Alfabetização ecológica e formação de conceitos na educação infantil através de atividades lúdicas

Abstract

The point of departure for this study is the idea that play can be a valuable tool to support ecologic literacy and the construction of scientific concepts in children. The work was developed in an elementary school with children ages 4-5 years. The study identified meanings presented by the children concerning concepts about the food chain taught in a didactic sequence on the theme, employing a constant dialogue between the following dimensions: the child as being, playlife, and being an integral part of nature. For the collection of data, the study employed diverse instruments of a ludic nature, such as theatre, games, drawings, and interviews. The study showed a generally positive influence of ludic activities developed in the stimulation of involvement and curiosity of children—awakening observation, attention and imagination—and the development of oral and written expression through vocabulary building. More specifically, the study observed that the children who participated in all of the proposed activities (Group I) demonstrated a slightly superior performance related to the food chain concept than children who participated in only some of the steps (Groups II and III). Concerning the food chain concept, the study observed that some children, who already had some prior knowledge about the feeding of animals, presented greater advances in comprehending the concept. Although the scientific concept of the food chain had not passed the stage complex chain phase of thought by complex according to the ideas and the steps of Vygotsky, some evolution of ecologic literacy, as described by Fritjof Capra, was obtained because the kindergarteners developed a perception of belonging to the food chain, becoming aware of the importance of caring for animals in order to preserve life.