Teaching Your Preschool Child About The Environment
Now, more than ever, is it a crucial time to teach a child at preschool about the environment. The information age has made it possible for children to see amazing images of nature from all around the world on their television, mobile device, or computer screens. The disturbing fact is that even though children can marvel at these images and movies, they are becoming more removed from nature through the media. They have no way of knowing what is real or not.
Many preschool children spend most of their time indoors and have little or no contact with the natural world around them. Teaching children about their environment is the process of making them aware of their surroundings, and introducing them to the natural environment as much as possible. It is vitally important that a child is educated at the preschool level.
Bringing Nature Closer:
In the past, environmental studies emphasized that nature was something removed from us. This has caused a rift between humans and the natural world, enabling us to destroy our natural resources, as we create an increasingly unnatural environment. It is often the challenge of the preschool teacher to establish a love for the earth through creating safe outdoor experiences. Spending time in nature relaxes the mind. Little children are naturally interested in the small things, close to earth, and they can be taught to concentrate, and listen to birds and insects, and the sound of the wind.
Teaching For The Future:
The connection between our bodies, the food we eat, animals, trees, plants and the elements must be taught at an early age. It is now vital that we create a new generation who are aware and in touch with the interrelatedness of all life. These are the children who will grow up and have to live in a world that has been partially destroyed by their unconscious and greedy ancestors. They are the future adults who will be either providing solutions, or adding to the problems.
Creating Awareness:
Celebrations such as Earth Day and Arbor Day helps to bring awareness to the preschool child. On these days the teacher can create an excitement in the children and an opportunity for them to participate with events all over the country. The act of planting trees in the school and caring for the trees could foster a lifelong passion for trees in some children. It is essential that children learn to plant gardens, watch how food grows and develop a love for their natural environment. They need to learn to care for animals, birds and fish. The preschool teacher must teach them about the delicate balance of nature, and instill a responsibility for the earth.
Enrolling your children in a school that values the environment is a small, yet crucial, step that you can take toward creating a better future for generations to come. The stark reality is that without the natural world that surrounds us, there would be nowhere for our children to exist. Children need to be taught to appreciate the symbiotic relationship between themselves and the environment, and how a simple change in say the weather could affect them and their access to food and shelter. At Parkland Children’s Academy we value the importance of the environment as part of a solid foundation in the growth of our future leaders. Teaching children about the environment is one slice of a well rounded education that we provide.