Nature Study for Preschoolers

It's the new school year in Dubai, and as an educator at a Children’s Nursery in Dubai you are thinking about what sort of activities might be enjoyable for the children in your class, something a little different than the activities you have been doing during the rest of the year. Well, since the weather is warm in Dubai you and your preschoolers will be spending more time outside over the next few months.  Being outside gives you and your little explorers the opportunity to enjoy one of the most important areas of the curriculum, which the study of nature and the environment.

Learning about nature and the environment,  preschoolers get a sense of wonder and excitement as they explore the world around them.  The Kid's Island Nursery, an Eco Friendly Nursery in Dubai explains that nature study for young children is feeling the wind blowing, smelling the flowers, watching a squirrel hunt for food, hearing the birds sing and watching a butterfly flutter by!.  A child's knowledge of nature can be expanded by encouraging children to observe, compare and contrast, experiment, ask questions, research, predict and talk about it with others.

If you are a Nursery in Dubai and would like to include nature in your curriculum, here are a few suggestions for doing nature study with preschoolers,

• Field trips - A nature field trip for preschoolers can be a simple trip to the park, the botanical gardens, a farm, the beach or the zoo. These are great environments to learn and observe the trees, the flowers, the birds, the animals, and anything else that might be present.
• Create a nature and environment room - Once the children have had the experience of the great outdoors, encourage them to bring back samples of what they you have found and bring in things from home for them to investigate in the future and set up a room dedicated to nature and the environment. Store objects such as shells, stones, leaves, petals and feathers. This can be sources of much exploration and discussion. Have posters and decor on the environment and nature, create a little area where the objects can be on display and children can observe them with tools such as magnifying glasses and also feature little fact sheets with observations made by the children.
• Collect books, magazines, posters, photographs, info graphics  and pictures about nature that is suitable and understandable by preschoolers, such the life cycle of a butterfly and parts of a flower
• Dedicate a day to watch a movie or video about nature and the environment
• Sings songs and rhymes and listen to various media related to nature study
• Ask the children to come dressed in his or her favourite nature outfit on a dedicated day
• Celebrate days dedicated to nature and the environment such as World Environment day and Earth day

The hot climate in Dubai is a good excuse for Nurseries in Dubai, to include a nature trip or field trip to allow preschoolers explore their environment and gain knowledge about nature.

http://www.kidsislandnursery.com