives children a real idea of the various aspects of the object being studied and its relationships with other objects and the environment. Children's experimentation is closely related to other types of activities - observation, speech development (to be able to clearly express their thought while increasing knowledge contributes to the development of speech).
The most suitable age for starting this type of cognitive activity is the period of 5-6 years. Therefore, it is most effective in older preschool age. He studies everything that happens around him, but most often this happens unsystematically. Specially prepared experiments on experimentation in kindergarten will be able to expand the child’s understanding of the world around him, to interest him in something that he may not encounter in everyday life.
Experimental activities are considered as one of the options for integration. Children are not given knowledge in a ready-made form; they are given the opportunity to reflect, explore, and draw conclusions. With the support of adults, children can become authors of their own creative, as well as research, adventure, gaming, and practice-oriented projects. Participating in the pedagogical process on an equal basis with adults, children design their lives in the space of the kindergarten, showing ingenuity and originality.
Preserving, supporting, developing curiosity, a tendency to experiment - this is the most important task.
Children love to experiment. This is explained by the fact that they are characterized by visual-effective and visual-figurative thinking, and experimentation, like no other method, corresponds to these age-related characteristics. In preschool age, he is the leader, and for the first three years he is practically the only way to understand the world. L. S. Vygotsky repeatedly said: “Experimentation has its roots in the manipulation of objects.”
Children's work is aimed at developing research activities. The main task in the search and research activity of a preschooler is the ability to directly satisfy his inherent curiosity and organize his ideas about the world.
To explore, discover, study means to take a step into the unknown. This is a huge opportunity for children to think, try, search, experiment, and most importantly, express themselves. My task is to help children carry out these studies, to make them demonstrative.
One of the areas of children's experimental activities that I actively use is experiments. I conduct them both during organized activities and in independent ones. Experiments contribute to the development of children's thinking, logic, creativity, and allow them to clearly show the connections between living and nonliving things in nature. Research gave children the opportunity to find answers to the questions “how?” for themselves. and “why?”, provided abundant food for children’s curiosity and are very popular.
Children with great pleasure conduct experiments with paper, fabric, rubber, plastic, sand, and clay. For example, I suggest making a figure from wet and dry sand. Children discuss what kind of sand is being molded and why. Examining sand through a magnifying glass, they find that it consists of small crystals and grains of sand, this explains the flowability of dry sand.
Having lowered the paper into a basin of water, we find out that the paper is soaked and torn; clothes cannot be sewn from paper. Having done experiments with wood and metal, we find out that wood is lighter than metal because it does not sink in water. Conducting experiments with a balloon, we were convinced that the rubber stretches when inflated; by lowering it into a basin of water, we observe that it does not sink, does not let water through, and does not get wet.
Children also enjoy conducting experiments with inanimate objects: sand, clay, magnets, fabrics, snow, water, air. For example, in order to find out if there is air around us, I suggest children catch it using bags, and then determine what color it is? Having filled the bag with air, the children argue that it can be caught, it means that it is around us and that it has no color. This is how I introduce children to the properties of air.
In my research work, I give preference to experiments, experiments, research activities, and independent search activities of children. I see that this type of activity delights children. The experience is fun and exciting, but at the same time, in each experience the reason for the observed phenomenon is revealed, children are led to judgment, conclusion, and in free independent and joint activities.
Such experiments somehow remind the kids of magic tricks, they are unusual, and most importantly, the kids do everything themselves. Our relationships with children are built on the basis of partnership. Children learn to set a goal, solve a problem, put forward hypotheses and test them empirically, and draw conclusions. They experience great joy, surprise and even delight from their small and large discoveries, which give them a feeling of satisfaction from the work done.
Experimental activity is, along with play, the leading activity of a preschool child. The main thing is that the child’s interest in research and discoveries does not fade over time.
I try to involve every child in the process of conducting experiments. Such experiments somehow remind the guys of a magic trick, they are unusual, and most importantly, the guys try to do everything themselves.
Experiments contribute to the formation of children's cognitive interest in objects, develop observation and mental activity. In each experiment, the cause of the observed phenomenon is revealed, children are led to judgments and conclusions.
One of the important points is that when conducting experiments, children become active participants. Children love experiments and actively explore objects, but this requires time and consistency in the presentation of material. When discussing the results of experiments, I lead children to their own conclusions and judgments.
As a result of all the work done with children, I realized that children learn something better if they get involved in the work themselves. Practical contact with life is the method through which children learn about the world and natural phenomena. They become more relaxed and can defend their point of view. This work helps children develop fine motor skills and, for some, overcome shyness and self-doubt.
Together with the guys, we discuss the result that turned out in real life, and I do not try to fit it into ideas that seem correct. In the process of experiments, I note: the child’s memory is enriched, his thought processes are activated, since the need constantly arises to perform operations of analysis, comparison, classification, and generalization. In the course of experimental-cognitive activity, they create situations that the child resolves through experimentation, and by analyzing, draws a conclusion, an inference, independently.
This helps enrich the child’s knowledge, teaches him to analyze, reflect, reflect on what he learns; has a beneficial effect on the child’s worldview and the development of his human and social feelings.
A Chinese proverb says: “Tell me and I will forget, show me and I will remember, let me try and I will understand!”
Games-activities encourage children to independently search for methods of action, to show creativity. Children learn to ask questions: “How to do this?”, make requests: “Let’s do this”, “Let’s see what happens if...”, learn to compare two states the same object and find not only the difference, but also the similarity; They independently conceive the experiment, think through the methodology themselves and distribute responsibilities among themselves, and draw their own conclusions. An entertaining game-activity for preschoolers encourages children to independently search for ways to act and be creative. Such games are aimed at developing in children the ability to isolate essential features of materials and understand the cause and effect relationships between materials and knowledge of objects. An entertaining game-activity for preschoolers encourages children to independently search for ways to act and be creative.
It is important for me that this activity is not set by me in advance in the form of one scheme or another, but is built by the children themselves as they receive new information about the object. Work experience shows that cognitive and research activities in a preschool institution allow not only to maintain existing interest, but also to excite, which for some reason has faded, which is the key to successful learning in the future.
The requirements for experiments vary depending on the nature of the observations.
-no random training required
-planned - begin with choosing an object, setting tasks
The teacher should always encourage children who are looking for their own solutions to a problem, various moves to conduct and complete an experiment, solve a problem, but should not let those children who work slowly out of their sight, they need help, give time.
After the end of the experiment, the children must tidy up their workspace on their own.
In conclusion, I would like to quote the words of K.E. Timiryazeva: “People who have learned... observations and experiments acquire the ability to pose questions themselves and receive factual answers to them at a higher mental and moral level in comparison with those who have not gone through such a school.”
Literature:
Ivanova A.I. Children's experimentation as a teaching method./ Preschool educational institution management, N 4, 2004
Kulikovskaya I.E., Sovgir N.N. Children's experimentation. Senior preschool age. — M.: Pedagogical Society of Russia, 2003
Organization of experimental activities for preschool children. / Under. ed.L.N. Prokhorov M., 2004
Parshukova I.L. Conducting research classes in kindergarten; spatial developmental environment in kindergarten. Principles of construction, advice, recommendations / comp. N.V. Nishcheva. - St. Petersburg, “Childhood-press”, 2006
Solovyova E. How to organize children’s search activities. / Preschool education. N 1, 2005
Materials from Internet sites.
Organization of research activities of children in preschool institutions
Children are explorers by nature. Research, search activity is the natural state of a child, he is determined to understand the world around him, he wants to know it: he tears the paper and sees what happens; watches the fish in the aquarium, studies the behavior of the tit outside the window, conducts experiments with various objects; disassembles toys, studying their structure. All of these are objects of research. Exploratory behavior for a preschooler is the main source of gaining ideas about the world.
A preschool child is already a researcher in himself, showing a keen interest in various types of research activities, in particular experimentation. By older preschool age, the possibilities of search and research activities aimed at “discovering” new things, which develop productive forms of thinking, increase noticeably. In this case, the main factor is the nature of the activity.
In the process of experimentation, the child needs to answer not only the question of how I do this, but also the questions of why I do it this way and not otherwise, why I do it, what I want to know, what to get as a result.
Currently, certain aspects of children's experimentation are reflected in the works of N. N. Poddyakov, A. N. Poddyakov, O. V. Dybina, I. E. Kulikovskaya, N. N. Sovgir, A. I. Savenkov, O. V. Afanasyeva.
The originality and types of children's experimentation (N. N. Poddyakov), the features of variable search of preschoolers in conditions of operating with multifactorial objects (A. N. Poddyakov) were studied, the possibilities of organizing experimentation in kindergarten were considered (O. V. Dybina, L. N. Prokhorova , I. E. Kulikovskaya, N. N. Sovgir).
Science owes the introduction of the term “experimentation” to J. Piaget: he analyzed the significance of this activity for children and adolescents and proved that the advantage of children’s experimentation lies in the fact that it gives real ideas about the various aspects of the object being studied, about its relationships with other objects.
The most important feature of experimentation, according to N.N. Poddyakov, is that in the process of its implementation a person acquires the ability to control this or that phenomenon: to cause or stop it, to change this phenomenon in one direction or another.
To date, the methodology for organizing children's experimentation has not been fully developed - experimentation is being introduced into the practice of preschool institutions slowly.
In the 1990s, professor, academician of the Academy of Creative Pedagogy of the Russian Academy of Education N. N. Poddyakov, having analyzed and summarized his rich experience of research work in the preschool education system, came to the conclusion that in childhood, in addition to play, the leading activity is experimentation. The use of this teaching method was advocated by such famous teachers as J. A. Komensky, I. G. Pestalozzi, J.-J. Russo, K.D. Ushinsky and many others.
Goals and objectives of experimental research activities
Goal: Development of cognitive activity, curiosity, desire for independent knowledge and reflection in preschool children
Tasks:
- Expanding children's horizons through familiarization with elements of various fields of knowledge (ideas about the chemical properties of substances, physical properties and phenomena, the properties of water, sand, clay, air, mathematical concepts, etc.)
- Developing in children the ability to use assistant devices when conducting experimental games (microscope, magnifying glass, cup scales, hourglass, etc.)
- Formation of mental abilities in children: development of analysis, classification, comparison, generalization
- Formation of ways of knowing through sensory analysis
- Social and personal development: development of communication, independence, observation, basic self-control and self-regulation
Classification of children's experimentation
- By the nature of the objects used in the experiment: experiments: with plants; with animals; with objects of inanimate nature;
- At the location of the experiments: in a group room; Location on;
- The reason for their implementation: random, planned, in response to a child’s question.
- By the number of observations of the same object: single, multiple, or cyclic
- By the number of children: individual, group, collective.
- By the nature of inclusion in the pedagogical process: episodic (conducted from case to case), systematic
- By duration: short-term (5–15 min.), long-term (over 15 min.)
- According to the nature of children’s cognitive activity: illustrative (children know everything, and the experiment only confirms familiar facts), search (children do not know in advance what the result will be), solving cognitive problems;
- By place in the cycle: primary, repeated, final and final;
- By method of application: demonstration, frontal;
- By the nature of mental operations: ascertaining (allowing you to see one state of an object or one phenomenon without connection with other objects and phenomena), comparative (allowing you to see the dynamics of a process or note changes in the state of an object), generalizing (experiments in which general patterns of the process being studied are traced earlier in separate stages).
Features of organizing children's experimentation in preschool educational institutions
- The experiment should be short in duration.
- It is necessary to take into account that it is difficult for preschoolers to work without speech accompaniment (since it is in older preschool age that children go through the stage of pronouncing their actions out loud).
- It is also important to take into account the individual differences of children (pace of work, fatigue).
- It is necessary to take into account the child’s right to make mistakes and use adequate ways to involve children in work, especially those who have not yet developed skills (dividing one procedure into several small actions assigned to different children, joint work of the teacher and children, help from the teacher to children, work of the teacher in instructions from children, the teacher’s conscious assumption of inaccuracies in work, etc.).
- When working with children, you should try not to draw a clear line between everyday life and learning, because experiments are not an end in themselves, but a way of getting to know the world.
- It is also necessary to take into account the age characteristics of children
Creating conditions for children's experimentation
In the experimental activity corner (mini-laboratory, science center) the following should be highlighted:
‒ a place for a permanent exhibition where a museum, various collections, exhibits, rare objects (shells, stones, crystals, feathers, etc.) are located
‒ space for devices
‒ a place to store materials (natural, “waste”)
‒ a place for conducting experiments
- place for unstructured materials (sand, water, sawdust, shavings, polystyrene foam, etc.)
- diagrams, tables, models with algorithms for performing experiments
‒ a series of paintings depicting natural communities
‒ educational books, atlases, thematic albums
- simple devices
‒ collections
‒ mini-museum (themes vary, for example, “ Clocks ” )
‒ materials divided into sections: “Sand, clay, water”, “Sound”, “Magnets”, “Paper”, “Light”, “Glass”, “Rubber”
‒ natural materials: stones, shells, saw cuts and leaves of trees, moss, seeds, different types of soil, etc.
‒ waste materials: pieces of leather, fur, fabric, plastic, wood, cork, etc.
‒ different types of paper: plain, cardboard, sandpaper, copy paper, etc.
- medical materials: pipettes with rounded ends, flasks, wooden sticks, measuring spoons, rubber bulbs, syringes without needles
- other materials: sieve, funnels, halves of soap dishes, ice molds, magnifying glasses, microscope, hourglass, magnifying glass, children’s personal notebooks for recording the results of the experiment
- weight measures: various scales, a set of weights; length: meter, rulers, conventional measurements; volume: measuring cups, jugs, spoons, etc.; time: hourglass, stopwatch; quantities: various abacus; directions: compass.
- for playing with water, snow, ice: filters made of paper, gauze, mesh; paints of different colors, saturated saline solution for obtaining salt crystals, growing crystals on twigs; various molds for freezing water, means for blowing soap bubbles, various vessels with narrow and wide necks, funnels, various homemade boats made of paper and nutshells
‒ for playing with light: mirrors, flashlights, means for changing the color of a flashlight signal, a candle
‒ for playing with a magnet, glass, rubber: magnet, objects made of various materials, bouncy figures, balls
Technology for organizing joint experimental and research activities with preschool children
- Statement of the research problem in the form of a problem situation.
- Clarification of the research plan.
- Selection of equipment, placement of it independently (or with the help of an adult) by children in the research area.
- Distribution of children into subgroups (at the request of the children), selection of leaders who help organize peers.
- Organization of the study.
- Analysis and generalization of the experimental results obtained by children
Methods and techniques
- Questions from the teacher that encourage the formulation of a problem, helping to clarify the situation and understand the meaning of the experiment; stimulating the child’s self-esteem and self-control, which determine success in cognition: “ Are you satisfied with yourself as a researcher?”
- Schematic modeling of experience; examination of experimental diagrams, tables, simplified drawings.
- A method that encourages children to communicate “ Ask... what he thinks about this?” " .
- “ method of applying the results of one’s own research activities.
- Problem situations, for example, “Why was there snow yesterday, but not today?”, “The reason for the appearance of steam when breathing.”
- Experimental games.
- Actions with a magnet, magnifying glass, measuring instruments, transfusion of liquids.
- Observation of natural phenomena.
- Use of encyclopedias.
To maintain interest in cognitive experimentation, you can use:
‒ Real events: striking natural phenomena and social events.
‒ Events specially “ modeled ” by the teacher: the introduction into a group of objects with an unusual effect or purpose, previously unknown to children, arousing genuine interest and research activity (“What is this? What to do with it? How does it work?”). Such items could be a magnet, a collection of minerals, or clipping illustrations on a specific topic.
‒ Imaginary events occurring in a work of fiction that the teacher reads or reminds the children (for example, a balloon flight of the characters in N. Nosov’s book “The Adventures of Dunno and His Friends”).
‒ The stimulus for research can be events occurring in the life of the group, “infecting” most of the children and leading to fairly stable interests (for example, someone brought his collection, and everyone, following him, became interested in dinosaurs, stamps, collecting beautiful stones and so on.).
‒ Organizing joint experiments and research with children in everyday life. Organization of children's experimentation and research in the process of observing living and inanimate objects and natural phenomena.
Forms of interaction with parents of students:
‒ Questionnaire of parents
‒ Involvement in creating a cognitive and developmental environment in the group, assistance in setting up an experimentation corner, replenishing the necessary materials
‒ Design of visual information in the parent’s corner: consultations, memos, recommendations: “Spend time with your children at home,” “How to organize conditions for research activities of preschoolers,” etc.
‒ Parent meetings, at which parents learn about the form of organizing research work, get acquainted with research teaching methods, and a variety of experiments.
‒ Open events for parents.
‒ Design of the “My discoveries” folder, thematic sliding screens, exhibitions, mini-libraries, etc.
‒ Experimentation of parents with children at home.
‒ Joint creativity between children and adults (making baby books, designing albums, posters, photo reports, etc.).
‒ Joint child-adult cognitive and research activities. In conditions of close interaction with the family in the group, the following studies can be prepared and conducted: “The house in which I live”; “Portrait of Spring”, “Autumn is a delicious time of year”, “Summer, oh summer”, “What do I know about air”, etc. (reading, observations, excursion, experiments).
Thus, in the work on experimental research activities of preschool children, it is necessary to use different forms and methods in a complex, and correctly combine them with each other. The choice of methods and the need for their integrated use is determined by the age capabilities of preschoolers, the nature of the educational tasks that the teacher solves.
The effectiveness of solving problems in experimental research activities depends on their repeated and variable use. They contribute to the formation in preschoolers of clear knowledge, skills and abilities about the world around them.
The mastery of systematized search-cognitive knowledge of children, the formation of experimental actions forms the foundations of logical thinking, ensures maximum efficiency of the intellectual development of preschoolers and their full readiness for learning at school.
Literature:
- Dybina O.V., Rakhmanova N.P., Shchetina V.V. The unknown is nearby. M., 2004
- Ivanova A.I. Children's experimentation as a teaching method./ Preschool educational institution management, N 4, 2004
- Kulikovskaya I.E., Sovgir N.N. Children's experimentation. Senior preschool age. — M.: Pedagogical Society of Russia, 2003
- Organization of experimental activities for preschool children. / Edited by L. N. Prokhorov M., 2004
- Parshukova I. L. Conducting research classes in kindergarten; spatial developmental environment in kindergarten. Principles of construction, advice, recommendations / comp. N.V. Nishcheva. - St. Petersburg, “Childhood-press”, 2006.
- Ryzhova N. A. Developmental environment of preschool institutions (From work experience). M., LINKA-PRESS, 2003.
