Environmental education within early childhood

Abstract

Teaching quality environmental education (EE) begins in early childhood (ages 4-8). The sense of excitement and wonder that comes with wandering in the woods or playing in a stream must be nourished and developed by teachers. All subject areas can be taught through EE as an integrated curriculum in a theme-based or a more traditional classroom. In curricular contexts, interweaving EE and science education makes sense, as the knowledge, skills, and attitudes being used in both areas overlap. This chapter describes examples of how EE can be infused across the many different disciplinary areas taught in early childhood classrooms. Special emphasis is placed on acquiring knowledge about the environment, developing an environmental ethic, adapting EE activities for inclusion of students with special needs, and the use of assessment techniques. © 2010 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.