Consultations for educators and parents on environmental education

Consultations for educators and parents on environmental education

Consultation for educators on the topic:

“Characteristics of the main methods, techniques and means for the formation of environmental education in children of senior preschool age”

Prepared by the teacher

Salatskaya T.G.

In the formation of the ecological culture of a preschool child, an important role is played by the local history approach, which involves a comprehensive study of the nature of the native land and promotes a deeper understanding of the relationships within it, as well as between nature and society.

A comprehensive study of the nature of the native land consists of excursions, targeted walks and routes into nature, visits to the local history museum, as well as work in the local history corner, which is located in the playroom.

During excursions and walks, preschoolers collect certain material that allows them to better study their locality, their region, their region. This material, as well as information about the history, nature of the native land, minerals, water resources, flora and natural world, is contained in the local history corner. The practical activities of children, as one of the conditions for the formation of an ecological culture, are successfully carried out in environmental work, as well as in the vegetable garden and flower beds.

The next condition for the formation of the ecological culture of preschoolers is the personality of the teacher, the characteristics of which are made up of the generalized requirements imposed by the modern level of the educational system. The identification of a creative dominant in professional activity, as indicated by the research of A.S. Samborenko, Sh.A.Amonashvili, B.T. Likhachev and others, is one of the most pressing issues of modern pedagogy.

Creativity in the pedagogical activity of a preschool teacher is determined by the very specifics of the educational process, the conditions of its course, and the emergence of many unplanned situations that require immediate resolution. The teacher must creatively master and implement an educational system based on humane and personal pedagogy. He must sincerely love and be devoted to each child, feel responsible for his fate, and strive to understand each child.

The main function of a teacher is to manage the processes of learning, education, development, and formation. The teacher is called upon not to teach, but to direct teaching, not to educate, but to lead the processes of education.

A teacher is always an active creative person. His task is to position the student for pedagogical influence. The pedagogical position should be delicate and unnoticeable.

The teacher is the main figure in the pedagogical process and the decisive factor in environmental education. Three aspects of his personality determine the final result of his activities - the formation of an ecological culture. Understanding of environmental problems and the causes that give rise to them, a sense of civic responsibility for the current situation, desire and effective readiness to change it.

Professionalism and pedagogical skill: mastery of environmental education methods, understanding of the goals and objectives of environmental education, systematic implementation of a specific technology in the practice of working with children, creative search for its improvement.

General orientation and practice of a new humanistic model of education: creating a favorable atmosphere for children in kindergarten, taking care of physical and mental health, using personality-oriented methods of education.

The further strengthening of interest in nature, the development of moral and aesthetic feelings, which predetermine an active and effective position towards natural objects, depend on the educator, his focused and systematic work.

When forming an ecological culture, a complex of methodological tools and techniques is needed that, when studying nature and any communication with it, would leave a deep imprint in the child’s memory and would certainly influence feelings and consciousness.

Among the various methods of teaching and upbringing, of which there are a huge number, the following methods are considered the most effective for developing the ecological culture of preschoolers: observation. Prominent Russian psychologist S.L. Rubinshnein considers observation as the result of meaningful perception, during which the development of mental activity occurs.

Observations are a special form of knowledge of the world around children of senior preschool age. During preschool childhood, the child discovers the natural world. Supporting the natural interest of preschoolers in all living things, the teacher leads children from acquaintance with nature to understanding it, creates a desire to care for plants and animals, cultivates the foundations of ecological culture, curiosity, and the ability to admire the beauty of the natural world. And the leading significance of this method is due to the fact that in the process of observation:

. The main content of preschoolers is formed - ideas about objects and phenomena of the surrounding world;

.The method meets the cognitive capabilities of preschool children;

. Acts as an independent method. It is often combined with other methods or included in them as a technique, precedes many productive activities, etc. depending on the nature of the cognitive tasks in teaching, observations of different types are used;

. Recognizing nature, during which knowledge is formed about the properties and qualities of objects and phenomena (size, structure, shape, color, etc.), as well as about the connections of the observed object with others;

. For changing and transforming objects. This type of observation provides knowledge about processes, about objects of the surrounding world in their dynamics, interactions of a reproductive nature, when the state of an object is established based on individual characteristics, and the picture of the entire phenomenon is determined in part.

The basics of environmental education are associated with cognitive interest in natural objects and phenomena, systematic ideas about the natural world, the ability to use knowledge about the needs of a living organism for intelligent children's activities and conscious behavior in the natural environment.

Cognitive tasks are solved by children during games, examination of materials, and experiments; in the process of observing phenomena of living and inanimate nature; during the discussion of observed phenomena, as well as in productive activities, labor and other types of children's activities.

In preschool age, the process of cognition in a child occurs in an emotional and practical way. Every preschooler is a little explorer, discovering the world with joy and surprise. The child strives to be active. That is why such types of activities as experimentation and observation are the closest and most natural for a child - a preschooler.

Experiments. When carried out, the unity of knowledge, skills and abilities of preschoolers is ensured, their independence and curiosity are nurtured, this is what determines the pedagogical value of the experiments.

Working with natural history literature, fiction and popular science literature helps preschoolers clarify and consolidate their knowledge, gradually enriching them with new concepts and ideas.

Working with schematic (symbolic) sources of knowledge (tables, diagrams, modeling). What all these methods have in common is a high level of abstraction, which, given the psychological characteristics of the thinking of preschoolers, significantly limits the possibilities of their use in preschool educational institutions, but at the same time, the formation of the rudiments of logical thinking is among the most pressing tasks of the teacher.

It is advisable to include work with subject-schematic and graphic models in children’s cognitive activities. Modeling allows us to reveal important aspects and features of natural objects and demonstrate significant ecological connections in it. On this basis, children form generalized ideas and elementary concepts about nature.

Working with visual and figurative means. The formation of various realistic ideas about nature will occur successfully if the teacher constantly uses various forms of visualization. Visual-figurative means are divided into static (pictures) and dynamic (movies, filmstrips, slides). The educational value of the paintings should be noted. Looking at a well-painted picture, children experience aesthetic pleasure and a positive emotional infusion appears. Dynamic tools make it possible to expand the volume of scientific knowledge about nature and to form complex, multifaceted natural science concepts.

Verbal methods (story, conversation). Spoken word and verbal methods are consistently used when working with preschoolers. Using them in combination with other teaching methods, you can teach a child to translate specific images into verbal knowledge, and then into other specific sign systems for reflecting natural history knowledge. Verbal methods also have an independent role. The great educational and educational significance of the conversation is determined by the fact that it develops the thinking of preschoolers. The conversation opens up great opportunities for implementing an individual approach to the child; this allows the teacher to involve weak and passive children in active participation in the work.

A game. Play activity is a natural need of a preschool child. Psychologists and teachers who strive to optimize it insist on the inclusion of games in the pedagogical process. Games serve as a means of developing creative activity, thinking, the ability to analyze situations, and formulate and solve problems. Play is an emotional activity. The effectiveness of the formation of an ecological culture largely depends on the child’s emotional attitude towards nature. The teacher’s task is to “immerse” children in their favorite activity and create a favorable background for the perception of natural content. Psychologists consider play activity as a manifestation of the child’s existing positive attitude towards this content. To form an ecological culture, the most often used are simulation role-playing games that simulate a possible real situation, as well as game-based learning situations with literary characters and didactic games.

Thus, the work of a teacher will be effective if he uses these methods in combination, both in the classroom and in unregulated environmental activities. This combination is another condition for the formation of an ecological culture in preschool children. Work in this direction should be structured so that the environmental content of classes continues in unregulated activities, complements and enriches them. Clearly organized, purposeful, unregulated activity allows the use of additional information material, expands environmental horizons and concretizes knowledge.

Paying attention to methodological developments on environmental education of preschool children, it can be noted that a preschool educational institution has much greater opportunities in creating an ecological development environment.

The ecological development environment includes the correct, from an ecological point of view, organization of the natural zone indoors and on the site and a subject environment with an environmental focus.

In a preschool educational institution, it is possible to create an ecological development environment as a set of means of environmental education and training, which will be one of the main conditions for the formation of an environmental culture in preschool children. Means can be defined as an environmental object or life situation intentionally included in the educational process.

A corner of nature. Its main feature and advantage is the close proximity of its inhabitants to children. This allows the teacher to use a corner of nature throughout the school year to conduct various environmental and pedagogical events and organize various activities for preschoolers. A corner of nature allows you to develop observation skills, develop work skills and abilities. A well-equipped and well-located corner of wildlife instills aesthetic taste. Its components: animals and plants.

Preschool site. The territory where observations of plants and animals in natural conditions are organized, the importance of agrotechnical measures and adult activities for improving the living conditions of plants and animals is clarified, and skills for caring for them are developed. All this helps to expand and deepen preschoolers’ knowledge about nature and allows them to transfer theoretical knowledge to practice. Components: flower garden, vegetable garden, greenhouse, mini-farm.

Ecological trail. This is a specially equipped route into nature that solves many pedagogical and psychological problems. The objects of the ecological trail include typical and exotic woody plants, a phytogarden (garden medicinal herbs), a corner of untouched nature, and a bird column. In addition to these objects, on the trail there are places intended for the activities of children and adults (Aibolit hut, a gazebo for work, a nature museum). The ecological trail is decorated with information boards, stands, and signs. It is convenient for holding various events aimed at developing the ecological culture of preschoolers.

Didactic games, models and manuals of an environmental nature. They promote the development of memory and attention, teach children to apply existing knowledge in new conditions, and are a means of diagnosing the formation of a preschooler’s ecological culture. Creating models and manuals activates children's activities.

Library of a young naturalist. It includes a selection of books and magazines of a natural history nature. This selection includes books that help expand the environmental knowledge and horizons of a preschooler. From time to time, exhibitions of books created by children are organized.

The combination of these means in an ecological developmental environment ensures the successful formation of a preschooler’s ecological culture.

Consultation for teachers on the topic: “Environmental education of young children on a walk”

When organizing observations, we followed certain rules:

1. Create a motivational setting (the teacher must first say what the children will watch or where they will go).

2. Create conditions for viewing the object selected for observation.

3. Talk about the observed object.

4. Ask questions to children.

5. Create situations for children to actively talk about what they observed.

At the same time, while observing living and inanimate nature, the children and I developed memory, attention, and cultivated curiosity. Cognition of any object begins with its repeated observation with the connection of various analyzers (touch, smell). When a child acts with objects himself, he understands the world around him better. Therefore, on a walk, the children tried to pick up the leaf they liked that had fallen from the tree, they tried to touch everything that was green in the garden. During the walk, we admired the beauty of nature and tuned in to the positive emotions of communing with nature.

So the observation

– one of the main components of the walk.

The frontal organization of observations on walks is used when children are introduced to bright seasonal changes, to the work of adults, to a new type of work on the site, and are shown a new way of action. When conducting collective observations, the same techniques are used as in the classroom: questions, riddles, comparisons, survey activities, artistic expression, etc. On walks you can observe the weather, the sky (the movement of clouds, rainbows, sunset, etc.). These observations are usually short-term, but they are repeated many times over the same object or natural phenomenon. Also, during walks, children should pay attention to characteristic seasonal changes in the life of plants and animals and, using questions, help children establish connections between changes in living and inanimate nature, for example: it became cold - insects hid under the bark of trees, birds flew away, leaves fell. During observations, it is good to use poems, riddles, sayings, and it is useful to remember folk signs.

During walks, individual observations are carried out. It is important to awaken children’s independent thinking, teach them to notice new things, and draw on existing experience. To do this, you should support independent observations, ask questions, give explanations, and sometimes teach them to observe.

Labor activity.

The feasible labor actions of children are naturally woven into the course of observations of the work of an adult and of living objects in the environment. During their daily walks, children participate in labor processes: raking fallen leaves, clearing paths of snow, watering plants, etc. Due to their own activity, children strive to join the labor process together with adults; as they master labor skills, they act as an equal partner. partner, and then, on their own initiative, enthusiastically work with a variety of natural materials, experiencing joy from the results obtained. Carrying out both labor and didactic tasks at the same time, children are busy with interesting and useful things. It is in this relaxed atmosphere that each student acquires positive personality traits and skills for proper relationships with peers.

Creating conditions for environmental education in a preschool educational organization

Consultation for teachers

Kudryavtseva Oksana Viktorovna teacher of the municipal autonomous preschool educational institution "Child Development Center - Kindergarten No. 12 of the city of Shebekino, Belgorod Region"

The system of environmental education for preschool children includes the following components:

1. Creating conditions for environmental education of children.
2. Formation of a system of goals and objectives of environmental education.
3. Formation of a system of knowledge about nature.
4. Creation of an “Ecological Trail” and methods of working with it.
5. Elementary search activity of children.
6. Circle work.
7. Working together with parents.

The goal of environmental education is to form in children a conscious understanding of the interconnections of all living and nonliving things in nature.

Objectives of environmental education:

1. To develop in children the skills and abilities to care for plants and animals.
2. To educate children’s sensory and emotional reactions to the environment.
3. To foster in children a caring attitude towards nature through targeted communication with the environment.
4. Using the means of nature to cultivate aesthetic and patriotic feelings.

By forming a system of knowledge about nature, the teacher helps children:

1. See and understand connections between natural phenomena.
2. Emotionally respond and evaluate what he sees and observes.
3. Practically master nature, creating the necessary conditions for the normal functioning of living organisms.

An important condition for the environmental education of preschool children is the developmental environment. A developing subject environment is a system of material objects of a child’s activity that functionally models the content of the development of his spiritual and physical appearance. The beginning of work on environmental education of children in kindergarten is the correct organization of a zone of cognitive development, which necessarily includes a corner of nature. Speaking about the specifics of the methodology of environmental education for preschoolers, it should be noted that its characteristic feature is the child’s direct contact with objects of nature, live communication with nature, observation and practical activities to care for them, and comprehension of what he saw during the discussion process. From the point of view of environmental education, plants placed in this room should feel good.

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To understand the big world, teachers introduce children to the image of this world. It is necessary to introduce a globe, geographical maps, and atlases into the development environment. Children's acquaintance with countries and continents is based on broad visual evidence - these are models, reference diagrams, maps of different continents, which in the process of learning are populated by representatives of the flora and fauna, travel routes. At this age, the child begins to perceive new sources of information. A significant role belongs to reference and encyclopedic literature and a place is reserved for it in the development environment.

In corners of nature there should be a place for work, a calendar of observations, for placing boxes with plantings (onions, seedlings), since working with a calendar, caring for the inhabitants of a corner of nature, observing plantings are all components of the methodology of environmental education. A well-thought-out organization and equipment of a nature area should also provide the opportunity to carry out environmental education of children using appropriate methods:

1. Conduct repeated observations of natural objects.
2. Record observed phenomena in ways accessible to children.
3. Discuss what you saw.
4. Carry out various types of activities: caring for the inhabitants of a natural zone, communicating with them, modeling natural phenomena.
5. Reflect impressions of nature in various forms of artistic and play activities.

Types of activities to introduce preschoolers to nature.

1. Initially, children acquire information about the variety of specific natural phenomena. Familiarizing children with specific animals, plants, and the characteristics of their life in certain conditions. In the classroom, children receive specific ideas only about those natural objects that are not in the immediate environment and cannot be observed. In terms of mental education, these activities contribute to the formation of clear, specific ideas about objects and phenomena of the surrounding nature. Children learn important mental skills: the ability to analyze, compare, and identify characteristics in plants and animals.
2. Classes of in-depth cognitive type. The content of these classes is aimed at identifying and showing children the causal relationship between plants, animals and the external environment with which they are inextricably linked due to their needs. These are classes devoted to the dependence of the life and growth of plants on environmental factors (light, moisture, heat, nutritious soil), where, for example, the growth of vegetable crops, garden plants, their seasonal changes, etc. are considered.
3. Elementary experimentation with natural objects. In these classes, the teacher demonstrates models that reveal the relationship of plants and animals with the external environment, purposeful and logically constructed demons, leading children to an understanding of causal relationships in nature.
4. General lessons. They are carried out with the aim of forming generalized ideas about similar objects or homogeneous natural phenomena. In these classes, the task is to identify a complex of essential and characteristic features of objects and, on this basis, generalize the specific knowledge of children.
5. Complex classes. A lesson on one topic can combine various tasks for the development of children and different types of activities. Complex classes have their “strengths”:
6. Children learn about phenomena from different perspectives.
7. Children are less tired of learning, as there is a frequent change of activities.
8. At the same time, the problems of intellectual, moral, and aesthetic development of children are solved.

The first part of the lesson is a conversation on nature calendars, the formation of a generalized idea of ​​autumn (solving the problem of intellectual development). The second part is a visit to an exhibition of works of art with an autumn theme (reproductions, photographs, color illustrations in books). Children and the teacher examine the exhibition, evaluate the beauty of the works, listen to poems by classical poets on the same topic (solving the problem of aesthetic development). The third part is free drawing on the theme “Autumn has come to visit us” (solving the problem of artistic and creative development).

In fact, an option for a comprehensive lesson are excursions and trips into nature, during which children get acquainted with new phenomena, enjoy their beauty, strengthen their health in the air in specially organized games and competitions, and develop moral qualities if the lesson includes environmental measures (fencing an anthill, clearing the clearing of debris, hanging feeders, etc.).

Methods of environmental education. Environmental education is carried out using methods that allow preschoolers to demonstrate the adaptability of plants and animals to their environment, the dependencies that exist in natural communities, the connection between man and nature, and the results of the impact of his activities on the nature of his immediate environment.

1. An important method of environmental education is the word and its correct use in various forms of working with children. The verbal method is associated primarily with reading natural history literature: the reading of stories, questions to the text, explanations of the teacher, retelling of children,
2. Conversations that allow the child to understand new information and realize natural phenomena that are often inaccessible to observation and their relationships with each other.
3. It is advisable to record systematic observations of the same natural phenomena in calendars. In this case, various changes in plants, animals, inanimate natural phenomena, as well as the conditions under which these changes occurred, can be traced. Observations of seasonal natural phenomena in all age groups are planned for one week of each month (hence the name of the technique - “weekly”). Observations of the weather, examination of trees and shrubs, ground cover, search and identification of animals (birds, insects, amphibians, reptiles) are accompanied by maintaining a calendar in which the day of the week and weather are recorded daily
4. Visual method. Representing events with pictures, icons, or schematically is important, first of all, for the effectiveness of the observation itself - the child returns to the ideas and impressions that he received while looking at an object of nature, and thereby consolidates them, clarifying the details and features. Depending on the age of the children, pictures, icons - pictograms, and screen calendars are used, in which the same objects are recorded at regular intervals. For example, a growing and developing plant is regularly sketched on a calendar once a week. In this case, the generalizing role of the calendar is that its several pages make it possible to compare an object that changes as a result of its growth and development. Drawings, better than observation itself, help to identify what has changed (grew, new leaves, buds, etc.) and what has remained unchanged.
5. Children's work in nature. The ecological approach to the organization of labor in nature is that it should be considered as a process of creating conditions for living beings - the inhabitants of a children's institution. The focus should be on plants and animals, followed by

care is provided: their condition and well-being, the conditions in which they are currently located. Labor in nature is the replenishment of those components of the environment that are currently missing, or are insufficient, or are not of the quality required by the plant or animal in accordance with their needs.

1. Elementary experimentation with natural objects. Experiments reveal the relationship between plants and animals and the external environment; purposeful, logically structured conversation leads children to an understanding of causal relationships in nature.
2. Didactic game. Games combine a didactic element with entertainment, emotionality, a game concept with the ease of completing a task. The content of the game action is provided in the didactic toy itself, and the final result is determined in it.

Thus, the purpose of this work is to educate children about the intrinsic value of nature, the child’s awareness of himself as a part of nature, the development of a respectful attitude towards all representatives of living nature, regardless of whether he likes them or not, the understanding that everything in nature is interconnected, the education of active life position.