Page 151

AD ALTA

JOURNAL OF INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION IN THE FOREST ENVIRONMENT AND ITS KEY FACTORS IN
PRE-ELEMENATRY EDUCATION

DANA CHLPOSOVA,

JOZEF VYBOSTOK,

DANA

KOLLAROVA,

DARINA VYBOHOVA

National Forest Centre - Institute for Forest Consulting and

Education, Sokolská 2, 960 52 Zvolen, Slovakia

Technical University in Zvolen, Faculty of Forestry,

T.G.Masaryka 24, 960 53 Zvolen

Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra, Department of

The Methodology and Pedagogy Centre,

Ševčenkova 11, 850 05

Bratislava; e-mail:

Pedagogy, Drážovská cesta 4, 949 74 Nitra, Slovakia; email:

e-mail:

dana.chlposova@nlcsk.org,

xvybostokj@turzvo.sk,

dkollarova@ukf.sk,

darina.vybohova@mpc-edu.sk

This study was supported by the Slovak Research and Development Agency under the
contract No. APVV-18-0484 as a part of the research Forest Pedagogy and Education
to Sustainable Development in pre-primary and primary education.

Abstract: The

forest environment is a varied community consisting of plants, fungus,

animals, as well as air, water, and soil resources. It is important in pre-elementary
education for children to learn by direct observation and investigation. This approach
to education is possible by integrating the methods of forest pedagogy. The research
shows the results obtained through Delphi method about a perception of key factors,
that condition the learning about the forest as well as creating a relationship of a child
with its closest environment on a forest example.

Keywords: forest pedagogogy, forest example, relationship of child and environment,
Delphi method

Introduction

The importance of environmental education and training as part
of a lifelong learning is indubitable. Ultimately, this is also
proven by the required goals of the Global Education Agenda
2030

, which focus on environmental education and sustainable

development. The environment consists of several components
that are interrelated. One of them is forests. According to Eliáš
(2010), forests belong to the most important landscape
ecological stabilizing elements. Marušáková, et al. (2019) also
agree that forests also perform important economic and societal
functions. Therefore, it is unquestionable that learning about
forest ecosystems and leading to societal responsibility for this
natural resource should be part of environmental education and
training. Not only in terms of content, but also in terms of where
the education itself takes place.

By regular contact of a preschool child with the forest
environment, we lay the foundations of values for building his
relationship to himself, to others, to living and inanimate nature.
This is also indicated by the results of the Green Public Health -
Benefits of Woodlands on Human Health and Well-being study
(2013), according to which the physical and emotional benefits
of living in nature are strongly reflected in childhood
experiences. For the personal development of children, it is
necessary to concentrate on nature, where materials, colors,
shapes and scents are extremely important.

In our paper, we focused on the education of preschool children
in environmental education, specifically in the forest
environment. In preschool education, it is important that children
learn by directly observing and exploring the surrounding
reality. Such an approach to education is also possible by
integrating forest pedagogy programs into education, both at its
formal and informal level.

Forest pedagogy in kindergartens is such a pedagogical-didactic
approach in which kindergartens can call experts to accomplish
their educational goals. In the case of forest pedagogy we are
talking about foresters - trained forest teachers. In Slovakia, we
have kindergartens that cooperate with various institutions that

https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000245656

can provide them for specific topics with a forest teacher. One of
them is the National Forest Center - Institute for Forest
Consulting and Education (IFCE) in Zvolen, which as a
contributory organization falls under the Ministry of Agriculture
and Rural Development of the Slovak Republic. Kindergarten
teachers are showing increasing interest in education in the field
of forest pedagogy. They are aware that not only cooperation
with foresters impacts the formation of a relationship with nature
and the forest environment, but also other factors affect forming
of a comprehensive development of the personality of a
preschool child. As already mentioned, in our paper we focused
on examining the factors of the part of environmental education
that focuses on the forest environment and sustainability. The
study presents the results of research using the Delphi method,
where we were examining through expert opinions (experts in
forestry, forestry politics, education, environmental education,
forest pedagogy), which key factors determine informal pre-
primary education of children in environmental education in the
forest environment.

1 Forest environment as a means of education

Slovakia, located in the heart of Europe, can be proud of its
beautiful nature. With a share of forest area of 41.2% of the total
land area, we belong to the European countries with the highest
forest cover (Zelená správa, 2019

). The forests of karpatský

oblúk (the Carpathian arch) belong to the most valuable forest
ecosystems in Europe. Within this entire geographical area, there
is a relatively frequent occurrence of old-growth forests leftovers

and natural forest communities. Čaboun (2008) reminds that
Slovakia is a geographically diverse country, which largely
spreads over mountainous and rugged territory. Highlands and
mountains cover 60% of Slovakia and lowlands approximately
40%. It is important to appreciate the value of this irreplaceable
wealth.

The forest environment is a diverse community of plants, fungi,
animals, as well as air, water and soil. The forest as a means of
education is becoming the research subject for children, because
of its various changes. The forest is like a textbook that renews,
enriches and changes every year. It also allows us to explain
numerous natural phenomena by direct observation, but also to
discover beauty and form a relationship, not only to the forest,
but to all living and inanimate objects.

By thinking about education in nature, specifically in the forest
environment, we need to know the answers to the questions
under what conditions is this education possible and what comes
into the play in this process.

Knowing the factors that affect the formal and informal
environmental education of preschool children is one of the
prerequisites for the successful integration of environmental
education in the forest environment.

Environmental education in preschool education in Slovakia is a
part of all educational areas of the State Educational Program
(more on www.statpedu.sk, 2016), but in primary education it is
one of the cross-sectional subjects of educational areas. It is
peculiar that the forest environment is in the program mentioned
rather marginally. However, if we search in the topics, content
standards or performance standards, the terms forest, forest
environment, tree or needles, we will find only one reference. In
reference to the educational area Man and Society, subarea
Geography and surroundings, where the performance standards
state that the child "should use terms such as hill, forest, field,
meadow, river, lake and pond when talking about the landscape."
In the content standards are also stated the proposed activities for
the teacher, when “she conducts a guided interview on the topic
of the natural beauty of our country; talks to children about their

2 Report on Forestry in the Slovak Republic for 2019

- 151 -