This document discusses introducing nature concepts to preschoolers. It defines nature as the physical world including plants, animals, land, air, water and stars. Nature comprises living things like plants and animals, and non-living things like land, air, water and seasons. The goals of nature education are to support child development, improve well-being, enhance learning, and provide low-cost teaching opportunities. Teachers can take children on nature walks, have them collect nature items, make exploration tables, classify living and non-living things, and use worksheets and rhymes about nature. Introducing nature has advantages like motivating learning, promoting social skills, improving behavior, and supporting special needs students.

1. INTRODUCTION OF NATURE TO A
PRESCHOOL
By: VANDANA MALIK, PSTTI

2. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
• Helps in children’s physical, intellectual and
social-emotional development.
• Makes children and families happier and
healthier.
• Nature provides a low- to no-cost setting for
effective teaching.
• Nature enhances academic achievement.
• Nature-based activities improve student
behavior.

3. INTRODUCTION
• Meaning of nature.
• What nature comprises of.
• Different ways of teaching the concept of nature
to preschoolers.
• Advantages of teaching the concept of nature to
preschoolers.

4. What is nature?
• Nature is the physical world and everything in
it such as
plants, animals, land, air, water, mountains, oc
eans, stars that is not made by people.
• Nature is God’s greatest boon to mankind.
• Nature keeps changing from season to
season, from minute to minute.

5. What nature comprises of
• Nature is made up of –
• Living things.
* Plants.
* Animals.
• Non-living things.
* Land.
* Air.
* Water.
• Seasons.

6. LIVING THINGS
Living things are organisms that tend to respond to changes in their environment and inside themselves,
in such a way as to promote their own continuation and longevity. Living things need food, water
and air to survive. Living things include plants and animals.
Living things are those that have life and possess the seven characteristics of –
•
Feeding
All living organisms need to take substances from their environment to take energy, to grow and to
stay healthy.
•
Movement
All living organisms show movement of one kind or another. All living organisms have inner
movement, which means that they have the ability of moving substances from one part of their
body to another. Some living organisms show external movement as well – they can move from
place to place by walking, crawling, flying or swimming.
•
Breathing or respiration
All living things exchange gases with their environment. Animals take in oxygen and breathe out
carbon dioxide.

7. *
Excretion
Excretion is the removal of waste from the body. If this waste was allowed to remain in the body, it
would be poisonous. Humans produce a liquid waste called urine. We also excrete waste when we
breathe out. All living things need to remove waste from their bodies.
•
Growth
When living things feed they gain energy. Some of this energy is used in their growth. Living things
become larger and more complicated as they grow.
•
Sensitivity
Living things react to changes around them. We react to touch, light, heat, cold and sound, as do
other living things.
•
Reproduction
All living things produce young. Humans make babies, cats produce kittens and pigeons lay eggs.
Plants also reproduce. Many make seeds which can germinate and grow into new plants.

8. LIVING THINGS

9. LIVING THINGS

10. NON-LIVING THINGS
• Non-living things have no life. They lack the capability
for growth, reproduction, respiration, metabolism, and
movement. They also are not capable of responding to
stimuli or evolve and adapt to their environment. Nonliving things can be classified into :
• LAND
Land is the solid surface of the Earth that is not covered
by water. Everything that we stand on is land.
Some of the different kinds of landforms are :
• Mountains
A mountain is a mass of land that is considerably much
higher than the surrounding area.

11. • Valleys
A low area of land between hills or mountains sometimes
with a river flowing through it is called a valley.
• Islands
A piece of land surrounded with water on all sides is called
an island.
• Plains
A plain is a flat area on the Earth’s surface.
• Deserts
A desert is a hot dry land area with little or no rain. Very
few plants and animals live in the desert. Camels live in the
desert.

12. LAND FORMS

13. • WATER
Water is needed for drinking, cleaning, washing. Humans, animals and plants
need water to live. Water is a sacred element. All life needs water, without
water there would be no life. Water covers nearly three-fourths of the
Earth’s surface. Water has no colour, taste or smell.
Some of the different kinds of water forms are :
• Sea
A large area of the Earth is covered by the sea. We cannot drink sea water
because it is salty. We find many sea animals in the sea.
•
Lake
A lake is an area of water that has land all around it.
• Oceans
Oceans are the largest bodies of water on Earth.
• Rivers
A river is a long flowing body of water. Rivers come from mountains. We
get drinking water from the river.

14. WATER FORMS

15. AIR
We have air all around us. We cannot see air. We cannot live
without air. Air is needed for breathing. The space or the sky is
filled with air.

16. SEASONS
• Seasons change on or around the 21st of four months:
June, September, December and March. December
begins winter, March brings on spring, June means
summer is beginning and September gives autumn
weather.
Seasons in India can be classified into :
* Summer season - from March to May.
* Rainy season - from June to September.
* Autumn season - from October to November.
* Winter season - from December to February.
* Spring season - from February to March.

17. Different ways of teaching the concept
of nature to preschoolers
• Taking children for a nature walk.
• Encourage children to collect and bring things
that represent nature to them.
• Make a nature exploration table.
• Distribute magazines to children and ask them
to classify things into living and non-living.
• Give children worksheets related to nature.
• Teach them nursery rhymes related to nature.

18. Advantages of teaching the concept of
nature to preschoolers
• Students are motivated to learn when content
is connected to nature.
• Outdoor learning promotes communication.
• Students improve cooperation skills when
they spend time outside.
• Nature offers a number of learning
opportunities for children with special needs.
• Students are healthier and happier when they
spend time outside.

19. THE END