“Environmental education of children in the family. Consultation for parents on environmental education
Consultation for parents. Topic: “Spring is coming, make way for spring!!! »
Winter is over. Severe frosts and snowstorms are behind us. The sun is getting warmer and stronger every day, the streets are becoming brighter and walking with the kids is a pleasure.
Spring is the most useful and pleasant time of the year for walking with children. It is in the spring that the sun produces a lot of ultraviolet radiation, which is extremely necessary for a child's growing body. Walking in the fresh air is always an interesting and useful activity.
Spring walks are extremely beneficial from the point of view of the baby's early development. Walk with your child along the street, in the park, see what changes are taking place in nature: how the buds swell, the first leaves and grass emerge, what spring flowers exist. Watch birds build nests in the trees. You can even try building a birdhouse and hanging it next to your house. Observing nature is a very interesting and educational activity. It forms in children knowledge about nature, teaches them to observe and contemplate, and develops an aesthetic principle.
In the process of observation, children learn to distinguish shapes, sizes, colors, the nature of the surface and much more. When observing living beings (insects, birds, animals), children learn the nature of movement, sounds and various characteristics. During these observations, children develop qualities such as intelligence, observation, analytical abilities, the ability to compare and draw conclusions.
In spring, observing nature is much more interesting than in winter. While walking with your baby, tell him about spring: why the snow melts, where numerous streams come from, why the sun shines so brightly and why the sky is blue and not gray. Try to hear “spring” sounds with your child: the ringing of drops, the murmuring of streams, the singing of birds.
Tell your child what smells spring brings: melted snow, birch buds, first snowdrops and others. Tell your child what happens in the spring, after the snow melts, migratory birds return from southern countries, buds swell on the trees, the first grass emerges from under the snow, snowdrops bloom.
Show your child the willow, let him touch it, tell him that the willow is one of the first to bloom in the spring; bugs, flies, and butterflies flock to its smell. Let the baby pick a few branches and take them home, invite him to put the bouquet in a vase with water and watch how the branches change, how the first leaves appear on them.
Explain to your child why all these changes occur, introduce him to the concept of “season”. Talk about why it was necessary to dress warmly in winter, but in spring you can walk in lighter clothes.
Choose an object on the street for comparison and watch how it changes every day. For example, pay attention to the child on a spring walk that today there is still snow in the clearing, but tomorrow there will be just wet ground, in a few days you will be able to see the first grass, and then bright flowers.
With such communication, the child’s vocabulary expands and active speech develops.
Also, walking is a useful physical exercise that anyone can do, regardless of age. While walking, a person uses almost all the muscles of the body, the muscles of the arms, back, pelvis and legs work especially well. In addition, such walks are extremely important for the health of various body systems. And this is not all the benefits of such exercises in the fresh air.
Walking perfectly activates vital processes in the body. Be sure to involve your children in such activities. Add children's games to constant walks, as well as entertainment in recreation parks, and you will be surprised at how rarely your child starts to get sick.
Spring walks should not be canceled even if the weather is not sunny.
To begin with, you should simply take it for granted that whether you like it or not, the child will still climb into the deepest puddle and find thicker dirt. The baby wants to know everything, to experience first-hand what his mother warns about. Therefore, be patient and do not scold the baby. It’s so interesting how your reflection looks in a puddle, how the dirt sticks to your boots. How fun it is to splash the water with your hands and make Easter cakes from wet soil!
If you don't want your child to flop around aimlessly in the mud during a spring walk, show him that this can be done with benefit. Does your baby want to dig? Invite him to do this under trees, where the ground is at least slightly covered with leaves and grass. If a child is drawn to water like a magnet, then let him walk through the puddles, show how interesting it is to float boats or just blades of grass, sticks or leaves along streams. You can take radio-controlled toys with you on a walk. Spring is a great time to fly RC helicopters or airplanes.
Try not to forbid your child to experiment, because this can lead to isolation and indecisiveness in the child in the future. Let your little one make the right decision for himself, even if you end up bringing home a grimy baby. Let your child grow up healthy, active and happy! What to do with a child on a walk in the spring?
"Count the birds." In spring, nature comes alive. And even if the leaves have not yet appeared, the birds have already begun to enjoy the warmth and smells that the spring air is rich in. With a child who can count, you can play the following game: who will notice more birds during a walk. You can finish the game as follows: feed the birds millet or special food.
"Lilliputian Steps" This game is good for several children or the whole family to play. Choose a goal and mark a starting line. Let the players compete: who will cover the distance faster with Lilliputian steps (these are steps when a leg is placed close to the other leg during a step).
"Giant Steps" The meaning of the game is the same. However, now the child must spread his legs as wide as he can (adults may give in a little...).
"Let's set sail on the puddle" Make boats at home or on a walk, and then launch them in the nearest puddle.
"Let's let the bubbles go...swimming!" You can let not only boats sail through puddles, but also soap bubbles. They will last longer on the water and shimmer with all the colors. Watching such swimmers is a real pleasure.
"Looking for the first signs of spring." Arm yourself with your cameras and go in search of spring. The first swollen buds, lively birds - all these are the first signs that spring is coming.
"Drawing on the asphalt." If the asphalt is dry, it's time to take out the crayons and draw an invitation to spring: sun, flowers and grass. Perhaps this will speed up the arrival of heat!
"Hunt for words and letters." If the child knows the letters, you can play a game where the child and the adult look around for objects that begin with the selected letter. You can choose different letters. For example, you are looking for words starting with the letter “a”, and the child is looking for words starting with the letter “m”. Who will find the most items?
“Developing speed and coordination" This game is very famous. The rules are simple: children stand between the two leaders, their goal is to knock the players out of the center with the ball. It is best to take an inflatable ball so as not to injure children. Take a larger ball, then the task for the kids will become much more difficult, and the risk of injury will decrease.
“Developing coordination.” Participants stand opposite the leader. The game is very simple. All children must show movements opposite to those shown by the leader. For example, if the leader lowers his hands, the kids should raise them, if the leader crouches, the children should jump, etc. If the kid makes a mistake three times, he is eliminated. The winner is the one who can survive the longest.
“Developing balance.” For this exercise, you need to place two children opposite each other at a distance of 2-3 child steps. At the signal, one, standing on one leg, with his palms outstretched, should hit the palms of the other baby. The essence of the game is to unbalance your opponent. The one who touches the ground first loses.
“We develop speed of movement" For this game you need a ball and chalk. On the asphalt, draw a circle with a diameter of about 2 meters and indicate the directions of movement. The child stands in the center and hits the ball on the ground, after which he runs away in the given direction. While the ball makes 3 hits, the baby must run. The one who runs farthest wins. This game is group, but can also be played alone.
“Developing jumping ability.” This game requires several players; you should divide them into teams. A line is drawn on the ground with which the length of the jump will be measured. The landing site should be marked on the heels. You need to jump in the opposite direction from the marked place; another participant must do this. His main task is to jump over this result and jump further, thereby earning a point for his team. The team with the most points wins.
Outdoor games are always fun and exciting! Play with your child - this strengthens the relationship between parents and children, and also helps to create more reliable, trusting relationships in the family. We remember from childhood that “the sun, air and water are our best friends.” It’s just a matter of making sure that our kids grow up surrounded by these faithful “comrades” from the very first days.
Consultation for parents “Observations in nature.”
Dear parents!
Teach children to notice the weather conditions. In autumn it is rainy, cold, windy; the wind shakes the trees, tears off the leaves, and they fall, spinning in the air; In autumn there are a lot of leaves on the ground - yellow, red.
Draw children's attention to the fact that people began to dress warmer, wear rubber boots, and carry umbrellas. Observations of weather changes can be associated with games. For example, when playing with turntables, children notice that when there is wind, the turntables spin. Children collect leaves with interest, play with them, and make bouquets.
While walking, you can play educational games: invite your child to find leaves of the same color and size as the sample; arrange leaves of the same color in ascending and descending order; find the largest and smallest leaf.
In the second and third periods of autumn, draw children’s attention to the fact that there are fewer and fewer leaves on the trees, read poems about autumn.
Learn to distinguish some garden flowers by shape, color, and smell. Ask your child to show where the flower is, where the leaf is, where the red (white, blue) flower is.
Watch or talk about adults harvesting vegetables.
Introduce winter to children through play, hard work, and observation. Familiarize yourself with the most characteristic signs of the winter season every day while walking. The more meaningful and interesting the walks are organized, the brighter the kids’ impressions of winter will be. While walking, draw their attention to the state of inanimate nature, teach them to notice the weather.
Short-term observations of children watching the snow fall should be associated with their active activity, listening to poetry. Going out for a walk, the child happily catches snow, imperceptibly comprehending its properties (white, cold, melting). Offer to examine a snowflake that has fallen on the sleeve of a coat. To feel that the snow is cold and melts from the heat, children must pick it up.
As winter comes into its own more and more, focus the children's attention on how during snowfall it slowly falls to the ground in flakes and how quickly everything around them transforms.
Memorizing M. Poznanskaya’s poem “It’s Snowing” will help strengthen children’s emotionally positive attitude towards this phenomenon.
Quietly, quietly the snow is falling,
White snow, shaggy.
We will clear the snow and ice
In the yard with a shovel.
From the gate we have difficulty
We'll take the stitch to the house.
Mom will come out to the door,
He will say: “Who could do this?
Lead a path to our threshold? »
Other forms of artistic expression (riddles, tongue twisters) also help children remember, and then more accurately and figuratively tell and convey in a drawing what they saw.
Observation of winter phenomena in nature should alternate with games in which children actively learn the properties of snow and ice.
Draw the kids’ attention to the work of the janitor: he shovels snow, sprinkles sand on the sidewalk so that people don’t fall.
Children get great pleasure from snow buildings around which exciting games unfold. On warm days, organize snow modeling. Show how to roll small snow globes and make a Snow Maiden out of them, how to make snowballs and throw them into the distance.
On a frosty day, offer to listen to the snow creaking. You can look at the tracks of a cat or a passing sled, offer to guess whose tracks they are, trace who went where. Kids love to draw in the snow and then look at each other's drawings.
Kids learn that ice is smooth and slippery. Prepare colored ice in the presence of children. Children watch with interest how colored water freezes and how ice thaws in the room; They are delighted with smooth ice pieces of different shapes and colors that can be used to decorate buildings.
In the presence of children, feed the birds, explain that in winter birds especially need human care. Over time, the kids themselves will begin to take a direct part in feeding the birds. Watch how sparrows jump, peck crumbs, chirp, and fly away when people move carelessly.
In the process of everyday observations of inanimate nature (the onset of heat, melting snow), give children an idea of its spring phenomena. Deepen your knowledge that in spring the sun heats up more strongly, it gradually becomes warmer, snow and ice melt in the sun, streams run, the earth dries up.
It is important to arouse in the child a keen interest in the changes occurring in nature. Draw children's attention to the first signs of spring: the sun is shining brightly and warming, snow and snow buildings are melting, streams appear. Children launch boats, observe in which direction they float, become familiar with the fact that in water objects float with the current, and with the wind they float faster. On windy days, invite the kids to play with pinwheels; on sunny days, let the bunnies in.
It is necessary to observe with children both the work of a janitor and the cleaning of streets in the spring. You can involve the kids in cleaning the playground: scatter the snow, sweep it with a broom, clear the paths. In spring, watch how green leaves appear on the trees. You can invite children to compare spruce and birch, tilt a tree branch so that they can examine, touch, and smell the leaves.
In the spring, you should take a walk in the garden, draw the kids’ attention to the fact that there are many beautiful flowers and green leaves on the trees, explain that there is no need to pick the flowers - apples and cherries will grow in their place.
During walks, show the first grass that has appeared, offer to find other places where it has grown, teach them to take care of green shoots.
Spring flowers bring great joy to children. Kids look at dandelions and determine what color they are.
The appearance of insects also arouses children's interest. On a walk, introduce them to butterflies, beetles, grasshoppers; with the features of their appearance, movements; children watch the flight of butterflies (they flutter, beetles (they fly and crawl); they learn that a grasshopper jumps. Conduct all observations in natural conditions - in nature.
In summer, opportunities for children to get acquainted with nature expand significantly. When walking with children, pay their attention to the weather conditions and take into account caring for plants. Looking at the flowers, the kids notice that they are all different. Gradually introduce children to the names of some flowers (chamomile, buttercup, bell; ask them to carefully examine them, find leaves, flowers; compare different flowers by color, size of flowers, leaves. Teach children to make bouquets.
Draw children's attention to trees and shrubs. Explain that there are many trees in the forest, that they are tall, that the trees have a lot of green leaves, the leaves are different (in the fourth year of life, children can recognize and name 2-3 trees with pronounced distinctive features: birch, oak, maple, spruce, etc. that oak has acorns, spruce has cones, etc.
It is advisable to show the children strawberry bushes, explain that green berries cannot be picked, but red - ripe - can be picked; offer to smell the berries. Children should be taught to pick berries carefully.
You can show the children mushrooms, tell them that a mushroom has a cap, and that there are many different mushrooms in the forest.
During walks, introduce children to insects: tell them about the features of their appearance; about who moves how.
CONSULTATION FOR PARENTS OF PRE-RECEIVERS
ECOLOGICAL EDUCATION OF PRESCHOOL CHILDREN
The upbringing of the younger generation, its education - these issues cannot but worry every adult, and especially those who are responsible for children and their fate, starting from preschool age.
A child is a ray that shines subtly,
But there is immortality in it, the light of ideas.
And kindergarten is for the child,
What a lot for people.
And every year, every milestone
Don’t call your children strangers -
After all, these are the children of man,
You are a person, they are yours!
Yours!..
You can't stay away from them
The whole meaning of life -
In their destiny.
And the thoughtless voice of a child
It calls to me and to you.
Formation of ecological culture of preschool children
That humanity has no future unless it changes its attitude towards the environment is a generally accepted fact. Much is being done now to avert environmental catastrophe. The focus is on our nature and man’s attitude towards it!
And kids are known to show increased interest in the environment. But due to the lack of purposeful and unified work of kindergartens, families and the public, many 6-year-old and even 5-year-old children develop a negative attitude towards some of its objects - mostly insects and amphibians, which leads to incorrect actions of children. They consider them “harmful”, unnecessary, without understanding their significance either for humans or for the environment.
In nature, everything is interconnected. Parents should help children understand that all living things need food, which they spend a lot of time searching for. Help with leading questions: “Why do butterflies fly over flowers? What are birds and ants looking for in the grass? Tell us what different animals eat. Preschoolers can also understand the feedback relationship between prey and predator (ants, by feeding on other insects, save plants, and the eaten insects themselves from excessive reproduction, which will inevitably lead to their death from lack of food).
Initial ecological ideas become a regulator of children’s behavior in nature, helping to foresee the possible negative consequences of wrong actions - a callous attitude towards plants and animals, pollution of inanimate objects. On a walk in nature, unfortunately, we often see damaged trees, bushes, trampled grass, and dead animals.
Please, adults!
Don’t pass by in silence, evaluate it all, using the mobilizing power of pity and sympathy. It is very important to influence the child’s feelings, make him want to help the plants, and prevent damage to others. When showing a tree with a broken branch or trampled grass, compare it with objects in excellent condition, together with the child, determine their living conditions, ask them to imagine what would happen if there was a lot of damage - i.e. focus on the significance of these objects for everything alive. In the process of observing nature, convince your child that where there are no trees, birds, butterflies and bees do not fly, even grass does not grow in trampled places, damaged plants develop poorly and get sick. Such figurative characteristics will play an important role in the formation of environmental motives and in regulating the child’s behavior in nature. It is better to formulate these rules not in a negative form (“do not tear, do not break, do not trample”), but in a positive form (help, care, protect).
It is important to create emotional contact with nature: let the child wander on his own, look for something unusual, sit quietly on a hillock, listen to the singing of birds or the murmur of a stream, or simply look around him.
Dear parents!
Foster in children love and respect for plants and animals, teach them to behave correctly in the forest, field, and near water bodies. Tell us how noise has a detrimental effect on the inhabitants of the forest. Because of the noise, birds abandon their nests, and forest animals run away from the forest. Therefore, in the forest, and in nature in general, it is necessary to maintain silence. Tell children about the dangers of fires and that they should not damage trees, destroy nests, extract birch sap, litter floodplains and reservoirs with broken glass, destroy anthills, and much more.
Already at preschool age, children must LEARN and KNOW:
- it is necessary to protect and preserve useful species of plants, animals,
We must behave carefully in nature, remember that in the forest, in the floodplains, in the river there live permanent residents (birds, fish, animals, insects), for whom this environment is their home! Therefore, you cannot destroy it, spoil plants, collect flowers, litter, make noise; you cannot take living beings from their habitat;
- we must take care of the earth, water, air, since this is the environment where all living things exist. You need to take care of the land, feed it, because you can’t just take from it and not give it anything;
- water should be used sparingly, because plants, animals, and people need it. You cannot pollute water bodies or light fires on their banks.
And one more piece of advice: consolidate all your knowledge in everyday life, using questions - situations that our lives are so rich in.
For example:
Vova and her mother went to the floodplain to pick mushrooms. “Mom, mom, look, the bird is flying so low that I can catch it. Let her live at our house." “No, you can’t do that,” my mother answered. Why did she answer Vova like that?
Seryozha with mom and dad went to the river. Many small fish swam close, near the shore. “Give me a jar, I’ll catch some fish,” Seryozha asked his parents. “You can’t catch them,” dad said and explained why. What did dad tell Seryozha?
Consultation for parents on environmental education of children
preschool age on the topic:
"Cultivating a love for nature"
A man became a man when he heard the whisper of leaves and a song
grasshopper, the murmur of a spring stream and the ringing of silver bells in
bottomless summer sky, the rustling of snowflakes and the howling of a blizzard outside the window,
the gentle splash of the wave and the solemn silence of the night - I heard, and, holding back
breathing, listens to the wonderful music of life for hundreds and thousands of years.
V. A. Sukhomlinsky.
Environmental education is currently regarded as a priority direction in the restructuring of preschool education. At preschool age, the formation of a consciously correct attitude towards natural objects begins. Correct understanding is based on knowledge of the peculiarities of life of living beings, their interaction
with the habitat. A conscious attitude is manifested in a variety of environmental activities. Therefore, work on the formation of an ecological culture should begin from preschool age, when the basic ways of understanding the surrounding reality are laid down, and a value attitude towards it develops.
It is at the stage of preschool childhood that the child receives emotional impressions about nature, accumulates ideas about different forms of life, i.e. he develops the fundamental principles of ecological thinking and consciousness, and lays down the elements of ecological culture. But this only happens if the adults raising the child themselves have an ecological culture: they understand the problems common to all people and are concerned about them, show the little person
the beautiful world of nature, help to establish relationships with it. At preschool age, the child begins to distinguish himself from the environment, an emotional and value-based attitude to the world around him develops, and the foundations of the moral and ecological positions of the individual are formed. Thanks to this, it is possible for children to develop environmental knowledge, norms and rules for interacting with nature, develop empathy for it, and be active in solving some environmental problems.
Kindergarten is the first link in the system of continuous environmental education.
Environmental education is carried out in kindergarten through the entire pedagogical process - in everyday life and in the classroom. In implementing the tasks of environmental education, the natural environment in kindergarten is of great importance. These are corners of nature in all groups, a properly designed and equipped area that provides the opportunity for constant direct communication with nature, the organization of systematic observations of natural phenomena and objects, and the introduction of children to regular work. You can create a special platform on the site
nature, a natural corner with plants, outline an ecological trail,
make a stream and much more.
A feature of environmental education is the great importance of a positive example in the behavior of adults. Therefore, educators not only take this into account themselves, but also pay significant attention to working with parents. Here it is necessary to achieve complete mutual understanding. Parents must realize that they cannot demand that their child follow any rule of behavior if adults themselves do not always follow it. For example, it is difficult to explain to children that they need to protect nature if the parents do not do this themselves. And the different demands made in kindergarten and at home can cause them confusion, resentment, or even aggression. However, what is possible at home does not necessarily have to be allowed in kindergarten and vice versa. It is necessary to highlight the main things that will require joint efforts from teachers and parents. Need to consider
and discuss the results obtained and make a joint decision on the final list of vital rules and prohibitions. It is possible to instill in children a positive attitude towards nature only when the parents themselves have an environmental culture. The effect of raising children is largely due to the extent to which environmental values are perceived by adults as vital. A noticeable influence on the upbringing of a child is exerted by the way, level, quality and style of life of the family. Children are very sensitive to what they see around them. They behave like the adults around them. Parents need to realize this. Parents can interest their child in a variety of ways. For example, growing house plants. In addition, in order for the children to water them in a timely manner, their interest in the growth and development of plants, the appearance of new sprouts, flowers, and fruits should be encouraged in every possible way. The most suitable for this are fast-growing plants such as geranium or begonia, indoor crops of tomatoes and cucumbers. Responsibility is an important human quality. And it is this that we will develop, trusting the little one with the life of green pets. You can also try growing oranges or lemons, pineapples or pears. Plant fruit seeds in the ground and see what happens. Well, isn’t it a miracle: to grow a real tropical plant on the windowsill and enjoy its fruits?
The artistic and creative activities of children are also of great importance. Modeling from clay, plasticine, all types of applications, design using cereals, dough and natural materials, drawing using plant elements - all this helps to foster a love of nature in preschoolers. The desire to do
more beautiful, has a better effect on the world of feelings, allows you to unleash creative potential, increases the level of speech development in preschoolers, children learn to create, learn to understand and see the beauty and richness of nature.
In preschool age, the child’s imagination rapidly develops, which manifests itself especially clearly in play and in the perception of works of art. Parents often forget that the most accessible, most enjoyable and most useful of all pleasures for a child is when interesting books are read aloud to him. This must start in the family. Interest in the book arises long before the start of school and develops very easily. The book plays an important role in the aesthetic education of children. A lot depends on what this first book will be like. It is very important that the books that a child gets acquainted with are accessible to the young reader not only in terms of subject matter and content, but also in the form of presentation. The specificity of literature makes it possible to form a love of nature based on the content of works of art. The works of such writers as V. Bianki, M. Prishvin, K. I. Chukovsky, S. Ya. Marshak, A. L. Barto, S. Mikhalkov and others are suitable for children. The book for children contains a lot of interesting, beautiful, mysterious, because they really want to learn to read, and until they have learned, listen to their elders read.
Nature offers extremely great opportunities for educating preschool children. Excursions, hikes, walks, studying works of art dedicated to nature are traditional activities in this direction. However, just being among nature is not enough. You must be able to see the beauty of nature and experience it emotionally. This ability develops gradually. During walks, hikes, and work in the garden, it is necessary to draw children’s attention to the richness of nature, the perfection and harmony of its forms, to cultivate the need not only to admire nature, but also to treat it with care. If a child understands that his well-being, tomorrow, the happiness of himself, his family and friends depend on the purity of air and water, concrete help to the stream and the birch tree, he will join the ranks of defenders and friends of nature.
So, instilling in children a love for nature and the ability to perceive its beauty is one of the important tasks of a kindergarten. In this work, his first assistants should be his parents. At the first opportunity, at any time of the year, if the weather permits, go to a forest, park, field, or river to see the vast distances and fabulous piles of clouds. Take the gifts to the forest animals. Try to make a halt in the most secluded place. Freeze and hide. Maybe you will be lucky enough to see a squirrel or admire the work of a woodpecker. The joy of meeting living creatures will remain in the memory of children for a long time, awakening inquisitiveness and kind feelings towards nature. Try to discover for yourself and your children the beauty of the crimson colors of autumn, intertwined with golden threads, decorated with the dark green of pine trees. Take a deep breath in the smell of mushrooms, collect a collection of leaves of various shapes and colors, find twigs and snags that look like sculptures of animals and people. Go out into the clearing with your child. Look how tempting the mysterious distance is, calling you deep into the forest. If you have a garden, buy your child gardening tools and allocate some for your child.
experimental bed.
Dear parents! Foster in children love and respect for plants and animals, teach them to behave correctly in the forest, field, and near water bodies. Tell us how noise has a detrimental effect on the inhabitants of the forest. Because of the noise, birds abandon their nests, and forest animals run away from the forest. Therefore, in the forest, and in nature in general, it is necessary to maintain silence. Tell children about the danger of fires, and that they should not damage trees, destroy nests, extract birch sap, litter water bodies, destroy anthills and much more.
At preschool age, children must LEARN and KNOW that:
It is necessary to protect and preserve both useful and common plant species,
animals.
Remember that plants provide shelter for animals.
We must behave carefully in nature.
Remember that forests, rivers and reservoirs are home to permanent residents (birds, fish, animals, insects), for whom this environment is their home!
We must take care of the land, water, and air, since this is the environment where all living things exist.
You cannot pollute water bodies or light fires on their banks.
Environmental education of children is, first of all, the education of humanity, i.e. kindness, a responsible attitude towards nature, and towards the people who live nearby, towards descendants who need to leave the Earth suitable for a full life. Environmental education should teach children to understand themselves and everything that happens around them. We need to teach children how to behave correctly in nature and among people.
Dear parents! Environmental education will be more effective only if there is constant, daily communication between adults and children in the family. Don’t waste your time on playing with pets, on botanical experiments, on reading good poems and stories about nature, on walks. And then your children, even in adulthood, will consciously and carefully treat everything living and inanimate on Earth!
Currently, scientists around the world are persistently warning about the threat looming over all forms of life on Earth. The planet's vegetation is becoming increasingly poorer; some animal species have been completely exterminated; hazardous chemicals are constantly released into the atmosphere, rivers, seas, lakes; Non-degradable waste accumulates in the environment.
Will future generations of earthlings survive?
The future is understood as a time distant from us by no means centuries.
Scientists are not sure whether in the near future children will be able to swim, walk in the forest, or inhale the scent of flowers.
And therefore, the main task of parents is to instill an environmental culture in their children. A caring attitude toward nature and awareness of the importance of its protection must be instilled in children from an early age. If all this is left to chance, we will observe various deviations in children’s attitude towards nature.
What are these deviations?
First of all, passivity: children try not to cause harm or damage to nature through their activities and behavior, but on their own initiative they do not show the necessary care for animals and plants.
Sometimes children cause damage to nature due to lack of awareness (collecting insects in boxes, making bouquets of flowers, picking off plant buds to “treat dolls”).
Some children have a consumeristic attitude towards nature, especially wild nature: when picking berries, they trample its bushes, uproot flowering plants and mushrooms.
Finally, there are children who can be cruel to animals: they can beat dogs, torture cats, trample worms.
Scientists have discovered this fact: it turns out that preschoolers are kinder to animals than to plants. Apparently the reason is that it is easier to identify an animal than a plant, endowing it with reason and experiences.
An insane and sometimes cruel attitude towards nature is the result of children’s moral bad manners, when they are deaf to the state of other people, especially animals and plants; incapable of empathy, sympathy, pity; They cannot understand someone else’s pain and come to the rescue. They imitate the behavior of adults in nature, their actions, attitudes towards animals and plants.
The ways of environmental education of preschoolers are as follows: to form basic ideas about plants and animals as living organisms and their relationship with the environment, about the value of nature and human responsibility for its conservation.
For the implementation of environmental education, the aesthetic perception of nature by children is of great importance. Strengthening the aesthetic side when introducing children to nature, and the widespread inclusion of works of art in this process is an important factor in environmental education.
Environmental education of preschool children is associated with the solution of an important question: whether to divide representatives of the living world and plants according to the degree of their usefulness to humans. Biologists have long abandoned the concepts of “harmful” and “beneficial” in relation to living beings, since all their types are necessary to create biological balance in nature. In the pedagogical aspect, unfortunately, the division into “harmful” and “useful” living beings is quite common when introducing children to nature. Preschoolers often classify as “harmful” those plants and animals whose appearance seems unattractive. For example, earthworms.
The older the children, the more they should be guided in their attitude towards nature by the principle “Do no harm.” And for this they need to know the characteristics of animals, plants and their needs.
From the first years of a child’s life, we adults, in word, deed and personal example, must form in him an idea of nature as the greatest value, develop an understanding of its inviolability, and cultivate a sense of responsibility towards all living things.
“The family is the primary environment where a person
must learn to do good.”
Sukhomlinsky V. A.
Nowadays, I think everyone already understands the importance of environmental education of children. We all know the sad consequences of industrial and economic development. The development of civilization brings with it factors that contribute to catastrophic consequences for all humanity. Unfortunately, many consequences have already become irreversible.
As paradoxical as it may sound, saving the earth from complete depletion of all its resources largely depends on you and me, ordinary people. Environmental care starts with basic human concepts such as; garbage collection, careful handling of fire, cleaning of water bodies, respect for wildlife, etc. Of course, this is the little that any person is capable of. But there is also something more.
The fact is that the future is in our hands. The future we create today is our children. What you and I can put into their thinking, into their way of life, into their position in life will determine how the child, already at a conscious age, will relate to the world around him. That is why I consider it my most important task to consider the topic of environmental education of preschool children in the family in more detail. Today, family upbringing priorities are placed on more down-to-earth positions. From the cradle, children choose a prestigious profession, are taught how to handle money correctly, and develop an aggressive attitude towards problematic life situations.
It would be good if parents taught how to throw garbage in special containers and not break branches on trees, but this is not enough for the child to fully realize his contribution to the future of the environment.
So, I would like to highlight three main tasks of the family for the full environmental education of a preschooler:
1.Development of positive moral qualities that encourage children to comply with norms of behavior in nature and society.
This is exactly what I talked about earlier: the basic rules of human behavior in society; a clear understanding that it is forbidden to litter, harm wildlife, offend animals, protect natural resources, etc. Of course, here parents should be a daily example for their children, they should show maximum attention, first of all, to their actions and actions, because the child learns to live, first of all, by adopting the rules of behavior from his parents. Instilling elementary moral qualities in adults is, of course, an absolutely useless exercise. But every parent should think about the undesirable behavior of their child and its consequences, which means that sometimes they should reconsider their own behavior and improve it, asking themselves the question of how this will affect my child’s worldview.
2. Education of ethical and aesthetic feelings.
Everything here is quite elementary: to cherish means to love. To admire the beauty of nature, appreciate its diversity, be grateful to its gifts, only a family can teach all this. This is especially true for children growing up in big cities. Today, going out into the countryside for picnics on weekends is considered quite common, and here, it would seem, processes of unity with nature and the cultivation of an ecological culture should take place. But at such moments, do people notice the beauty around them, its pristine nature, how do they feel about this wealth? Here it is the responsibility of parents not only to be attentive and grateful to nature for that atmosphere of absolute peace and surrounding beauty, but also to convey this understanding to their children. A child should grow up with the feeling that nature is a large intelligent being, and there are no trifles in it, every blade of grass, every insect deserves careful treatment, because it is part of nature. It is important to convey to the child how interconnected and harmonious everything is in nature. How do ants cohesively organize their existence, and with what effort do they create their anthills; how defenseless butterflies are, delighting us with their diversity and beauty; how fragile and important trees are to people, helping to clean the air we breathe. There are so many amazing and beautiful phenomena in nature; it gives people so many benefits free of charge, which, unfortunately, we are accustomed to taking for granted and often do not appreciate this gift.
3.Formation of cognitive and creative needs.
It is necessary not only to appreciate and protect all the versatility and generosity of nature, it is equally important to form in the child’s mind a desire to benefit nature, to repay it with a reciprocal desire to create. After all, we are talking about our future, in which many environmental problems need to be solved. Who will be those who will deal with the issues of environmental salvation of our earth in tens of years? These will be our children. They need this from birth, all that is required of you and me is to support and guide them in the right direction. After all, there is nothing easier to introduce a child to a reverent attitude towards the world around him, to the creation of beauty, plant a tree or flower with him - and the child will understand that he himself is the creator of nature, pick up the garbage lying on the ground and throw it into the trash container with him - and your child will draw the right conclusion about the human relationship to nature, make a bird feeder together with your child - and he will learn compassion. With your help, the child must clearly understand that a lot depends on his attitude towards nature.
To help parents achieve their goals, there are currently many auxiliary materials and information technologies available. These are books, articles, websites, educational films and cartoons. However, it is important to note that theoretical knowledge can never replace practical actions. Only through the process of specific actions can one truly understand the importance and significance of each person in improving the environmental situation in the world.
It is certainly important that the child is constantly in contact with living nature, trying and learning everything on his own or together with his parents. This can be practiced during family trips to the forest, to bodies of water, or picking mushrooms and berries. However, the goal here should not be the desire to collect as many mushrooms as possible, but to see and learn something new. It is very important at such moments to talk with the child, to draw his attention to natural phenomena, animal behavior, and seasonal changes. Urban nature also requires special attention, and here it is important to understand that discoveries await the child at every step - on the way to kindergarten, near home and when traveling to the store. And again, parents must clearly understand that you are your child’s main source of information about everything that surrounds him. Parents often underestimate their importance in shaping a child’s holistic perception of the world, but don’t forget that children see the world completely differently, don’t brush off their, as you sometimes think, stupid questions, because this is how a child learns about the world.
The most important element of a child’s environmental education is a green corner in your home. Living plants and flowers contribute to the correct formation of environmental consciousness in a child. Caring for house plants certainly fosters the qualities necessary for the development of a child’s caring attitude towards nature as a whole. No less important, of course, is keeping pets, which are completely dependent on their owners. This awareness will certainly only contribute to the development of moral and ethical qualities in the child. You should not deprive your children of such elementary ways of unity with nature.
In order for a child to fall in love with nature, begin to respect it and treat it with care, not much is needed, because he is a part of it himself. Everything necessary is already inherent in every person from birth. It is important for us, adults, not to lose this feeling ourselves and not to ruin it in our children. Then we will raise a worthy generation that will preserve the world around us with all its beauty and richness.
