Environmental education of preschool children: some tips

For many centuries, man behaved as a consumer in relation to nature: he cut down forests, extracted minerals, and engaged in agriculture, without thinking about the future. This has led to a reduction in forest area, depletion of land resources and subsoil.

There comes a turning point in the history of the development of the planet, when a person begins to think about the consequences of his consumer attitude towards the earth. It has become important to educate a new person who can appreciate the scale of the problem.

Environmental education in kindergarten

Already at a young age, the baby begins to interact with peers, with adults, with objects of nature.
The child shows curiosity, asks why questions, and adopts the values and traditions of elders. Ages from 3 to 6 years are the most susceptible. A preschooler learns the experience of adults based on trust in them. From an early age he learns to actively cooperate with nature and empathize with it.

Environmental education starts in the family and continues in the nursery. Each preschool institution draws up its own program for the formation of environmental knowledge, covering the entire educational process, starting with a walk and ending with educational activities.

Problems of environmental education

The main problem in this direction is the low equipment of gardens. Conditions are necessary to create a winter garden and mini-laboratories. To carry out gaming activities, you need didactic materials, maps, manuals, models, toys.

The second problem is the viability of the developed education system. The environmental education program and the entire methodology for environmental education of preschoolers will be implemented in the case when each stage of work and the result of the work are thought out: what we want the student to be like when he enters school.

A modern view on the problem of environmental education for preschool children

The article presents a system of working with children of senior preschool age, taking into account the provisions of the federal state educational standard for preschool education on environmental education. The authors revealed innovative forms and methods of working with children. It is concluded that an integrated thematic approach helps to implement the content of the five areas.

Key words: environmental education, environmental culture, caring attitude, thematic approach, the world around us, preschool age.

The relevance of environmental education is determined by our future. Currently, environmental issues are increasingly heard on all television channels. The Internet is filled with problems of garbage, the disaster of industrial waste, and the death of animals from fires. It is no coincidence that the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation on environmental protection and the corresponding Resolution of the Government of the Russian Federation have elevated environmental education to the category of the most important state problems. To preserve and cleanse our nature, it is necessary to develop a caring attitude towards the environment as early as possible. It is in preschool age that vivid, imaginative, emotional impressions are created and accumulated, and the foundation for a caring attitude towards nature is laid.

The goal of environmental education is the formation of a new type of personality with special ecological thinking, capable of realizing the consequences of one’s own actions in relation to the environment and able to live in relative harmony with it.

S. N. Nikolaeva in her “Concept of Environmental Education of Preschool Children” characterizes the teacher as a bearer of environmental culture. After all, after the parents (legal representatives), the preschool teacher leads the children into the amazing world around them. Environmental education is one of the components of a holistic pedagogical process. Therefore, when planning environmental events, we solve the following problems:

Development and correction of the emotional sphere of children through the organization of direct communication with living nature and the widespread use of psychological and pedagogical games-trainings of natural history content in various types of activities of preschool children.
Formation of the basic foundations of environmental culture in children:

– mastering basic ecological knowledge about the nature of the native land, reflecting the connection of living organisms with their habitat;

– obtaining initial understanding and practical skills in the field of environmental management (economic impacts on nature), nature conservation;

– obtaining initial ideas about man as a living organism, about human ecology (understanding of individual manifestations of the dependence of the health of children and adults on the environmental conditions in which they live);

– nurturing in children a positive, active attitude towards objects and natural phenomena with which they come into contact.

Disclosure and development of the creative, spiritual and moral potential of each child in the process of communication with the nature of their native land.

The federal state educational standard for preschool education implies an activity-based approach to determining the content and organization of the educational process for preschoolers.

In our work, we use a comprehensive, thematic approach to organizing the educational process in order to implement the provisions of the Federal State Educational Standard for Education. A comprehensive thematic approach involves combining a set of different types of specific children's activities around a single theme. The implementation of the comprehensive thematic principle is closely related to the integration of educational areas and the integration of children's activities. This structure of educational work allows you to take into account the principles of preschool didactics (the principle of the relationship of all areas of work with preschool children, the principles of consistency and systematicity, repetition and clarity) and to implement in your work with children the principles of preschool education laid down in the Federal State Educational Standard for Preschool Education:

Construction of educational activities based on the individual characteristics of each child. In our practice, this principle is manifested in a combination of different forms of classes and joint activities of the teacher and children.
Assistance and cooperation of children and adults, recognition of the child as a full participant in educational relations. This manifests itself in project activities.
Supporting initiative in all types of activities. Our children successfully and willingly solve situational problems and create collections.
Cooperation between kindergarten and family. Our parents of students take an active part in events, offer interesting ideas for entertainment, group design, and help equip the group’s developmental environment.

Belaya K.D., candidate of pedagogical sciences, emphasizes that when organizing complex thematic planning, the content of educational areas is naturally combined, which makes it possible for the teacher to integrate educational activities. Each educational area has its own direction. Thus, social and communicative development is aimed at mastering the norms and values accepted in society; development of emotional responsiveness, empathy, including for natural objects; formation of the foundations of safe behavior in everyday life, society, and in nature. Cognitive development is aimed at the formation of primary ideas about the objects of the surrounding world, their properties and relationships, and natural phenomena. Speech development is associated with familiarity with children's natural history literature. Artistic and aesthetic development implies the formation of an aesthetic attitude towards the natural world. Physical development is aimed at developing the values of a healthy lifestyle in children.

In solving the problems of environmental education we use innovative and traditional methods and techniques. This is how we add an environmental theme to play activities (“Trip to the Forest”, “Journey to the Desert”, “Journey to the North”, “Zoo”, etc.).

Our children really love the game technique of receiving letters - complaints from birds, animals, insects. Receiving such letters, children decide how to help them and try to notice similar situations on the street.

The project method has become firmly established in our work. Children can put forward a problem on their own, and together with their parents we learned a lot of interesting things. The projects “Red Book of the Krasnodar Territory”, “Healthy Vitamins”, “Trees of Our Site” were very memorable. This project made children want to learn about the trees of the Krasnodar region. With this project, we took 3rd place in the regional competition of scientific research, methodological and creative works “My Land - My Russia” in 2022.

Conducting competitions, quizzes, brain rings, entertainment and environmental holidays, such as “Bird Festival”, “We are Friends of Nature”, “Earth Day”, “Birthday of the Forest”, “Autumn Kaleidoscope”, give children environmental knowledge, which they reflect in the game, in their own artistic activity. Children develop the ability to present themselves publicly, revealing their talents. Parents are frequent guests and participants at such events. Preparation for such forms of work brings children and parents closer together, and the authority of our kindergarten also grows. Environmental actions are planned for the academic year. They are very significant because preschoolers receive natural history knowledge, develop environmental culture skills, and an active life position. The actions serve as good environmental propaganda. And most importantly, children see that adults not only talk about nature conservation, but also actively participate. Any action is a productive activity for children. Here are some of our promotions: “House for birds”, “Dining room for birds”, “Vitamins on the windowsill”, “Favorite clean city”, “Let the site be decorated with flowers”, etc.

As a result:

– children have noticeably expanded their ecological ideas and their ability to establish cause-and-effect relationships;

– children began to actively show interest in the objects of the surrounding world, as well as an emotional reaction to “disorders” in their use, value judgments about them;

– children willingly respond to an adult’s offer to help a living person, independently see the need for care and carry it out efficiently and experience pleasure from it.

In percentage terms it looks like this:

Literature:

Manevtsova, L. M., The world of nature and the child Methods of environmental education of preschoolers St. Petersburg “Childhood - press” 2003.
Maslennikova, O. M., Environmental projects in kindergarten Uchitel Publishing House, 2009
GEF DO

Criteria for environmental education of older preschoolers

The famous teacher and scientist T. A. Markova believes that the main criteria can be:

children's goodwill towards all living things;
degree of interest in living and inanimate nature;
desire to contact natural entities;
ability to care for plants and animals.

Ecological culture allows you to live in harmony with the surrounding nature, feel responsible for your steps and understand the consequences of a harmful attitude towards the earth.

Where does the formation of environmental awareness among preschoolers begin in preschool educational institutions?

The first step is to create conditions for this work: a corner of nature with an aquarium, small animals in a group, a small winter garden, a nature museum. A living area can contain birds, fish, reptiles, and small animals.

The guys feed them, clean them, observe them, and study their characteristics. Walks are also important, when children observe and draw conclusions about certain phenomena in living and inanimate nature.

The role of parents in environmental education cannot be belittled. Now families have cats, dogs, parrots, and turtles. There are aquariums and indoor plants. Adults should daily introduce children to the world of nature, to comprehend its secrets, so that from early childhood a feeling of unity with the world around them arises.

MAGAZINE Preschooler.RF

Article “Environmental education of preschool children”

MUNICIPAL AUTONOMOUS PRE-SCHOOL EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION KINDERGARTEN OF GENERAL DEVELOPMENTAL TYPE No. 48, TOMSK (MADOU No. 48)

Author: Nevedimova Ekaterina Yurievna

The article “Environmental education of preschool children” was created for teachers of preschool educational institutions. This article discusses the issue of environmental education of preschool children in preschool educational institutions. What should you pay attention to in the development of environmental education? Through what directions should work on environmental education be carried out? What forms and methods of work to use when working with children and parents.

Creation date October 4, 2022.

Man and nature are closely interconnected. The human impact on the environment is on a global scale. Environmental problems are becoming the content of pedagogical programs in many countries. In the environmental education of preschool children, the main emphasis is on the fact that it is humans who are responsible for the pollution of nature and the extinction of many animal species. What is happening in society now? Adults behave as consumers in relation to nature, without thinking about what consequences there may be. A caring attitude towards nature should be cultivated from early childhood. A child who perceives the beauty of the world around him develops a feeling of attachment to the place where he lives, a desire to protect it, which will later lead to the love of his Motherland. This is the goal of environmental education, to instill love for the Motherland, for the native land. Children learn to respect all living things. As adults, children will be the real masters of their land, not only spending its resources, but also preserving and increasing it.

Taking into account the Federal State Educational Standard, the task that preschool pedagogy solves is the formation of the pupil as an integral, highly moral person. Only those who truly love their land and are devoted to their native land will become a true patriot.

Now the approach to environmental education has changed. Simple familiarization of children with natural phenomena has changed to environmental education. According to the Federal State Educational Standard, environmental education of preschool children is one of the components of the entire educational process. It not only develops thinking and speech, promotes the development of the emotional sphere, but also lays the foundations of morality and influences the development of the child’s personality as a whole.

The foundation laid in childhood will be the foundation of ecological culture. The child will develop a value system.

Environmental education involves work in the following areas:

Educational direction.
Developmental direction.
Educational direction.

The main goal of environmental education is to form the foundations of environmental consciousness and environmental culture.

It is carried out by solving a number of problems:

Enrich children with knowledge about nature.
To form ideas about the relationships and interdependence of all components of nature.
Instill practical skills and abilities
Develop the ability to notice beauty, protect the riches of native nature

Ecological culture involves not only the perception of the beauty of nature, but also its knowledge and active efforts to protect it. They observe and discuss rules of behavior with children, helping them gain practical experience in caring for plants and animals. As children grow, the range of children's responsibilities and tasks gradually expands. Environmental education aims to give children an understanding that there is a close connection between all living organisms. The child must understand that it is not good to cut down trees or destroy birds.

Environmental education in kindergarten can be carried out: with children, teaching staff, parents.

Forms of work with preschoolers in kindergarten on environmental education:

1 specially prepared groups, where the main role is given to the teacher in order to convey information to children:

direct educational activities
excursions
conversations about nature, animals and plants
reading literature
stories

2 joint activity, in which children actively participate together with the teacher, updating their ideas about natural laws and facts about natural patterns:

themed game
quizzes
observation
work in a living area

preparation of environmental holidays

3 independent activities of children. Application of this knowledge in practice. Children have the opportunity to take initiative

a game
work in a living area
holiday preparation

Working with parents

One of the conditions for environmental education is the joint activities of children with their families. Only through joint efforts with the family can we solve the main task - raising an environmentally literate person.

Forms of joint work: consultations, KVN, competitions, quizzes, meetings, trips, environmental holidays, joint improvement and landscaping of the group’s territory, exhibitions of drawings and crafts, family newspapers.

This form of work contributes to the ecological development of children and adults. The interaction of the kindergarten with the families of pupils improves the pedagogical culture of parents.

Organizing space in a group to create a favorable ecological environment implies the presence of a “living corner” where there are all the necessary conditions for caring for living nature. The educational effect is achieved if children are directly involved in the process, and not just by observations from the outside.

Environmental issues are very relevant now. Preschool institutions perform an important function for society - they help reveal the beauty of nature to the younger generation, teach them to appreciate and take care of it.

Bibliography:

Nikolaeva S.N. Methods of environmental education of preschool children. M:. Publishing, 2001.
Ivanov A.I. habitat. Environmental education program for preschool children. 2nd ed. Moscow: trading, 2009. 80 rub.
Bodrakova, N.i. environmental education of preschool children / Bodrakova N. I. / / kindergarten from A. to Z. - 2008. - Vol. 6. - pp. 104-109.
Vdovichenko, S. ecological models / Vdovichenko S., Vorobyova T. / / preschool education. — 2008. - No. 12. — P. 121-122.
https://razvitum. ru/articles/masters/2017-10-24-15-59-25

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Conditions for environmental education

The formation of knowledge and skills in ecology requires compliance with certain conditions in preschool institutions. The process itself involves nurturing the ecological culture of children of senior preschool age using the following approaches:

integrated approach, i.e. implementation of the process of environmental education through various types of activities: musical, theatrical, artistic, physical, gaming, labor;
organization of an ecological and developmental environment in kindergarten;
use of the surrounding nature as the development of ecological culture;
implementation of monitoring to identify the level of environmental education of preschool children.

“Environmental education of preschool children” article on the topic

"Environmental education for preschool children"

Barkhatova Irina Nikolaevna,

teacher of the private educational institution "Kindergarten "Dar"

Saint Petersburg

Relevance of environmental education for preschool children

In the modern world, environmental problems (environmental problems) have become of paramount importance. An urgent task has become the adoption of measures to protect the environment from pollution and destruction, preserve the entire genetic diversity of living beings, and preserve the gene pool of the planet. The task of environmental education of the population has become particularly acute under the current conditions. Primary importance is given to the environmental education of the younger generation - schoolchildren and preschoolers.

High-quality environmental education for children is currently very important. This is due to the fact that the environmental situation on the planet and in our country leaves much to be desired. Many environmental problems: thinning of the ozone shell, climate change, depletion of the natural soil layer, decreasing supplies of drinking water and natural resources, high concentrations of pollutants in the air - this is mainly the result of the lack of proper interaction between man and nature. Also, these problems are associated with the process of education of the population - its insufficiency and complete absence have given rise to a consumer attitude towards nature. The only way out of this situation is to acquire an ecological culture. And it is necessary to begin to instill this culture in children of preschool age. This has important social significance for the whole society! In addition, a significant part of the adult population - educators, parents, teachers - will be involved in this process, which is important for the overall greening of consciousness and thinking.

What is the essence of environmental education?

When raising children, we must pay special attention to the following issues:

understanding the intrinsic value of nature;
the child’s awareness of himself as a part of nature;
fostering a respectful attitude towards all species without exception, regardless of our likes and dislikes;
the formation of an emotionally positive attitude towards the world around us, the ability to see its beauty and uniqueness;
understanding that everything in nature is interconnected and the violation of one of the connections leads to other changes;
understanding that we cannot destroy what we cannot create;
developing in children a desire to preserve the environment, their awareness of the relationship between their own actions and the state of the environment;
mastering the basics of environmental safety;
mastering initial information about the rational use of natural resources;
developing skills of environmentally literate and safe behavior in everyday life.

Environmental education is based on the leading ideas of ecology adapted for preschool age: the organism and the environment, the community of organisms and the environment, man and the environment.

“Organism and environment” - the interaction of an individual organism with its habitat: the functioning of an ecosystem - a community of living organisms living in the same territory (having the same type of habitat) and interacting with each other. Both concepts, in the form of specific examples from the immediate environment of a preschool child, can be presented to him and become the basis for a developing view of nature and relationships with it.

“Man and environment” - the interaction of man with nature - the second, extremely important aspect of ecology, which has become the basis of rapidly developing industries - social ecology, human ecology - cannot remain aloof from the knowledge of the modern child. Specific examples of human use of natural resources and the consequences of this impact on nature and human health can be adopted by preschool pedagogy in order to form an initial position on this issue in children.

The purpose and objectives of environmental education for preschool children

The formulation of goals and objectives largely determines the content of education. As I.D. Zverev, a well-known specialist in the field of environmental education, rightly notes, until now “there is no unambiguous and acceptable definition of the main goal of environmental education.” This issue is especially relevant for environmental education of preschool children as a new direction (including the education of children, parents, and teachers). I.D. Zverev proposes to consider environmental education as “a continuous process of training, education and personal development, aimed at forming a system of knowledge, skills, value orientations, moral, ethical and aesthetic relations that ensure the individual’s environmental responsibility for the condition and improvement of the socio-natural environment.”

He emphasizes that the pedagogical objectives of environmental education concern:

Training - mastering knowledge about the relationship between nature, society and man; formation of practical skills to resolve environmental problems.
Education – value orientations, motives, needs, habits of active environmental protection.
Development – the ability to analyze environmental situations, evaluate the aesthetic state of the environment.

The goal is the formation of the principles of ecological culture - the basic components of personality, which allow in the future to successfully appropriate in the aggregate the practical and spiritual experience of interaction between humanity and nature, which will ensure its survival and development.

The objectives are the tasks of creating and implementing an educational model that achieves an effect - obvious manifestations of the principles of environmental culture in children preparing to enter school.

They boil down to the following:

— creating an atmosphere in the teaching staff of the importance of environmental problems and the priority of environmental education;

— creation in a preschool institution of conditions that ensure the pedagogical process of environmental education;

— systematic training of teachers: mastering the methods of environmental education, improving environmental propaganda among parents;

— carrying out systematic work with children within the framework of one or another technology, its constant improvement;

- identifying the level of ecological culture - real achievements in the intellectual, emotional, behavioral spheres of the child’s personality in its interaction with nature, objects, people and self-assessments.

The formation of the principles of ecological culture is the formation of a consciously correct attitude directly towards nature itself in all its diversity, towards the people who protect and create it, as well as towards the people who create material or spiritual values based on its wealth. It is also an attitude towards oneself as a part of nature, an understanding of the value of life and health and their dependence on the state of the environment.

The peculiarity of the formation of the principles of ecological culture is that the elements of ecological culture are formed on the basis of the interaction of children under the guidance of adults with the objective-natural world that surrounds them: plants, animals (communities of living organisms), their habitat, objects made by people from natural materials origin.

Contents of environmental education. What is it?

The content of environmental education includes two aspects: the transfer of environmental knowledge and its transformation into attitude. Knowledge is an obligatory component of the process of forming the principles of ecological culture, and attitude is its final product. Truly ecological knowledge forms the conscious nature of the relationship and gives rise to environmental consciousness.

What is the content of economic knowledge available to preschoolers?

The study of the laws of nature can begin in preschool childhood as part of environmental education. The possibility and success of this process has been proven by numerous psychological and pedagogical domestic studies.

In this case, the content of environmental knowledge covers the following circle:

1. The connection of plant and animal organisms with their habitat, morphofunctional adaptability to it; connection with the environment in the process of growth and development.

2. The diversity of living organisms, their ecological unity; communities of living organisms.

3. Man as a living being, his habitat, ensuring health and normal functioning.

4. Use of natural resources in human economic activity, environmental pollution; protection and restoration of natural resources.

What methods are particularly significant in environmental education? How do they differ from traditional methods of preschool pedagogy?

We can distinguish five groups of methods, the integrated use of which leads to an increase in the level of environmental education of children and the development of the environmental orientation of their personality.

1. The joint activity of the teacher and children to create and maintain the necessary living conditions for living beings is the main method of environmental education for children. It is aimed at developing their practical skills and abilities. Tracking objects—the results of cultivation—allows you to correct developing skills and ensures their conscious nature. The green area of the kindergarten allows you to organize year-round maintenance and cultivation of plants and animals. Good results in environmental education are achieved when this method is combined with experimentation and modeling activities. Caring for things, practical participation in their repair and renovation also contribute to the development of the necessary practical skills in children.

2. Observation is a method of sensory knowledge of nature. Provides direct contact with nature, living objects, and the environment.

3. Organization of long-term observations (cycles) is a condition for a thorough knowledge of the relationship of plants and animals with their environment, their morphofunctional adaptability. Observation is the main way of forming specific (sensory) ideas about nature in preschoolers, the basis of imaginative thinking.

4. The modeling method occupies a significant place in the environmental education system. Working with nature calendars, perceiving works of art created by professionals (art paintings, musical and literary works), folk crafts that reflect the motives of nature - make it possible to clarify, consolidate and expand children’s ideas obtained through direct contact with nature.

5. The verbal-literary method is distinguished as an independent method due to the great specificity of speech activity. The word in one form or another accompanies any activity; in environmental education it can perform important functions. In the form of dialogue (conversation, discussion), there is a constant expansion and adjustment of specific ideas about nature and the activities of people in it. Through a “monologue” (the teacher’s story, reading books), children are initiated into new areas of knowledge. The third form of speech education is very important - conducting a conversation with children constructed in a certain logic, in which an understanding of the connections in nature, the dependence of the life of a living object and the environment is formed, and an awareness of the patterns of phenomena occurs. With the help of such a conversation, preschoolers reach a new (generalized) level of understanding of natural phenomena. This is the beginning of the formation of environmental thinking, environmental consciousness.

These methods differ from traditional methods of preschool pedagogy in that these are not just methods of introducing children to nature, but methods of environmental education.

Working with families on environmental education

Family and preschool are two important institutions for the socialization of children. Their educational functions are different, but their interaction is necessary for the comprehensive development of the child. Working with parents on environmental education for preschool children is one of the components of the work of a preschool institution. Only by relying on the family, only through joint efforts can we solve the main task - raising an environmentally literate person.

When working with parents on environmental education for children, it is necessary to use both traditional forms (parent meetings, consultations, conversations, conferences) and non-traditional ones (business games, pedagogical services bureau, direct telephone, round table, discussions). But all these forms must be based on a pedagogy of cooperation. Work should be carried out in two directions:

1) teacher - parent;

2) teacher - child - parent.

Before planning your work, you need to understand who you will be working with (the educational level of the parents, the psychological state of the family, its microclimate).

Areas of work with parents

1. Environmental information. The most relevant information for adults is the following:

- data on the environmental situation in their city, neighborhood of a kindergarten, residential area, park where they relax, summer cottage;

— information about the dependence of the child’s health on the quality of the environment;

— rules of conduct in extreme conditions (adverse environmental situations, disasters);

- home ecology;

— growing environmentally friendly crops;

— indoor, medicinal, food plants;

— choosing environmentally friendly places for walking with children and outdoor recreation;

- Pets, their maintenance in the house and their importance for the child;

— development of the child as an individual in the process of environmental education;

- information from the child himself about activities in kindergarten.

Adults receive environmental information at parent-teacher meetings, on joint trips with children, while visiting an environmental room, a living corner, or the territory of a kindergarten. Thus, parents of many kindergartens show great interest in the data of their “Ecological Passports,” especially in the “Ecological Situation” section. The problem of “child health - environment” is closely related to the problem of environmental safety.

Issues of environmental education can be included in the program of consultations for parents expecting a child, and in the programs of consultation centers that help parents prepare their child for entering kindergarten, and short-term groups.

2. Joint activities with children:

- during joint hikes and excursions, the situation itself makes parents interested in various issues of natural science and ecology, especially since children constantly ask questions;

— participation in environmental holidays and in preparation for them;

— joint care of animals and plants: actively involving children in caring for pets and instilling responsibility for their life and health. The kindergarten needs to show the role of animals and indoor plants in raising a child, and recommend that parents purchase, if possible, a living creature. Another direction is to attract adults to a corner of nature. Sometimes parents send their pet to a kindergarten for a while, take the inhabitants of the corner to their home for the summer, help purchase animals, create conditions for them;

— collecting collections of natural materials, stamps, postcards, calendars, badges for the environmental room, exhibits for the nature museum. It is very important for a child that dad and mom support his interests.

- exhibitions of joint drawings, models, crafts from waste materials, photographs (for example, on the topics “My family on the river”, “My family in the country”, “Me and nature”, “Our pets”);

— assistance in equipping an environmental room, a corner of nature, a laboratory, a library;

— environmental actions (cleaning the territory of a kindergarten, park, house, planting trees, decorating feeders)

Bibliography:

Veresov N.N. “Fundamentals of a humanitarian approach to environmental education of older preschool children” D/V No. 7, 1993
Kazakova M.V. “Man, nature, world” Ryazan 1993
Methods of environmental education of preschool children Proc. aid for students avg. ped. textbook establishments. — 2nd ed., rev. - M.: Publishing House, 2001. - 184 p.
The world of nature and the child (Methodology of environmental education of preschool children): A textbook for pedagogical schools in the specialty “Preschool education” / L. A. Kameneva, N. N. Kondratyeva, L. M. Manevtsova, E. F. Terentyeva; edited by L. M. Manevtsova, P. G. Samorukova, - St. Petersburg: AKTSIDENT, 1998. — 319 pp.: ill.-2nd edition, revised and expanded
Nikolaeva S.N. “How to introduce a child to nature” (methodological recommendations for preschool institutions) M, 1993.

System of work on education of ecological culture of preschool children

Forms of environmental education

Classes

The main form of environmental education in kindergarten is an activity. On them, children’s intuitive ideas are transformed, deepened, and expanded. The process of environmental education of preschoolers takes place in several types of classes:

During the initial orientation classes, children get acquainted with plants and animals, their habitat and growth, and living conditions. This refers to those objects of nature that cannot be observed around you. The teacher talks about plants and animals, shows their appearance, introduces them to the manners, habits of animals, and the characteristics of plant growth. Paintings, videos, conversation, reading excerpts from works of art, for example, stories by V. Bianchi, are used as visual aids. Introductory classes are held in all groups.
In-depth cognitive classes are designed to form preschoolers' understanding of the connections between plants and animals, the relationship between plant growth and the weather conditions of a certain area, the dependence of animals on environmental factors, the adaptability of animals, reptiles, and birds to natural conditions. The means of visualization here can be demonstration of models of natural complexes, targeted conversation, and primitive experiments.
In general-type classes, knowledge is systematized, a unified picture of a particular natural environment is formed, conclusions are drawn about the relationship of flora and fauna, climatic conditions, and soil. For example, general lessons on the topics “Autumn”, “Winter”, “Spring”, “Summer”.
Classes of a complex nature are based on the interaction of different types of activities: creative, gaming, artistic. They often extend beyond one activity. Alternating between playing and drawing, reading and watching does not tire preschoolers. If this happens, physical exercises or physical exercises come to the rescue.

Excursions

This is one of the most interesting forms of work. The advantage of the excursion is that preschoolers can directly contemplate the inhabitants of a zoo, park, meadow, or square. They can listen to birds singing, smell flowers, stroke animals and reptiles, examine their appearance, observe their behavior and nutrition. These are nature excursions.

You can take your children on excursions to agricultural enterprises: greenhouses, orchards, greenhouses, vegetable gardens. Such trips are organized to get acquainted with the work of people at different enterprises. Conducting excursions requires a lot of preparation: the teacher needs to familiarize himself with the method of conducting it, think through the main stages, types of activities, techniques that may be of interest to preschool children.

Search activity

Primary search activities are organized for older preschoolers. In the course of joint work, a problematic question is formulated that requires searching for an answer: why do birds fly south? Why is the snow melting? Why are the leaves falling?

The search activity represents either a heuristic conversation, an observation, or an experiment.

Means of environmental education for preschool children

Tatiana Konovalova

Means of environmental education for preschool children

The goal of environmental education is the formation of a new type of person with new ecological thinking , capable of realizing the consequences of his actions in relation to the environment and able to live in relative harmony with nature. Already at an older age, children without much effort learn a complex of environmental knowledge , if the knowledge is presented in an accessible, exciting form and if the child’s interest in natural phenomena is taken into account.

Ecology is the science of the relationships of living organisms with the environment and with each other . Consequently, the task of environmental education should be to develop in a preschooler an understanding of the existing connections between living organisms, their connections with the environment and the idea that in nature living organisms do not exist separately from each other, but form various ecosystems (forest, lake, swamp )

.
Children should also become familiar with the development of living organisms and the seasonal changes in their lives. This approach to the study of nature - that is, from the point of view of the relationships existing in it - allows children to logically lead to an understanding of human influence on the environment .
One of the tasks of environmental education is to form in the child an idea of man not as a master, but as a part of nature that depends on it. It is necessary to eradicate the consumer attitude towards nature.

Environmental education of preschoolers must be carried out in special classes. However, children can receive elements of environmental knowledge in mathematics classes, music classes, speech development classes, labor training, and fine arts. For the purposes of environmental education, stories, poems about nature, fairy tales, and famous children's works are used.

Visual aids are used for classes: these are pictures about nature, albums, works of art, collections of stones, plant seeds, and game materials. You cannot collect collections of butterflies and beetles, as this is contrary to the principles of environmental education .

With preschool , you can conduct simple experiments with various objects of animate and inanimate nature. Experiments encourage children to compare, contrast, develop observation, perception , and thinking. Many experiments can be carried out while walking.

To protect and truly love nature, you need to know it. Ignorance of nature often causes indifference, and sometimes even cruelty towards all living things. Sometimes a child can break a branch, hit a frog with a stick, trample a beetle, ruin an anthill, without even suspecting that this causes great harm to nature. We cultivate a caring attitude towards nature from a very early age.

In communication with nature, children's curiosity develops, their horizons expand, interest in work appears, and a sense of beauty awakens. of great importance for instilling in children a love for their native land and the development of speech. As a result, the child’s ideas expand and deepen, his vocabulary is enriched, and his ability to coherently express his impressions of what he sees is strengthened.

Therefore, we need to teach children to see the beauty of the surrounding nature. To solve this problem, it is important, first of all, the ability of the teacher to appreciate and love his native nature, to find beauty in both a bright sunny summer morning and a cloudy rainy autumn day, as well as to properly organize the work of children.

It is necessary to constantly monitor changes in nature. Inspect the plants on the site daily. Pay attention to the shape and color of the leaves. Watch how flocks of migratory birds - wild ducks, geese - fly south to warmer climes.

On one of the cloudy days of autumn, when, it would seem, there was nothing to be happy about, you can invite the children to go around the entire area and tell who liked which tree best.

How much joy and new experiences winter brings to children! They carefully examine snowflakes, their patterns and shapes, and are interested in how an icicle is formed. Children look at trees covered with frost.

Bird watching is a must in winter. Explain to children that starlings and other birds fly to warmer regions for the winter. But they don’t build nests there, don’t hatch chicks, but wait until it gets warmer here and then they can return to their homeland.

In the kindergarten on the site, children feed the birds. Explain to the children that all these birds fly close to their homes to feed themselves, and people help them endure the harsh winter.

The awakening of nature after winter sleep brings children a lot of joy. There are no leaves on the trees yet, there is snow under the bushes, and the first young grass is already turning green on the hillock.

At the same time, you need to work with parents: organize consultations to explain what needs to be observed with children in nature. Parents are advised to go with their children to the spring forest, look at the first spring flowers and twigs, and listen to the birds singing.

One of the forms of communication with nature is excursions. They differ from walks in a clearer structure, specific cognitive and educational tasks , and content. During an excursion, the mental development of children is influenced by various educational activities: observations of natural phenomena, explanations from adults, word games, guessing riddles.

Excursions are organized for children of the senior and preparatory groups. Their venue is a park, garden, river, meadow. Excursions into nature are lively and interesting in the same place at different times of the year. Drawing children's attention to bird voices, to the changes occurring in the meadow, forest, river in different weather, at different times of the year, it is important to teach children not only to admire what they see, but also to observe, understand some natural phenomena, take care of it, and protect it. and increase its wealth. With its diversity, nature has an emotional impact on the child, causing him surprise and a desire to learn more.

Environmental education of children should be considered, first of all, as moral education , because the basis of a person’s attitude to the natural world around him should be humane feelings, that is, awareness of the value of any manifestation of life, the desire to protect and preserve nature.

When forming a humane attitude towards nature, one must proceed from the following: the main thing is that the child understands that man and nature are interconnected, therefore caring for nature is caring for man, his future, and what harms nature harms man.

It is very important to show children that in relation to nature they occupy the position of the stronger side and therefore must patronize it, protect it and take care of it.

Of course, knowledge alone is not enough to form in children a humane attitude towards nature - it is necessary to include it in practical activities feasible for their age, for which it is necessary to create conditions for constant and full communication of children with living nature.

We must teach children to love, to spare nature, to admire it. And for this it is necessary to do everything possible: set an example of a kind attitude towards all living things, constantly enrich the child with impressions, use smart games and aids for this.

Methods and techniques of environmental education

The methodology of environmental education for preschool children involves 3 groups of methods:

Visual: looking at pictures, modeling, watching films, observations.
Practical: games, experiments, physical labor.
Verbal: story, reading.

Visual methods

The formation of adequate ideas about the environment is possible by using visual aids in the classroom. Keeping weather calendars, getting acquainted with the paintings of famous landscape artists, watching documentaries about forests, meadows, and mountains expands and deepens preschoolers’ understanding of nature, and consolidates knowledge about the interaction of representatives of living and inanimate nature.

Observation makes it possible to understand the relationship between animals and plants, their adaptability to the conditions of the natural environment. It develops imaginative thinking and increases interest in observed objects. Examples of topics in the younger group: acquaintance with the bird, its appearance, its feeding, behavior; in the older group: the bird’s living conditions, its hearing, rest, sleep.

Modeling models of a forest, meadow, lake, field can become a common project for children, teachers and parents. Joint activities will strengthen the positive outlook of project participants.

Practical methods

In older preschool age, children begin to show curiosity, and in this period such practical methods as primitive experience and experiment are effective.

It is interesting to conduct small experiments with water, sand, clay, stone. All these materials make up the natural landscape. Teachers suggest freezing water, giving it different colors, comparing the strength of wood and stone, and watching how sand and clay pass water. These are small experiments that arouse the interest of a five-year-old child.

Verbal methods

Here everything depends on the teacher’s ability to talk interestingly about the life of plants and animals. Diction, intonation, and tone of voice also play a big role in awakening children’s interest in the life around them. The story may be accompanied by a conversation between the teacher and the children.

Reading passages from educational and fiction literature develops the imagination, enhances mental activity, generates curiosity, gives rise to curiosity, and a desire to understand the natural world.

Environmental development of children

Maria Maslova

Environmental development of children

1.«Environmental development of children»

1.1 The role of nature in environmental education of preschool children

In the "Kindergarten Education Program"

The comprehensive
development of children is provided - physical , mental, moral, labor and aesthetic. In the process of children’s : play, study, work, the child’s personality is formed.
children’s activities is the knowledge and skills that they develop in the process of getting to know the environment, in particular nature. We think that familiarization with nature is one of the main means of comprehensive development of preschool children . It is carried out in the process of formation in their minds of specific knowledge about the phenomena of inanimate and living nature.

Environmental education is a new category that is directly related to the science of ecology and its various branches.

For the development of a child’s thinking and speech, a rich sensory experience is necessary, which he receives from the perception of various objects, the natural world, and social life.

Nature surrounds a child from an early age. We believe that this is a source of new knowledge of various natural phenomena.

The special role of nature in the development of logical thinking and coherent speech was emphasized by K. D. Ushinsky. He considered the logic of nature to be the most accessible, visual and useful for a child. It is the direct observation of the surrounding nature that “...will constitute those initial logical exercises of thought on which the logicality, the truth of the word itself depends, and from which logical speech and understanding of grammatical laws will then follow naturally.”

The ability to observe, developed in the process of learning about nature, gives rise to the habit of drawing conclusions, fosters the logic of thought, clarity and beauty of speech - the development of thinking and speech occurs as a single process.

Every acquaintance with nature is a lesson in the development of a child’s mind , creativity, and feelings.

The diversity, brightness, beauty of nature, the clarity of its connections and dependencies ensure that children can understand them and have a significant impact on the improvement of their mental activity. The child learns to find and correctly define in words causal and temporal dependence, sequence, interconnection of objects and natural phenomena, and learns to simply explain what is observed. Children's ability , compare, and draw conclusions is improved. This creates the prerequisites for the formation of such valuable qualities of coherent speech as reliability, evidence, consistency, and clarity. The child learns to reason, tell, describe.

In order for the development of a child’s thinking when becoming acquainted with nature to reach the highest possible level, the teacher’s purposeful guidance of this process is necessary.

The teacher must be able to correctly select educational material and think through the methods and techniques with which he can best convey its content.

The beauty and diversity of nature at any time of the year, the changes within each of them directly affect the emotional state of children , make them want to observe, ask, reason, tell. Observing bright, colorful phenomena (leaf fall, snowfall, blizzard, thunderstorm), children want to understand them, ask questions and gradually come to understand them, they can explain why birds fly away in the fall, why puddles are frozen today, why the snow is melting, etc. This creates favorable conditions for the development of logical thinking and speech.

During his stay in kindergarten, the child must learn to notice and highlight the characteristic features of the season, establish the simplest connections and dependencies between objects and phenomena, acquire fairly systematic knowledge about the life of animals and plants, then general tasks that are specified depending on the age of the children : gradually expand and become more complicated.

In the middle group, children should know what phenomena are characteristic of each season, highlight some signs of the season, for example: fruits ripen in the fall, birds fly away, leaves fall. At the same age, children can already establish the simplest connections, for example: between the appearance of vegetables and fruits and their degree of ripeness, between the properties of snow and the state of the weather, between people’s work and the time of year.

The teacher leads the children to understand the dependence of animal life on the season and the need to create certain conditions for plant growth.

Children in the older group should know and independently identify several characteristic signs of the season, the features of its beginning and end, and know the sequence of seasons; establish a relationship between the state of inanimate nature, flora, labor and life of people.

In the school preparatory group, children can already explain some causal, sequential and temporal relationships; compare not only sharply different, but also initially similar “adjacent”

seasons, finding distinctive, similar and common features; when characterizing the season, they can identify signs of inanimate nature, flora and fauna, labor and life of people.

Thus, when cultivating an aesthetic attitude towards nature in a variety of activities, the teacher faces a twofold task. On the one hand, it is necessary to organize specific activities that directly expose preschoolers to the beauty of nature. On the other hand, one must be able to combine any activity with knowledge of the aesthetic properties of the environment, including those that, due to their specificity, form other than aesthetic attitudes towards the outside world. For example, to develop the ability to perceive the beauty of nature, it is important that cognitive tasks are posed quite often. Pedagogical situations that stimulate the aesthetic perception of nature must be created regularly.

1.2 Familiarizing children with the nature of their native land in the pedagogical process of preschool educational institutions

Nurturing children's correct attitude towards nature and the ability to carefully handle living beings can be fully implemented in the preschool period only if the system of work in kindergarten is combined with the impact on children in the family.

To create and improve a developmental environment in the family and ensure adequate interaction between adults and children, you can work with parents.

Establish contact, mutual understanding and identify the needs of parents in matters of raising children . First of all, in order to establish contact and mutual understanding with parents, it is necessary for each teacher to assess what capabilities he has to help parents in raising their children . In addition, it is important to think about what kind of help parents would like to receive from the kindergarten. This way teachers can identify a preliminary “picture”

interaction and compare it with their capabilities.

It is necessary to take into account that parents may not know all the capabilities of teachers in solving the problems of raising children ; therefore, they will need to be disclosed to parents. In this regard, teachers can offer parents a questionnaire or conduct a conversation with them. This is possible when holding parent meetings, organizing messages or lectures.

Having provided parents with information about the relevance of environmental education for the development of the child and his future life, teachers need to introduce parents to the system of work of the preschool institution in this direction. Parents should know how the child’s life and activities are organized during the day.

The entire subject and social environment at home and in the family influences the development of the child .

These are TV shows for children , keeping indoor plants and pets.

The ability to see and understand the state of another living being is a subtle respect for the child’s soul, depending on interest in a plant or animal, on the degree of development of observation and moral feelings. This is where responsibility for all living things begins.

By nurturing children's interest in the mysterious world of plants, children get acquainted with specific types of indoor plants, learn their names and characteristic features. They learn that they are living beings and they have needs for certain living conditions: that all plants need nutritious soil (earth, water, light, heat, air. The child, with the help of an adult, learns that without these conditions they cannot remain alive. These A person creates conditions for them: he plants them in a pot with soil, waters them regularly, sometimes feeds them with fertilizers, puts them in a bright place, and does not allow them to cool.

Houseplants have a certain structure: they have a root, a stem, leaves, and sometimes flowers. Root (and some also stem)

is in the ground;
the root absorbs water and nutrients from it, breathes air, and keeps the plant from falling. The stem carries nutrients and moisture to the leaves and flowers. Children will learn that leaves are most often green, there are many of them, the plant absorbs light with them, breathes, cleaning their leaves from dust, first together with an adult, and then independently, the preschooler will be able to provide effective help to green friends, the child will learn that plants need all organs, Therefore, they must not be damaged and must be cared for carefully. breed indoor plants for aesthetic pleasure, to make the room beautiful. Each of them is beautiful in its own way: leaves, stems, flowers.
All plants are beautiful if they are in good condition, grow and bloom. The beauty of indoor plants is achieved by creating good conditions for them. Indoor plants may not feel well (in this case, they look bad if their needs are not met: pale color of the leaves, elongated stems occur with a lack of light; dry out with a lack of moisture; wither and die due to frostbite; do not grow (do not produce new leaves, shoots, do not bloom when there is a lack of nutrients in the soil. Indoor plants have different needs, their structure is adapted to different living conditions. Moisture-loving plants have thin leaves, they should be watered frequently. Drought-resistant plants have fleshy leaves, thickened stems, which store moisture, they should be watered rarely. Light-loving plants are bright green in color, with a bright pattern, they should be placed on the window, closer to the light. Shade-tolerant plants most often have dark-colored leaves, they can be placed near the window, not far from it.

Children develop cognitive interest - they independently examine plants, willingly participate in observations, make sketches, and ask questions. Children develop aesthetic senses, the ability to notice and appreciate the attractive qualities of indoor plants: the beauty of the shape and color of leaves, climbing stems, the beauty of a flowering plant. Children willingly participate in replanting plants, notice and react emotionally to the sprouts, buds, and flowers that appear. The perception of indoor plants as living beings also develops (withered leaves, pale color, elongated stems, etc.)

;
detect insufficient conditions for their life (dry soil, low light)
. Children sympathize with the plant: they inform adults about noticed problems, willingly carry out instructions for caring for plants, and help with their replanting.

If there is a dog or a cat in the family, then children get an idea about the cat, dog, features of appearance and behavior. They learn more about the life of these animals, they understand that the life of these animals is closely connected with humans. Children should know the appearance features of some wild animals, their movement, habits, what and how they eat, where they live, whether they bring benefit or harm to humans; gain an understanding of keeping and feeding domestic animals.

It’s good if the child is taught to take the animal’s rest into account. A four-legged friend is sleeping, and there is no need to disturb him; if he wakes up, then you can play with him. Observing sleeping animals is also interesting: a cat takes the most unusual poses, dogs often have dreams, and they squeal, grumble, and move their paws.

Since the child is constantly in the world of play and knows how to handle animals well, he nevertheless includes them in his games as partners, not always taking into account that they are alive.

Of course, the correct treatment of a child with an animal in itself will not solve all the problems of upbringing. But there is no doubt that communication with living nature plays an important role in the development of a little person’s personality.

Children show interest in the life of pets, willingly observe them, their behavior, ask questions, listen to stories and fairy tales. They understand their desires and needs, show a willingness to care for them, know how to treat them correctly (stroke, play, talk affectionately, reflect these impressions in games and activities.

Having analyzed the experience of teachers in environmental education of preschool children, we consider it possible to present the following methodology of environmental education in preschool educational institutions :

environmental education in kindergarten : a developing environment , a fund of methodological, visual and illustrative materials.

— Organization of “ ecological spaces ”

in the kindergarten premises: group nature corners, winter garden, greenhouse, nature room
(salon)
.
Selection and placement of plants in accordance with their biological characteristics. The ecological principle of keeping animals, equipping their premises for natural living conditions.
An aquarium is a model of a freshwater reservoir, an artificially created mini-ecosystem. Proper care is a way to maintain its balance. — Organization and equipment “ ecological spaces ”

on the kindergarten site: nature playgrounds, microfarms,
“corners of untouched nature” (forests, meadows, wastelands)
.
Ecological trail in the kindergarten area: equipment, use in the pedagogical process.
— Human labor as an environment-forming factor in the life of plants and animals. Creating working conditions for children and adults in the natural area of the kindergarten. Growing and preparing animal feed.

— Observation is the leading method of environmental education .

— The essence of observation as a sensory method of understanding nature. Leading role, ecological nature of the content of observations. Knowledge in the process of observations of the morphofunctional characteristics of living beings, their relationship with the environment, the diversity of species, the processes of growth and development of plants and animals .

Psychological and pedagogical justification for the ecological content approach to observation.

— Observations in everyday life are the leading form of introducing children to the surrounding nature. Requirements for conducting observations. Cycles of observations of natural objects: determining the content of individual observations, constructing their sequence, planning. Development of cycles of observations of the inhabitants of a corner of nature, seasonal phenomena, growth and development of plants and animals in the green zone of the kindergarten.

— Organizing and conducting experimental work with natural objects of the Native Land, modernizing activities with them. Observing changes in natural objects, tracing and discussing their relationships with the environment.

— Nature calendars and their role in environmental education . A week-long method of introducing preschoolers to seasonal natural phenomena; working with the calendar in different age groups of kindergarten. Recording the growth and development of a plant in a calendar. Winter feeding of birds, its environmental significance. Calendar for observing wintering birds and working with them in different age groups.

— Environmental education in classes, during excursions, and holidays.

— Various types of classes to familiarize children with the nature of their native land: primary educational, in-depth cognitive generalizing, complex. The leading role of verbal methods in teaching in the classroom. Formation of generalized ideas about nature. Types of visualization, its role and place in natural history classes. Children's natural history literature, its use for environmental education .

— Children's parties with environmental content , development of scenarios, holding. Participation of preschool children in environmental activities.

— Walks, excursions, nature trips with children, their role in environmental education . Introducing children to the forest , river (pond, lake, meadow (clearing)

like ecosystems. Organization of observations of plants and animals in their natural habitat; tracing relationships and food chains in communities of living organisms.

So, introducing children to the nature of their native land in kindergarten requires constant direct communication with it.

Effective environmental education through play activities

Through the game, the understanding of the life of plants and animals gained during excursions and direct contact with the inhabitants of the meadow, forest, and pond is consolidated.

Ecological game technology:

Selecting a topic from the program.
Determining the purpose and conditions of the game.
Thinking through the stages of the game.
Distribution of roles.
Getting to know the rules.

The method of teaching such games depends on the characteristics of the preschooler’s age. There are different types of games: subject, board, verbal, creative. When creating creative game situations, you can use fairy-tale characters.

For example, Little Red Riding Hood goes to her grandmother through the forest and can meet its different inhabitants and collect leaves of forest trees. Toys are important for games: dolls, fish, animals. They should be aesthetic, bright, realistic. In this case, the game stimulates the activity of children and increases their emotional mood.

Creating a favorable ecological environment

The process will be successful when a favorable, positive ecological environment is created around the child.

The presence of experimental plots in the garden, an ecological trail, a winter garden, an aquarium, and a living corner makes it possible to increase the efficiency of all forms and methods of work in this area.

There should be no unfoundedness. Children need to see everything in person, touch it, smell it, stroke it. Then the common efforts of educators and parents will bring results.