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ERIC Number: EJ1108468
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2015
Pages: 20
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-2331-0464
EISSN: N/A
The Green Bean Has to Be Longer than Your Thumb: An Observational Study of Preschoolers' Math and Science Experiences in a Garden
Vandermaas-Peeler, Maureen; McClain, Cara
International Journal of Early Childhood Environmental Education, v3 n1 p8-27 2015
School gardening has become increasingly popular as a context for learning in which children construct new knowledge, learn cultural and societal values related to ecological awareness, and develop and practice authentic or real-world skills (Blair, 2009; Bowker & Tearle, 2007). The present research was a longitudinal case study of children's gardening experiences at a Reggio-inspired preschool in the United States. Eleven children and their teacher were observed over nine days in various activities such as preparing the garden beds, planting, and harvesting. Through sustained participation in a variety of gardening activities, preschoolers engaged in science-rich dialogue utilizing complex and abstract science process skills such as observing, predicting, evaluating, and comparing. Discussion of number-related concepts, spatial orientation, and size estimation and comparison was also recurrent during gardening activities. In addition, analyses of social interactions and dialogue related to gardening knowledge and ecological awareness indicated that working in the garden was an authentic context for enjoying, learning about, and valuing the natural world. The results of this study support the conclusion that with appropriate teacher guidance, a preschool garden affords myriad opportunities for young children to develop mathematical and scientific thinking, ecological awareness and positive affective responses to the natural world.
North American Association for Environmnental Education. 2000 P Street NW Suite 540, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 202-419-0412; Web site: https://naaee.org/eepro/resources/international-journal-early-childhood-environmental-education-ijecee
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Preschool Education; Early Childhood Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A