The period of younger preschool age is an important and responsible period for a child due to a number of neoplasms that arise against the background of expanding horizons and forming the foundations of a small person's worldview. The wave-like nature of the development of skills and abilities continues to persist, but the formed skills are already quite stable in the mind of the baby. The period from 3 to 4 years is the most sensitive for the emergence and consolidation of activity in the knowledge of the world, nature, curiosity, the desire to learn and enrich your inner world. The adult's task at this stage is to actively contribute to the development of the child's cognitive interest.
Targets for the education of a child of primary preschool age
The kid learns the surrounding reality by all means available to him: household items are used, any of which acts as a toy for the child. At the age of three, a preschooler has a directed interest in the surrounding world of nature, participation in seasonal observations of changes around. The organized process of understanding the natural world and forming the foundations of a careful attitude to its resources is laid in preschool educational institutions at events such as an environmental lesson. In the 2nd youngest group, in the process of implementing the educational field “Cognitive development”, active involvement of children in familiarizing themselves with the natural world begins. The basis for a child of primary preschool age is play activity. The kid begins to actively demonstrate game actions, they can be quite chaotic and short-lived, but at the same time they are an important element of the child's intellectual and physical development. Ecology for preschoolers is an area where kids optimally fulfill their need for a combination of play and learning activities.
The simplest experiments in nature
In the 2nd younger group in children, the ability to interact with sand and water is fixed, the beginning of which was laid in early age groups. Sand with water was used, as a rule, as an element of sand therapy to improve the course of the adaptation process. As a small person grows up, his interest in using natural resources grows, and the task of adults at this stage is to maintain this interest and use it in order to develop cognitive motivation. To diversify and improve the quality of the educational impact, experimental forms of training will help. Ecology for children is precisely the area where it is possible to use experiences for effective learning. They can be planned and carried out with water and its conditions, air, soil, plants. Before starting the experimentation, the teacher draws up a summary of the lesson with elements of experimental activity.
Planning Requirements in the 2nd Junior Group
When drawing up a plan of an educational event for kids, each teacher must clearly understand what tasks, from which educational field will be implemented during the lesson. Given the requirements of the Federal State Educational Standard, one should also not lose sight of the possibility of integrating educational fields and maximizing the use of resources of the subject-developing environment. An environmental lesson in a preschool educational institution is carried out systematically, regardless of the season and weather conditions.
Place of experiment in the education of kids
The activities of children in environmental classes are aimed at creating ideas about the properties of water, sand, etc. An important area is also the formation of the concept that water and air are needed for plants to grow and develop. In addition to conducting experiments, an environmental lesson in the 2nd youngest group is planned taking into account the implementation of the following areas: expanding ideas about plants and animals, seasonal phenomena in nature, plants growing in a given area, introducing the world of wild animals and amphibians, the world of insects, introducing basic rules of behavior in nature.
Air and water as a subject of experimental research
Conducting a simple study with children will ensure the integration of areas such as experimentation, music, cognition (the formation of a picture of the world). The summary of the lesson is compiled taking into account the preparatory work carried out in advance in the form of a conversation about water and air, considering illustrations. A brief outline is compiled in advance and consists, as a rule, of step-by-step steps to implement the set integrated tasks.
Ecological lesson plan with elements of experimentation
After the preliminary work, the teacher should determine the amount of vocabulary work planned for development in the lesson. The plan drawn up usually includes several points. The outline of the environmental lesson on the theme “Air and water are our best friends” can consist of several points:
- Greeting. Motivation for activity, mood on the topic of the lesson.
- A surprise moment, the appearance of the fabulous character "Wind".
- Experimental activities to determine the properties of air (the use of balloons, fans, etc.). Discussion.
- Physical education.
- Return to places, motivation to continue the lesson.
- A surprise moment, the appearance of the fabulous character "Water".
- Experimental activities to determine the properties of water (staining water in different colors with paints, adding sugar, salt, citric acid to water for taste). Discussion.
- An outdoor game with a fabulous character.
- Incentive gifts of the hero for children.
- Summarizing. Reflection classes.
As a rule, such an occupation in ecology in the 2nd younger group has a pronounced practical orientation in combination with playing activities, which makes such occupations quite productive and productive.
Environmental activities in nature
In addition to experimental work, it will also be quite useful to conduct classes on the environmental education of preschool children directly in nature. The topics of ecology classes maximize productivity in natural conditions. The program tasks implemented by the teacher are aimed at creating an understanding of how adults can help nature, training in the ability to see the beauty and defenselessness of the world. Children learn to experience joy, surprise at a meeting with nature, empathy with careless handling, the desire to perform joint actions with the teacher to care for animals and plants. In addition to the formation of basic knowledge of preschoolers about the world, ecology for preschoolers also performs an ethical function - the upbringing and development of a sense of empathy, responsibility, collectivism.
Seasonal changes in nature through the eyes of a preschooler
A child of primary preschool age, due to the growing interest in the world around him, begins to actively record changes in the weather and become interested in them. The task of adults is to bring the baby to the correct understanding of seasonal changes and their relationship with the seasons. The change of seasons is purposefully reflected in observations, nature familiarization classes, and teaching activities in such a direction as ecology for children. Elements of environmental education are realized in entertainments, excursions. The most common form of introducing children to seasonal phenomena in nature continues to be games because of their structural entertainment focus.
Seasonal activities for the youngest pupils
Familiarization with seasonal changes should be taken into account when planning an environmental lesson in the 2nd younger group. To enhance the interest and imagination of kids, it is advisable to conduct such classes in the form of games or with elements of entertainment. A prerequisite for such events is the use of surprise moments, musical accompaniment, the introduction of additional characters. Kids in the 2nd youngest group emotionally and positively react to such guests, it is important to choose the right characters based on the season. For example, a lesson on ecology “Spring” is planned taking into account such characters who will demonstrate seasonal changes in their life:
- a bunny in a gray coat, dressing her with the advent of spring;
- a swallow arriving from warm edges;
- a bear, awakened from hibernation, etc.
The formation of the ecological culture of children of primary preschool age is a multifaceted and quite interesting process, which also has an ethical and moral component.