Methodological development “Methods of environmental education of preschool children”

Methodological development “Methods of environmental education of preschool children”

The next verbal method is reading works of fiction.

In the hands of a teacher, a children's book about nature has great educational value. It expands children's understanding and introduces them to phenomena that are impossible to directly perceive. A natural history book reveals to children the phenomena of inanimate nature, helps to establish connections and relationships that exist in nature.

The founders of Soviet children's natural history books are V.V. Bianchi, M.M. Prishvin, Paustovsky, Sladkov. Pavlova introduced a new genre - environmental fairy tales, which in a fascinating way introduce the creatures inhabiting planet Earth, teach us to understand their needs and relationships, and reveal the secrets of complex phenomena and miraculous transformations in nature. The ecological fairy tale was further developed by Shorygina and Ryzhova.

Practical methods.

One of the practical methods of environmental education is play.

While playing, children learn about the natural environment, their knowledge about objects, objects, and natural phenomena noticeably expands and becomes more specific.

Play activities also have an impact on the development of children’s humane feelings towards nature and their cognitive attitude towards it.

A special place and importance in the system of environmental education for preschoolers is occupied by didactic, that is, educational games.

Didactic games are games with ready-made content and rules. In the process of didactic play, children clarify, specify, consolidate, expand, and systematize their ideas about nature. At the same time, the didactic game influences the development of preschoolers’ mental operations (such as analysis, synthesis, comparison, generalization, classification, etc.)

In the process of environmental education of preschoolers, the following types of didactic games are used:

subject;

desktop-printed;

verbal;

creative.

Didactic games should be used starting from the younger age group.

Creative games are of great importance in the system of classes with children on environmental topics.

Construction games with natural materials

(sand, water, clay, cones, pebbles, etc.). They have a positive impact on the process of children learning specific properties and qualities of natural objects. In the process of these games, children’s sensory experience is enriched, improved, and cognitive abilities are developed. Construction games can also be used to prepare children for practical research activities, since during these games children often learn problem situations related to the physical properties of materials (for example, why dry sand crumbles, but wet sand can be used to make Easter cakes).

Theory and methodology of environmental education; methodological development on the topic

Features of environmental education of preschool children.

Currently, the problem of environmental education is relevant. In modern society, environmental consciousness has not been formed. To solve this problem, the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation requires that the formation of environmental knowledge in preschoolers be included in the educational process, starting from a young age.

Environmental education in preschool age is primarily aimed at developing the child’s humane feelings and accumulating emotionally positive experiences with nature.

Environmental education for preschoolers involves creating a system of work in kindergarten that would become an interesting, exciting process for both children and adults.

Ecology is the science of the interactions of living organisms with each other and the environment.

Environmental education is the formation of a consciously correct attitude of children towards an object of nature. It is advisable to engage in environmental education of children from the first years of life.

Environmental education includes intellectual, emotional, aesthetic and effective aspects. All three aspects are interconnected and form a moral basis, which is manifested in the child’s behavior.

Environmental education of a child involves:

• Fostering a humane attitude towards nature (moral education);
• Formation of a system of environmental knowledge and ideas (intellectual development);
• Development of aesthetic feelings (the ability to see and feel the beauty of nature, admire it, the desire to preserve it);
• Participation of children in activities feasible for them to care for plants and animals.

A child’s consciously correct attitude towards nature is based on basic knowledge of an ecological nature.

Ecological knowledge is information about the relationship of specific plants and animals with their environment, about their adaptability to it.

The process of introducing children to environmental culture occurs from early preschool age. As a rule, all areas of preschool childhood play a fundamental role in the environmental education of a child: family, peers, various types of educational institutions. The influence of a preschool institution on the formation of environmental knowledge can be decisive.

The environment, its proper organization in a preschool educational institution and the skillful inclusion of the child in active interaction with the surrounding objective and natural world are one of the conditions for the effectiveness of the formation of environmental knowledge in a preschool institution. The effective influence of the environment on the personality of a child in a preschool educational institution largely depends on the ability of teachers to organize such an environment.

The experience of many educators at Russian preschool educational institutions shows that in the process of environmental education and upbringing of preschool children, it is necessary to form a structure of holistic knowledge about the unity of earth, air, flora and fauna, the relationship and interdependence of man with the natural world.

For environmental education in preschool educational institutions, the following conditions are necessary:

1. creating a corner of living and inanimate nature in the group;
2. creation of external natural areas on the territory of the preschool institution - garden, vegetable garden, ecological trail, recreation area, “bird canteen”, etc.;
3. interaction with parents to integrate environmental education with family education;
4. organization of research and environmental activities of children based on a combination of feasible child labor with play situations.

This form of organizing children's research and environmental activities solves the problem of developing in children an understanding of the interconnections of all living and nonliving things in nature.

The objectives of environmental education are:

1. developing children's skills and abilities to care for plants and animals;
2. education of children’s sensory-emotional reactions to the environment;
3. nurturing in children a caring attitude towards nature through targeted communication with the environment;
4. education of aesthetic and patriotic feelings by means of nature.

Currently, there are a number of environmental programs for preschool educational institutions. Most of them are based on the formation in preschoolers of a cognitive attitude towards nature, labor skills and abilities, an understanding of the meaning of work as an activity to satisfy the needs of living beings; on cultivating an interest in work and nature, a careful and caring attitude towards nature, a humane and active attitude towards all living things; on the development of an ecological and aesthetic vision of nature, an aesthetic attitude towards it; to educate environmentally appropriate behavior in nature.

When working with children to develop an environmental culture, it is important to know the following principles of environmental education and education of preschool children:

1. the principle of the developing and educational nature of knowledge about nature (the selection of knowledge about nature should be made taking into account the goals and objectives of environmental education of preschool children, their age capabilities);
2. the principle of scientificity in the selection of knowledge content. It is necessary to proceed from the leading goals of modern natural science (the idea of ​​the diversity of nature, the unity of the living and the nonliving, the relationship between the organism and the environment, the adaptability of the living to the conditions of existence, the variability of nature, the essence of the interaction between man and nature) and scientific concepts (plants and animals - living beings; living and inanimate; growth and development; biocenosis, etc.);
3. the principle of encyclopedicity in the selection of knowledge content;
4. the principle of taking into account the systematic character of knowledge about nature at different age stages;
5. principle of accessibility;
6. local history principle in the selection of material;
7. ecological approach to the selection of knowledge about nature;
8. the principle of concentricity in the presentation and assimilation of natural history knowledge in preschool age (complicating the material from group to group).

An important feature in the environmental education of preschool children is the organization of an ecological-developmental environment, which should contribute to the emergence and development of the child’s cognitive interests, the development of his volitional qualities, emotions and feelings, and promote interpenetration with the child’s natural environment.

When organizing the ecological and developmental environment, it is necessary to take into account:

• requirements for the selection and placement of plants and animals of a corner of nature in accordance with their biological characteristics;
• the ability to maintain objects in conditions close to natural;
• age characteristics of children (originality of perception, level of development and cognitive activity, accessibility for observation and work);
• safety of objects for the life and health of children, didactic and educational significance, etc.

When organizing work on environmental education of preschoolers, it is necessary to take into account the following methods:

1. Observation is the leading method of environmental education for children. Observation enriches sensory experience, forms realistic ideas and concepts about nature, the foundations of ecological consciousness, an aesthetic vision of the natural world, a careful and caring attitude towards all living things.
2. The use of illustrative and visual material in environmental education of children.
3. The use of technical teaching aids (slides, filmstrips, films, videos, computer programs, etc.) in the system of environmental and pedagogical work.
4. Labor as one of the main methods of environmental education for children.
5. The use of elementary experiments in the system of environmental work with preschool children.
6. Game as a method of environmental education.
7. Modeling activity as a method of environmental education for children.
8. The teacher's stories about objects and phenomena of nature, human activity in it.
9. Compilation of a natural history book, its use to motivate the development of environmental concepts, in cultivating in children observation, interest, love and respect for nature, in enriching aesthetic impressions and feelings.
10. The use of environmental fairy tales in the formation of a scientific vision of nature, in the disclosure of complex phenomena, the variety of forms of adaptation of living organisms to the environment, and the education of value orientations in relation to natural objects.
11. Using conversations as a method of expanding, deepening, generalizing and systematizing children's knowledge about nature.

Questions for an interview with an ecologist (educator-specialist) of a preschool educational institution.

1. What do you understand by the term “ecology”?
2. What do you understand by the term “environmental education”?
3. What do you understand by the term “ecological knowledge”?
4. How do you understand what the goal of environmental education for preschool children is?
5. What role do you think the formation of children’s emotional attitude towards nature plays in environmental education?
6. Name what forms, methods and means should be used in the formation of environmental education of children.
7. List what conditions need to be created in a preschool educational institution for the implementation of environmental education for children?
8. What problems does environmental education of preschool children in preschool educational institutions solve?
9. Name what three types of groups existing environmental programs can be divided into according to their content, goals and objectives.
10. What requirements should a teacher take into account when organizing an ecological and developmental environment?
11. Name the technical means that can be successfully used in the system of environmental and pedagogical work in preschool educational institutions?

Analysis of environmental education programs for preschool children.

Currently, there are a number of environmental programs for preschool educational institutions. An analysis of existing programs in terms of content, goals and objectives allows us to conditionally divide them into three main groups: environmental (mainly bioecological) programs; aesthetic, cultural and environmental programs; social and environmental programs.

Environmental programs (bioecological)

Aesthetic-cultural-ecological programs

Social and environmental programs.

Literature

1. System of environmental education in preschool educational institutions: information and methodological materials, greening of the developmental environment of a kindergarten, development of classes in the section “Natural World”, matinees, quizzes, games. – 2nd ed., stereotype. /aut.-state O.F.Gorbatenko.
2. Dick N.F. Developmental lessons on ecology for preschoolers. – M.: LLC TID “Russkoe Slovo – RS”, 2006.
3. Nikolaeva S.N. Methods of environmental education in kindergarten: Working with children in the environment. And Art. kindergarten groups: Book. for kindergarten teachers. – M.: Education, 1999.
4. Kolomina N.V. Education of the fundamentals of ecological culture in kindergarten: Lesson scenarios. – M.: TC Sfera, 2005.
5. Bondarenko T.M. Environmental activities with children 5-6 years old: A practical guide for educators and methodologists of preschool educational institutions. – Voronezh: TC “Teacher”, 2004.

Nikolaeva S. N. Education of ecological culture in preschool childhood

The manual presents methodological recommendations and lesson notes on ecology in the preparatory group of a preschool educational institution.

Environmental education is a new direction in preschool pedagogy, which differs from the traditional one - introducing children to nature.

The theoretical foundations of environmental education of preschool children are presented in various psychological and pedagogical studies (I. A. Khaidurova, P. G. Samorukova, N. N. Kondratyeva, etc.), in the monograph of the author of this book “Communication with nature begins in childhood” (Perm , 1992). The essence of the new direction is as follows.

During the period of preschool childhood, in the process of targeted pedagogical influence in children, it is possible to form the beginnings of an ecological culture - a consciously correct attitude towards the phenomena, objects of living and inanimate nature that make up their immediate environment during this period of life. A consciously correct attitude is developed under the condition of close contact and various forms of interaction between the child and the plants and animals present in the premises and area of ​​the kindergarten. He learns that all living things, including humans, have certain needs, which can be satisfied only in the presence of external conditions - a habitat suitable for a particular organism. In other words, every creature must have its own home with everything necessary for its life. Environmental education of preschool children is the knowledge of living things that are close to the child, in connection with the environment, and the development, on this basis, of the correct forms of interaction with it.

A consciously correct attitude is considered as a set of knowledge and active manifestations of the child: interest in natural phenomena; understanding the specifics of living things, the desire to practically preserve, support or create the necessary conditions for them; understanding and sympathy for those who lack any conditions; emotional response, joy to any manifestations of animals and plants, their beauty. It is important that beauty is viewed from an ecological perspective: the beauty of a harmoniously developing, healthy living organism, which only happens in the presence of good conditions and a full-fledged habitat.

Such an attitude may well be formed in a small child if, over several years, he is systematically introduced to the diversity of plants and animals that surround him, demonstrates their connection with the environment and morphofunctional adaptability to it, and is involved in practical activities to maintain conditions for plant life. and animals, providing the opportunity to observe their growth, development, and various manifestations in favorable conditions.

Environmental education also includes the fact that during the preschool period, an initial understanding of certain aspects of human interaction with nature can be instilled in the child: man as a living being in need of well-defined vital conditions; man as a user of nature, consuming the Earth's resources in his activities, protecting nature and, as far as possible, restoring its wealth. Understanding these aspects is associated with specific examples that exist in the environment and practice of every child’s life. /

This book is a methodological guide to the “Young Ecologist” program for working with children in the preparatory group of kindergarten. It contains one of the options for specific technologies for the formation of the beginnings of ecological culture in children 6-7 years old. The technology is built on organizing the interaction of preschool children with the nature of their immediate environment, knowledge of what grows and lives next to the child. The teacher is faced with the task of showing children the diversity of natural phenomena, helping them understand that all living things have needs that can be satisfied by good environmental conditions. A person (child, teacher) plays an important role in maintaining, preserving or creating conditions for living beings living in the neighborhood. In the proposed technology, knowledge of the phenomena of living and inanimate nature surrounding children, their practical activities with plants and animals, various forms of interaction and reflection of impressions about them are built around reading the book by V. Tanasiychuk “Ecology in Pictures” (M.: Children's Literature, 1989) , intended for children of senior preschool age.

The author of the book, in the form of separate stories, reveals the basic concepts and laws of ecology and gives simplified formulations. In the construction of the book and the sequence of stories, three substantive lines are clearly visible, which are aimed at:

1) familiarize children with the phenomena of adaptation of animals and plants to their environment (stories “Why don’t polar bears live in the forest?”, “Where do frogs spend the winter?”, “Blind Mole-Raters”, etc.);

2) familiarization with the interrelations of living organisms within biocenoses (stories “Chains in the Forest”, “Invisible Scales”, etc.);

3) popular introduction of children to various aspects of human interaction with nature - its pollution, protection (stories “Sea Cows and the Red Book”, “What is Acid Rain”, etc.).

Book reading is carried out throughout the academic year and is organically combined with all other forms of work.

The main task of the presented technology is to form in children a consciously correct attitude towards those objects of nature that are next to them. Therefore, reading a book is interspersed with observations in a corner of nature, in a kindergarten area, in the immediate natural environment, conversations, and looking at paintings. The content of the book gives children an idea of ​​distant, in some cases exotic, natural phenomena, unusual episodes of interaction between man and nature. Thus, familiarizing children with distant and nearby natural phenomena is built into one general system of work, which is consistently carried out throughout the entire school year. The logic of this system is determined by seasonal events in nature and the book of V. Tanasiychuk.

It is worth dwelling on some forms of work presented in this technology of environmental education for the oldest preschoolers.

The possibility of sensory cognition, the accumulation of specific information about plants, animals, and inanimate natural phenomena makes observation one of the most significant methods. With its help, the child learns not only the external parameters of natural objects (color, structure, smell, etc.), but also their connection with the environment. Observation as a method of working with children is most often used in everyday life in the form of cycles, including a number of observations of the same object with different contents. As a component, observation is also included in other forms of work: classes, excursions, walks, events.

Observation is also important because it underlies various types of activities aimed at knowledge or practical transformation of nature (work on caring for plants and animals, children’s artistic activities and stories based on impressions, inspection of natural objects, filling out calendars, etc.). Therefore, special attention is paid to the compilation of cycles and the selection of techniques for their implementation. We can say that the formation of the principles of ecological culture in preschoolers is based primarily on observation.

An important method of environmental education is the word and its correct use in various forms of working with children. In this technology, the verbal method is associated primarily with reading the book “Ecology in Pictures”: the reading of stories (most often repeatedly), questions to the text, explanations from the teacher, children’s retelling, conversation about what they read - all these are different forms of speech activity that allow the child to understand new information and discover your understanding of natural phenomena that are often inaccessible to observation, and their relationships with each other.

Particular attention should be paid to such a form of work as classes of a complex, generalizing and in-depth cognitive type, in which children form generalized ideas about natural phenomena, an understanding of the relationships in nature, natural processes, and the perception of works of art. In this case, the logic of constructing a conversation between a teacher and children is of greatest importance - a clear sequence of questions that helps children understand cause-and-effect relationships, formulate conclusions, make generalizations, and transfer knowledge to a new situation. Classes of this type are presented in detail in the book.

Practical activities for preschoolers are key.

Independent or joint work with a teacher in a corner of nature, in the kindergarten area to maintain the necessary conditions for the life of animals and plants, allows children to acquire skills, learn about the correct ways of practical interaction with nature, i.e., to join the creative process. Individual manifestations of children in practical activities are an indicator of the degree of their environmental education and environmental culture.

An important activity in which preschoolers participate throughout the school year is the production of copies of the books “Ecology in Pictures.” To do this, after reading each story, the teacher types it on a typewriter or photocopies it, and the children draw illustrations for its content. Each story can be accompanied by several drawings that interestingly reveal its content. The title page, printed stories and children's illustrations for them are collected in folders, which are designed like book covers. To ensure neat books, use the same paper for stories and drawings. At the end of the year, at the celebration of initiation into young ecologists, children demonstrate these books as the result of joint efforts and collectively acquired interest in natural phenomena.

An important form of environmental education is environmental actions in which kindergarten employees, older preschoolers and their parents participate. This technology includes two promotions - the New Year's “Green Christmas tree - a living needle” and “Earth is our home”, which is timed to coincide with Earth Day - April 22. Promotions are complex events that involve various methods of working with children. Their importance in environmental education is extremely great: participation in real practical affairs that go beyond the life of a kindergarten affects not only the consciousness of the people who prepare and implement them, but also the consciousness of the surrounding population.

The structure of the methodological manual is simple - a calendar sequence of events arranged in accordance with seasonal natural phenomena and parallel reading of the book. Within each month (conditionally four weeks), a weekly distribution of material is given. The third week is devoted to daily observations of seasonal natural phenomena in the area and working with the calendar.

The themes “Forests” and “Water” occupy an important place in technology. Children get acquainted with the forest as an ecosystem, learn some of the connections of its inhabitants, and get an idea of ​​the importance of the forest in human life: the forest is a source of building materials, raw materials for making paper; a place of relaxation and health promotion, receiving aesthetic impressions. The forest presents its gifts to man (mushrooms, berries, nuts, medicinal herbs), and therefore man must know, love it, and take care of it.

In the winter months and May, the theme “ Water ” is revealed: children clarify their understanding of its properties, significance in the life of all living creatures, and gain knowledge about aquatic ecosystems.

This technology of environmental education ensures the comprehensive development of the child. Throughout the school year, children’s intellect is improving: their horizons are continuously expanding, their sensory skills and observation skills are developing, they learn to establish connections, dependencies, discover causes and effects, use measurements, models, diagrams; Different forms of speech develop - dialogue, description, explanation, story.

Specific care for pets in a corner of nature and participation in the “Panorama of Good Deeds” help to develop in preschoolers such moral qualities as the ability to sympathize, empathize, and care for others.

Aesthetic development is associated with the fact that children learn to see beauty in any natural manifestations of a healthy living organism and enjoy it, understand the beauty of nature captured in works of art (music, poetry, painting, graphics, objects of applied art), and create it with their own hands through different forms of activity. The physical development of the child is not left aside: practically and through conversations, children become familiar with the understanding of health as a value that must be protected from an early age.

In conclusion, it should be noted that this technology is a holistic system of environmental education for 6-7 year old children, tested in experimental preschool institutions in Moscow. Its implementation in practice raises the level of environmental culture of the teacher and ensures a shift in the level of environmental education of preschool children. The use of technology requires a thoughtful approach from the teacher. Without changing its core and taking into account his experience, the level of development of children, and the specific natural environment, the teacher can bring his own teaching methods that will provide the desired effect in raising children.

Nikolaeva S. N. Education of environmental culture in preschool childhood: Methods of working with children of the preparatory group of kindergarten: A manual for teachers of preschool educational institutions. - M.: Education, 2002. - 144 p.

(8.3 MB)

The effectiveness of pedagogical techniques and methods

Fostering an ecological culture among preschoolers implies variability in the methods and techniques of work in the presentation of educational material. They are divided into:

1. conversations;
2. observations;
3. viewing objects;
4. surprise moment;
5. artistic word;
6. dynamic pauses;
7. finger gymnastics;
8. method of projects, game learning situations.

Methods of environmental education of preschoolers today differ in many ways from outdated stereotypes; they are designed to combine into one whole the learning process and direct contact of a preschooler or primary school student with natural objects. Long-term projects are developed for older children and they are designed to implement the tasks of environmental education for children during one school year as part of the curriculum. The project involves a long process of observation, experimentation, followed by analysis of the effectiveness of the methods, techniques and forms of work with children used.

By the end of the project, older preschoolers will learn to make connections, draw parallels, see mistakes in activities, and learn ways to correct them. They will be able to compare the result of an experiment or an environmental project with the originally set task, and objectively comment on the result of the coincidence of their hypothesis with the data obtained. The guys will sum up the uselessness or effectiveness of their work and set themselves the task of reaching a new level. In middle-aged groups, such projects can last up to 1 month, in younger groups - 1 week.

Variety of effective forms of work

The teacher’s repertoire should include not only traditional forms of working with children; it is replenished depending on the teacher’s experience and his creative searches. Environmental education of preschool children in the institution is implemented through the following activities:

• Game-activity. This type of organized activity is the leading one in a child’s life, and therefore is widely planned for all ages of preschoolers. Work on environmental education of children can be carried out during role-playing games: “Seed Store”, “Vegetable Store”, “People’s Pharmacy”, “Nursery”, “River Watch”, “Pet Store”, “Veterinary Pharmacy”.
• Spectacular events. Ecological entertainment, holidays according to the seasons, contribute to the emotional perception of information, the motivation to preserve the wealth of nature of the native land. Such events include: “Praise to Bread”, “Harvest Festival”, “Autumn Extravaganza”, “Crystal Winter-Winter”, “The Rooks have Arrived”, “Hello, Red Summer!”. The production of the musical “How the Animals Prepared for Winter” and the opera “Ball of Flowers” ​​promote imaginative perception and easy assimilation of the material.
• Working with family. To teach parents the concept of “ecology for kids,” you can hold open days, environmental events, hiking trips, travel, and Kindness Days.
• Cooperation with society. The program for environmental education of preschoolers provides for continuity in the work of a preschool institution and the primary level of a comprehensive school. To form the foundations of environmental culture among preschoolers and schoolchildren, it is possible to organize forums for the exchange of children’s experiences, “Young Researcher” competitions, laboratories “Advice of the scientist Probirkin”, workshops “Lessons of Samodelkin”, and a club “Lessons of Environmental Safety”.
• An excursion to the nursery will help children understand the painstaking work of adults in the process of growing plants from small cuttings into large garden crops. To visit a shelter for homeless animals with your children together with their parents means to awaken in the pupils a feeling of deep compassion for abandoned pets, a desire to take care of them and help them find their owner.
• Work. The teacher implements the objectives of the program in practical activities at the site, in the environmental center, and at thematic sites.
• The production of homemade books “Ecological Tales” in the joint activity of children with their parents will make it possible to intensify the children’s mental activity in inventing a plot and designing book pages. Children are invited to design books such as: “The Tale of the Curious Kozyavochka”, “How the Droplet Traveled”, “The Tale of the Sundew Flower”. Workshop for making dolls “Droplet”, “Queen Ecology”, “Probirkin”, “Samodelkin”, “Environmental Safety” Such books will enrich development centers with new characters who will become the main characters of the kids’ games, their advisers in making smart decisions in preserving the environment of their plot.

Organization of the subject-game environment

To implement the objectives of the program, a subject-development environment is formed in a preschool institution, the purpose of which is to awaken the child’s interest in the world around him, the desire to know it and take part in its formation.
The environmental center includes indoor plants, their passports with a graphic depiction of methods of care, frequency of watering, method of reproduction, and light-loving behavior. The list of plants for each age of children is determined by the curriculum.

Here are tools for loosening the soil, replanting, cutting, spraying and watering plants. For preschoolers to work, aprons are purchased with the expectation that there will be at least 5 people in the group. While working in an indoor flower garden, children observe the growth of flowers, make simple conclusions about the process of plant formation, and determine the decisive factors in changing the height, shape, color of leaves, and the formation of buds.

Nearby you can place a mini-garden with onions, parsley, dill, and berries. It can be designed in the form of a train, a fairy-tale meadow, or cartoon characters. By observing the development and growth of plantings, preschoolers become familiar with their beneficial properties, method of consumption and set of vitamins.

In the ecological center there can be a living corner with 2-3 representatives of fauna: a hamster, a mouse, a guinea pig, a parrot. The kids' tasks include caring for their pets on a daily basis. The guys understand that without their care, the inhabitants of the corner could die. Meanwhile, being in the group with them is fun and cozy. An activity-game with pets teaches preschoolers and schoolchildren empathy, a reverent attitude towards them, and observation of how pets grow and take care of themselves.

The cognitive and practical center in the group involves elements of research activity in the concept of “ecological education”; it is a mini-laboratory for games and work with children to develop their own projects, hypotheses, and discoveries.

Such a center can be equipped with a microscope, mirrors, flasks, liquids for mixing, and lenses. By studying a leaf, grain, or fluff under a magnifying glass, children become familiar with the structure of the object, its density, and color scheme. This is a good way, using the possibilities of play, to cultivate perseverance, observation, and develop the analytical abilities of preschoolers and schoolchildren.

Thematic environmental stations are organized on playgrounds with the aim of studying objects of living and inanimate nature.

Ecology for children also includes the stations “Forest”, “Flower Garden”, “Vegetable Garden”, “Meadow”, “Field”, “Pond”, “People’s Pharmacy”, which would be more appropriate to equip on the territory of the kindergarten near the playground.

Here the children observe the flora of their region and learn how to care for vegetable crops in open ground conditions. Signs with pictures of vegetables will serve as a guide for observing and working in your garden. Two or three pines and several spruce trees will create a small forest corner where you can observe the growth of trees, the appearance of young shoots on the branches, study the cones of coniferous trees and find their differences.

A small area of ​​unmown grass will be a good imitation of a meadow, where preschoolers will observe the life and behavior of insects, beetles, and worms. And the sown wheat, rye, and barley will allow you to form an idea about the origin of bread and teach you how to treat it with care. On an artificial pond, children can observe the plants of the reservoir: water lily, duckweed, reeds, sedge. Snails and small fish should be released into the depths of the mini-reservoir. Butterflies and dragonflies will choose a place to rest here.

Functional ecological stations include the “Bird Canteen”, “Meteorological Station”, “Skillful Hands”.

In them, children learn to compose the simplest chains of ecology, determine the direction and strength of wind movement, and the weather. Here, using natural and waste materials, preschoolers are engaged in making crafts, testing wood, stems, and cones for strength, flexibility, and fragility. Games at stations help develop children's thinking processes, moral qualities, and fine motor skills.

Prohibitory signs located at stations, in the form of a game, will reinforce children’s knowledge of the rules of behavior in nature, teach them to appreciate the ecology of their region, and help bring the environmental education of preschoolers into line with the requirements of the curriculum.

Age characteristics

Methods, forms and means of environmental education depend on the age of the children. Classes on nature conservation begin at preschool educational institutions and then continue in primary school. Research, experiments, observations, projects, conversations, reading literature are the methods that the teacher uses in academic work and extracurricular activities. Extracurricular general activities include trips, holidays, themed leisure, as well as work with parents. Forms and methods can be used together or separately.

Application to the program

To successfully implement this goal, Svetlana Nikolaevna has developed a special program. This is “Young Ecologist” for Nikolaeva’s preparatory group.

This manual examines the issue of environmental education and culture of children in preschool age. The basis of the book consists of theoretical and practical research on this topic. The author devoted several decades to this work.

Note! Tentatively, the readers of the book should be practitioners involved in preschool education, teachers and students of pedagogical institutes and pedagogical colleges.

The “Young Ecologist” application provides for the study of the following topics:

• Plants, animals and humans live among living and inanimate nature.
• Plants and animals are diverse, they are united by their habitat.
• Plants and animals grow and develop in their environment.
• Man constantly interacts with nature.

Classes on the topic of ecology in 2 junior groups of preschool educational institutions according to the Federal State Educational Standard

For which kindergarten groups is this book suitable?

Ecological culture in a kindergarten should be instilled by the teacher. Therefore, it is important for him to understand the significance of environmental problems and the reasons that gave rise to them. This technique was developed for children starting from junior kindergarten age - the preparatory group.

“The Theory and Methods of Environmental Education for Children” by Nikolaeva S.N. is intended specifically for the youngest pupils of a kindergarten, since even then children can learn important information:

• how plant and animal organisms and habitats are related;
• how diverse are living organisms that are in ecological unity;
• what communities do living organisms unite into?
• a person is a living being, in his habitat he receives all the conditions for healthy and normal, high-quality life;
• people use natural resources, but at the same time pollute the environment;
• it is important to protect and restore natural resources;
• The end result of the implementation of the methodology should be a conscious, careful attitude towards the environment.

Important! The main aspects of the program are as follows: the end result of environmental education work is attitude. The teacher is assigned the role of a carrier of ecological culture.

A teacher and children from a kindergarten group during a lesson

What is S.N. Nikolaeva’s book about on methods of educating preschoolers about ecology?

Svetlana Nikolaevna Nikolaeva is a Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, chief researcher at the Institute of Psychology, dealing with childhood problems. The author of scientific works on pedagogy is known for her research related to environmental education. She reveals this topic in her work “Methods of environmental education of preschool children.”

Palms holding children and rainbow

The textbook was written by a person with extensive experience in raising children. According to Nikolaeva S.N., environmental education should begin with stories about nature. And when the child’s consciousness is filled with the necessary information, it is possible to consolidate in the pupil a certain attitude towards the environment:

• educational;
• aesthetic;
• humanistic.

Important! Nikolaeva S.N. “Methods of environmental education of preschool children” is a work in which the author expresses confidence: a person’s attitude to the natural environment is an indicator that shows how educated he is in environmental terms. And it is important to start such education as early as possible, from the preparatory group of kindergarten, consolidating it in the middle and senior groups.

The teacher proposes a method of environmental education, which consists of two main points:

• transfer knowledge on ecology;
• modify them into relationships.

Environmental education of Nikolaeva’s preschoolers should be about achieving the final result when the child consciously treats nature with care. Realizing that he too is part of this environment.

Planet with a butterfly in human palms