Preschool Education - Teaching about Nature

Teaching Preschoolers about Nature

Kids love to spend time outdoors.  In today’s world children spend less and less time outside.  With all the electronic games and new wave TV children end up spending most of their childhood inside.  The early you start to teach children about the wonders of nature the more likely they are to want to spend time outside.  Preschool age is a great time to introduce them to nature and let them learn about how beautiful the outside world can be.

Take the children on a nature walk.  The weather really doesn’t matter.  Children need to experience what all types of weather are like.  The won’t melt if it rains and a little cold air will only help to ward off those germs that spread like wildfire in the winter.  Just be sure they are dressed for the occasion so no one ends up sick or soaked to the bone.

Once you have them outside have a list of things for them to discover.  Summer is a good time for them to learn about different flowers and animals.  Even worms can be of great interest to a child.  They will see different type of birds and with your help can start to tell which bird is which.  Their naturally investigative minds will have them looking for birds no one has seen yet.  Plus the squirrels and chipmunks are out in abundance over the summer.  How exciting would it be for them to see a chipmunk scampering along on a pretty summer day?

Fall is wonderful time to learn about trees and their leaves.  There are so many different types of trees.  When fall arrives the leaves start to turn those vibrant colors and this peeks children’s interest.  Let them gather different leaves and then talk to them about what type of trees they fell from and how these trees survive over with the winter months without their leaves.

Winter can be an excellent time to learn about pine trees and winter vegetation.  We all know a lot of things won’t grow or even survive over the winter months but there are certain types of trees and animals that really like the cold winter climates.  Help the children find these things and talk about why and how they can continue to grow and live while other plants and animals don’t do so well in the cold climates.

Spring is always a wonderful time for a nature walk.  The trees are starting to bud and the flowers are starting to bloom.  It’s a time of rebirth and new adventures for animals too.  The things that children can experience in Spring will stay with them forever.  Teaching them about how things prosper and grow in the Spring can only bring a smile to their young faces.

Nature is a very important part of our lives and being outside to experience it is very important for the growth of a young child.  Even the sun, the clouds, the rain and the snow are an important thing for young children to learn about.  Take a nature walk and rebuild the wonder of nature and its splendor for your preschool children and for yourself.