Kindergarten "Maslačak"(dandelion) is surrounded by nature that profoundly inspires children to explore the world around them. We have created a child care environment in which children are able to experience nature with all their senses. Children's extensive interest in exploring and learning about the world motivated us to create and design more extensive and constant research with children. In our well-equipped kid laboratory we offer them the opportunity to explore nature and carry out various experiments. Through research, we try not only to awake their creativity and curiosity, but also to popularize science, raise their environmental awareness and enhance their sense of responsibility. Using didactic equipment, models and similar tools, ecology has become a part of the game, in which the principles of sustainable development are adopted quickly and efficiently.
For all workshop participants we are going to create a stimulating work environment using a TV show filmed in our kindergarten, big posters, photographs (A3), videos, PowerPoint presentations and different ecological games. The participants will be informed about the methods and ways in which children explore and experience the world in their play by manipulating various materials and tools. It will be shown how we converted a part of our kindergarten into a place for research activities, how we use teaching equipment, models and other tools in our laboratory to promote scientific literacy in our children and, finally, how the work has been documented.
One of the goals is to stimulate further reflection and support competencies in our participants
regarding research activities in kindergartens. In this workshop we present the work of reflective practitioners who strengthen their own professionalism and become competent in their child-focused approach.
Keywords: child, preschool teacher, research, laboratory, science, ecology
