Introducing Children to the World Around Us

In first grade, I remember taking a field trip to our town's post-office.  This may seem to be a lesson about the postal service, but my teacher made it a fun-filled day where we learned about science, also.  Since the post-office was down the road and around the corner from my school, my class had the opportunity to walk there.  My teacher pointed out to her class the leaves that had fallen to the ground because it was during the fall season.  Most of us enjoyed crunching through the crispy leaves on the ground, but we also learned that leaves lose their chlorophyll, which makes them apt to fall to the ground.  I thought this was a very clever way to introduce a scientific topic that was related to our local envrironment to a class of first graders.

Making connections to students' daily lives is a vital part of the process of learning science.  The only way I remember learning about chlorophyll in the first grade was because we had the opportunity to have a hands on experience where we got to see and play with the leaves that had fell off the trees during the fall season.  According to the constructivist theory, this promotes learning by actively constructed by the learner as they come to experience the world.  My first grade teacher took my prior knowledge of leaves falling during autumn and a new personal experience of walking to the post-office to create an all new experience of stomping around town in the crispy, crunchy leaves.  After we had the opportunity to play in the leaves, we reflected upon it, which led to the understanding of the term and idea, chlorophyll.

I believe it is very important to teach children about green science for many different reasons.  They need to be aware of the world around them and it is important for them to know that these resources us humans use to make goods may not be as readily available as they are now.  Children need to learn that it is important to conserve the natural resources we have.  This could by done by taking the students out of the classroom to observe nature.  Through this, students will create a bond with nature and will have more respect for what is around them.

I believe that my classes always took meaningful field trips.  We were always aware of the world around us and we learned about things derrived from nature.  I couldn't think of any other way to improve the trips I have taken in elementary school because they were all filled with science, just like my first grade class' trip to the post-office.  I know it is important to take children outside of the classroom to build a respect for the world around us.

This video is of a pre-k class taking a trip to observe and learn about reptiles.  It seems a little hectic, but I believe that is because of the age lvel.  Pre-k children cannot concentrate as long as third and fourth graders can. 

This video is a great example of how students can learn about the environment around them by taking fieldtrips to fun and exciting destinations.