A Natureza em Ambientes da Educação Infantil em Manaus-Am

Abstract

The research conducted focused on the availability of natural elements in early childhood education environments in Manaus-Amazonas, and whether schools provided opportunities for children to interact with nature. The study was conducted in three phases. Firstly, the external environment of the schools was observed to identify the types and presence of natural elements. Secondly, the study involved interviewing the teachers of 12 groups of children. Lastly, the children's parents were asked to complete a form while the children were interviewed. The study included 62 participants, 29 of whom were girls and 33 were boys. Out of the 62 children, 52 were 5 years old and the rest were 6 years old. The results showed that two out of four public schools had a moderate presence of nature, while the other two had a low presence of nature. On the other hand, the two private schools had a high presence of nature. The study also looked at how teachers position themselves regarding the inclusion of nature in the curriculum, and the pedagogical practices of early childhood education. All teachers expressed the importance of nature in early childhood education, but in public schools, the pedagogical environment of nature is almost non-existent. Schools with a high presence of nature have a pedagogical environment where nature is the protagonist in curricular activities. The teachers showed relatively high Connection with Nature (CN) degrees, but most had little contact with natural environments in recent months. The justification for the low frequency was due to sociocultural difficulties, such as Amazonian nature being somewhat rustic and not very accessible. Parents also expressed difficulties in taking their children to interact with nature, where most children rarely visit natural spaces. Parents stated that they consider their children to have low NC levels. The results of the interviews, which used four sets of photos depicting environments with more and less presence of nature, showed that children preferred more structured and closed environments to go out with parents and play with friends. However, at school, children chose the outdoor environment as their favorite for their school activities and the use of computers for their tasks over school activities in nature. In conclusion, the study found that children are distancing themselves from nature despite their vivacity and enchantment experienced in natural environments. The limited opportunities to interact with nature contribute to this isolation. Managers, educators, politicians, and parents should take notice of this trend to avoid the distancing and consequent deficit in coexistence with nature that is taking hold in young children. This scenario prevents this generation from enjoying the benefits of living with nature and acting more sustainably in natural environments.