Natural phenomena. Examples of explainable and inexplicable phenomena
Changes constantly occur in nature and the weather, sometimes it snows, sometimes it rains, sometimes the sun shines, sometimes clouds appear. All these are called natural phenomena or natural phenomena. Natural phenomena are changes that occur in nature regardless of human will. Many natural phenomena are associated with the changing seasons (seasons), which is why they are called seasonal. Each season, and we have 4 of them - spring, summer, autumn, winter, is characterized by its own natural and weather phenomena. Nature is usually divided into living (animals and plants) and non-living. Therefore, phenomena are also divided into phenomena of living nature and phenomena of inanimate nature. Of course, these phenomena overlap, but some of them are especially characteristic of a particular season.
In the spring, after a long winter, the sun warms up more and more, ice begins to drift on the river, thawed patches appear on the ground, buds swell, and the first green grass grows. The days are getting longer and the nights are getting shorter. It is getting warmer. Migratory birds begin their journey to the region where they will raise their chicks.
What natural phenomena happen in spring?
Snowmelt. As more heat comes from the Sun, the snow begins to melt. The air around is filled with the murmur of streams, which can trigger the onset of floods - a clear sign of spring.
Thawed patches. They appear wherever the snow cover was thinner and where more sun fell on it. It is the appearance of thawed patches that indicates that winter has given up its rights and spring has begun. The first greenery quickly breaks through the thawed patches, and on them you can find the first spring flowers - snowdrops. The snow will lie in crevices and depressions for a long time, but on the hills and fields it melts quickly, exposing the islands of land to the warm sun.
Frost. It was warm and suddenly it froze - frost appeared on the branches and wires. These are frozen crystals of moisture.
Ice drift. In spring it becomes warmer, the ice crust on rivers and lakes begins to crack, and the ice gradually melts. Moreover, there is more water in reservoirs, it carries ice floes downstream - this is ice drift.
High water. Streams of melted snow flow from everywhere to the rivers, they fill reservoirs, and the water overflows its banks.
Thermal winds. The sun gradually warms the earth, and at night it begins to give off this heat, and winds are formed. They are still weak and unstable, but the warmer it gets around, the more the air masses move. Such winds are called thermal; they are characteristic of the spring season.
Rain. The first spring rain is cold, but not as cold as snow:)
Storm. The first thunderstorm may occur at the end of May. Not so strong yet, but bright. Thunderstorms are discharges of electricity in the atmosphere. Thunderstorms often occur when warm air is displaced and lifted by cold fronts.
Hail. This is the fall of ice balls from a cloud. Hail can be anywhere from the size of a tiny pea to a chicken egg, and can even break through a car window!
These are all examples of inanimate natural phenomena.
Flowering is a spring phenomenon of living nature. The first buds appear on the trees in late April - early May. The grass has already sprouted its green stems, and the trees are preparing to put on their green outfits. The leaves will bloom quickly and suddenly and the first flowers are about to bloom, exposing their centers to the awakened insects. Summer is coming soon.
In summer, the grass turns green, flowers bloom, leaves turn green on the trees, and you can swim in the river. The sun warms up well, it can be very hot. Summer has the longest day and shortest night of the year. Berries and fruits are ripening, the harvest is ripe.
In summer there are natural phenomena such as:
Rain. While in the air, water vapor supercools, forming clouds consisting of millions of small ice crystals. Low temperatures in the air, below zero degrees, lead to the growth of crystals and the weighting of frozen drops, which melt in the lower part of the cloud and fall in the form of raindrops on the surface of the earth. In summer, the rain is usually warm, it helps to water the forests and fields. Summer rain is often accompanied by a thunderstorm. If it rains and the sun shines at the same time, it is said to be “Mushroom Rain.” This kind of rain happens when the cloud is small and does not cover the sun.
Heat. In summer, the sun's rays hit the Earth more vertically and heat its surface more intensely. At night, the surface of the earth releases heat into the atmosphere. Therefore, in summer it can be hot during the day and even sometimes at night.
Rainbow. Occurs in an atmosphere with high humidity, often after rain or thunderstorms. A rainbow is an optical phenomenon of nature; for the observer it appears in the form of a multi-colored arc. When the sun's rays are refracted in water droplets, an optical distortion occurs, which consists in the deviation of different colors, the white color is divided into a spectrum of colors in the form of a multi-colored rainbow.
Flowering begins in spring and continues throughout the summer.
In the fall you can no longer run outside in a T-shirt and shorts. It gets colder, the leaves turn yellow, fall off, migratory birds fly away, insects disappear from sight.
The following natural phenomena are typical for autumn:
Leaf fall. Going through their year-round cycle, plants and trees shed their leaves in the fall, exposing bark and branches, preparing for hibernation. Why does a tree get rid of its leaves? So that the fallen snow does not break the branches. Even before the leaves fall, the leaves of the trees dry out, turn yellow or red and, gradually, the wind throws the leaves to the ground, forming leaf fall. This is an autumn phenomenon of wildlife.
Fogs. The earth and water still heat up during the day, but in the evening it gets colder and fog appears. When air humidity is high, for example, after rain or in a damp, cool season, the cooled air turns into small droplets of water hovering above the ground - this is fog.
Dew. These are droplets of water from the air that fell on the grass and leaves in the morning. During the night, the air cools down, the water vapor that is in the air comes into contact with the surface of the earth, grass, tree leaves and settles in the form of water droplets. On cold nights, dew drops freeze, causing it to turn into frost.
Shower. This is heavy, "torrential" rain.
Wind. This is the movement of air currents. In autumn and winter the wind is especially cold.
Just like in spring, there is frost in autumn. This means there is a slight frost outside - frost.
Fog, dew, rain, wind, frost, frost - autumn phenomena of inanimate nature.
In winter it snows and it gets cold. Rivers and lakes are frozen. Winter has the longest nights and the shortest days; it gets dark early. The sun barely warms up.
Thus, the phenomena of inanimate nature characteristic of winter:
Snowfall is the fall of snow.
Blizzard. This is snowfall with wind. It is dangerous to be outside in a snowstorm; it increases the risk of hypothermia. A strong snowstorm can even knock you off your feet.
Freeze-up is the establishment of a crust of ice on the surface of the water. The ice will last all winter until spring, until the snow melts and the spring ice drifts.
Another natural phenomenon - clouds - occurs at any time of the year. Clouds are droplets of water collected in the atmosphere. Water, evaporating on the ground, turns into steam, then, together with warm air currents, rises above the ground. This way water is transported over long distances, ensuring the water cycle in nature.
Unusual natural phenomena
There are also very rare, unusual natural phenomena, such as the northern lights, ball lightning, tornadoes and even fish rain. One way or another, such examples of the manifestation of inanimate natural forces cause both surprise and, at times, anxiety, because many of them can harm humans.
Now you know a lot about natural phenomena and can accurately find those characteristic of a particular season :)
The materials were prepared for a lesson on the subject The World around us in 2nd grade, the Perspective and School of Russia (Pleshakov) programs, but will be useful to any primary school teacher, and to parents of preschoolers and primary schoolchildren in home schooling.
Elena Skrabtsova
Observation in nature
Observations of inanimate nature
1. Watching the sun
Target: clarify children’s knowledge about the sun, talk about its significance for life on Earth, develop basic skills related to the implementation observations, develop observation, coherent speech, enrich vocabulary, cultivate interest in the world around
Artistic word:
Autumn sunshine,
go out onto the paths.
Autumn sunshine,
Warm our palms.
(G. Lapteva)
Bucket sun,
Come up quickly
Bless, warm,
Calves and lambs
More little guys
Sunshine, shine it out!
Red, shine!
Conversation:
Why is everything so beautiful on the street, why are the sparrows chirping loudly? It's all because sunshine: it illuminated everything around, everyone felt warm and cheerful. The sky is clear, without clouds. Raise your face to the sun. It caresses the children's faces with its warmth. And even if you close your eyes, you will still feel the sun on your face. Try it, it's nice!
In autumn the sun does not heat as much as in summer. There is less heat. That's why people dress warmer. And summer will come, and it will become hot again.
2. Watching the sky
Target: teach children to see the features of the autumn sky (dark, low, clouds cover the sun, expand their understanding of seasonal changes in nature and weather, introduce natural phenomena, characteristic of autumn, teach to see familiar objects in the form of clouds, develop imagination, cognitive interest, coherent speech
Artistic word:
Foliage covers the entire ground,
The black fields are turning red.
And in the gray clouds the day is boring,
And the poplars surrendered to the wind...
(G. Novitskaya)
An eagle is flying across the blue sky, its wings spread, covering the sun. (Cloud)
Conversation:
Watching the sky(dark, gray, low, observe behind low and fast floating clouds, consolidate the concept "cloud" (dark clouds). Discuss with the children what color the sky is, why the sun is not visible, why clouds and clouds float across the sky.
3. Watching the wind
Target: expand children’s ideas about the wind, teach them to notice the movement of trees during a gust of wind, create wind, use turntables to determine its direction, teach them to identify the presence and most obvious properties of wind, show the relationship natural phenomena related to the wind
Equipment: spinning toys, color. paper strips, tapes
Artistic word:
The breeze is blowing,
The flag develops
Balloons are flying to the sky,
They want to become clouds.
Oh yes, the wind is a breeze,
Helped the balloons fly! (G. Lapteva)
Conversation:
Take a closer look at the leaves on the trees. What is happening to them? They are moving. It's the breeze that greets them. He strokes them and tickles them. The breeze wants to play with them. We don’t see the wind, but we can watch how it plays with turntables and ribbons. Do you want to play with the wind? (turntables are handed out to the children)
4. Watching the rain
Target: teach children to characterize the weather (cloudy, gray sky, many clouds, develop interest in phenomena nature, pay attention to how it rains ( For example: drizzling, falling from the clouds down to the ground in large drops, forming an idea of seasonal phenomena, enriching vocabulary, developing coherent speech
Equipment: watering cans of various shapes and sizes, umbrellas
Artistic word:
Rain, rain, drop,
Water sabre.
I cut a puddle, I cut a puddle,
Cut, cut, did not cut.
And he got tired and stopped. (I. Tokmakova)
Conversation:
The autumn wind blew a cloud of water across the sky. The wind began to dance and jump across the thick cloud. Autumn rain poured out of it. Rain falls and merges into puddles. In autumn the rain is cold and the puddles are cold. We went for a walk after the rain. Take a breath. How did you feel? The air is fresh and pleasant. Look at the grass. What can you say about her? What is she like? What's the path like? She's wet too. It was raining and scattering its droplets everywhere. Let's look for him again wet footprints: on a bench, on flowers, on a ladder. Everything around became clean and bright. The grass is wet, the paths are wet, there are damp benches. The rain washed away the trees and roofs. And now everything around is clean and bright.
5. Observation behind the first ice on the puddles
Target: draw children’s attention to the crust of ice covering the puddles, help identify the properties of ice (thin, transparent, find out why the water in the puddles froze, teach how to establish the simplest relationships in nature, bring children to understand the connection natural phenomena - the sun warms up during the day, the ice on the puddles melts, there will be frost at night, and the water will turn into ice again
Artistic word:
In November, in November
In the morning, herbs in silver.
Like silver saucers
Puddles sparkle at dawn.
Conversation:
Look at the puddle, what do you notice? There is a crust of ice on the puddle. What kind of ice? (Transparent, thin). Why did the water freeze? (Because of the frost). The ice is thin and fragile. If you step lightly, the ice will crack.
6. Observing frost
Target: identify and expand children’s ideas about the properties of snow, develop speech, thinking, imagination, cultivate interest in inanimate phenomena nature
Artistic word:
Frost fell on the meadows,
Pinches the geese's feet.
Geese, geese! ha-ha-ha!
Put on your slippers and take care of your paws. (E. Avdienko)
Frost lay on the spruce branches,
The needles turned white overnight. (S. Marshak)
Conversation: The teacher asks the children a riddle. What is this? Frost. The teacher draws the children's attention to a light white coating on benches, paths, and iron objects. Explains the difference between frost and snow. Bring to the conclusion that frost, like snow and ice, is frozen water. It became colder outside. You need to dress warmly to avoid getting sick.
7. Observation behind people in autumn clothes
Target: introduce children to the features of autumn weather, develop the ability to establish simple relationships between changes in autumn weather and people’s behavior, choice of clothing
Artistic word:
Red boots
On Annushka's feet.
Annushka will walk through puddles,
Yes, wear boots.
Conversation:
Autumn came. Brought the cold. All people put on warm clothes and shoes. This is important to avoid getting sick. When healthy, you can play outside. We will dress properly and become healthy.
8. Observation following footprints in the sand
Target: identify and expand children’s understanding of the properties of water and sand, develop speech, thinking, imagination, cultivate interest in inanimate phenomena nature
Artistic word:
If I stamp my foot
On a damp path
That will remain, friends,
Mark from a wet foot.
Don't be too lazy to leave traces
I'll be stomping all day. (G. Lapteva)
Conversation:
Autumn weather is cool. It rained recently and wet the paths, flower beds, and sand. Let's let's check: Will a footprint remain on wet sand? (Look at the footprints left in the sand) Whose footprint is bigger? Whose is smaller? Who else left traces on our site? Let's compare these tracks.
9. Fog watching
Target: introduce this natural phenomenon, like fog, remind you of the different physical states of water, develop curiosity
Artistic word:
Someone stole the forest at night.
He was there in the evening, and in the morning he disappeared!
Not a hemp or bush remained,
Only white emptiness all around.
(I. Tokmakova)
Conversation:
During fog, objects become difficult to see. What does fog look like? (steam, smoke, cloud) What is fog? (breath of the earth). The earth, soil, plants breathe accumulated heat, and cold air sinks to the ground. They mix and form fog - tiny particles of water. There are very, very many of them, they move quickly, and the air becomes opaque.
Wildlife observations
1. Bird watching
Target: to form in children a general idea of birds, their habits, to introduce certain species of birds (crow, dove, sparrow, to form emotional responsiveness, to instill a desire to take care of birds, to cultivate goodwill, love for nature
Artistic word:
Autumn looked into the garden -
The birds have flown away.
There's rustling outside the window in the morning
Yellow snowstorms.
First ice underfoot
It crumbles, breaks.
The sparrow in the garden will sigh,
But he’s embarrassed to sing. (V. Stepanov)
Conversation:
Look, sparrows have flown to our site. What does the sparrow say? (Peep-pee! Chick-chirp) Sparrow is cheerful! He chirps loudly, which means he's talking to us. The sparrow jumps on two legs, fluffs up its feathers, and twists its head. With the onset of cold weather, it becomes increasingly difficult for birds to find food. They fly to a person for help, for a treat. A teacher and children feed the birds. We must remember to feed the birds. We call birds feathered friends, feathered, because they grow feathers.
2. Observation behind tree leaves, leaf fall
Target: develop the ability to distinguish concepts: "leaf fall", "leaves", "little tree", enrich vocabulary, expand ideas about autumn phenomena nature, to form an interest in the literary word
Artistic word:
The birdhouse is empty -
The birds have flown away, the leaves on the trees
I can't sit either.
All day today everyone is flying and flying...
Apparently, also to Africa
They want to fly away. (I. Tokmakova)
Conversation:
Leaves fell from the trees to the ground. This phenomenon is called "leaf fall". The leaves lie like a beautiful carpet. When they are stepped on, the leaves rustle, as if They say: "Autumn". Has autumn painted the leaves in different colors? What color are the leaves? You can put together a beautiful bouquet from the leaves, which you can put in a vase, give to your mother, and if you dry them correctly, you can make applications from the herbarium (Children collect leaves)
3. Observation for autumn flowers
Target: expand children's ideas about living nature, about flowering plants, introduce the plants of our area that bloom in autumn, teach how to convey the impressions received in speech
Conversation:
During the walk, the teacher takes the children to a flower bed where oak trees and marigolds grow.
Marigolds come in short and tall varieties, in different golden-orange shades. The flowers are small and large, the leaves are dissected, variegated, with a pungent odor. They grow quickly and bloom until frost. Oak trees are plants with small or large flowers of different colors. It blooms for a very long time, until late autumn. Grows well in sunny areas.
5. Birch tree observation
Target: clarify the characteristic features of a tree, consolidate the names of parts, teach how to compare objects.
Artistic word:
Autumn has come, our garden has turned yellow,
The leaves on the birch tree glow golden.
Don't hear the nightingale's merry songs,
The birds flew away to warmer lands.
...Birches with yellow carvings
Glistening in the blue azure... (I. Bunin)
Conversation:
How do we recognize a birch among other trees? What color is the trunk of a birch tree? (White with black spots.) What other parts of birch do you know? (Trunk, branches, root.) What color are the branches? Why does a tree need a root? What color are birch leaves in autumn? (Yellow.) What color were they in the summer? (Green.) Look how beautiful the tree is! It is tall and slender. It has a thin white trunk with black stripes. What do you think they are for? (Through these strips the tree breathes). Flexible thin branches. The wind loves to fly to the birch tree and play with its branches. The branches bend all the way to the ground, and then straighten again.
When the leaves from the birch fall cleanly, the year will be fruitful.
The grape pickers went to their work early in the morning. Along the road they noticed a man wearing a black wide-brimmed hat. He bent over the ground, looking at something. Imagine the surprise of the women when in the evening, returning home, they found this man there, in the same position. Who was this strange man and what did he do all day? This was the wonderful French entomologist Jean Henri Fabre. That day he observed the habits of a small wasp that had made a hole near the road.
It must be said that Fabre devoted his entire long life to the study of insects (1823-1915). Sparing no time and effort to observe wasps, bees, butterflies, and beetles, he became the world's best expert on insects. Fabre described his discoveries in books that are still admired by scientists and nature lovers from different countries.
J. A. Fabre
Observation- this is one of the methods, or ways, of studying nature (from the Greek word “methodos” - way, technique).
It is impossible to imagine our planet without insects
The observation method is used, of course, not only by researchers of insects and other animals, but also by scientists of various specialties, for example astronomers. Recently, in July 1994, telescopes around the world were pointed towards Jupiter. An event occurred that happens once every thousand years. The fragments of a comet flying at enormous speed collided with Jupiter. Scientists were able to carefully observe this cosmic catastrophe. The explosions from the fall of the comet were many times greater than the power of all the atomic weapons accumulated on Earth. Giant vortices with a diameter of up to 5000 km arose above Jupiter, and “wounds” 150-200 km deep remained on the planet itself.
Experiment
But observations in nature are not always enough. To better study many phenomena, researchers conduct experiments (experiments). The word “experiment” translated from Latin means “experience”, “test”. This is another method of studying nature. When conducting an experiment, a person repeats or reproduces this or that natural phenomenon in the laboratory. At the same time, he carefully monitors how it happens. If necessary, the researcher repeats the same experiment many times. With the help of experiments, you can, for example, find out what happens to bodies when they are heated and cooled, which bodies are attracted by a magnet and which are not, which substances conduct electric current and which do not. Experiments help to study not only inanimate bodies, but also plants and animals. It is possible, for example, to determine how different fertilizers affect the growth and development of plants. With the help of experiments, they study the behavior of animals, their language, memory, intelligence, and ability to find their way.
It has been found, for example, that migratory birds navigate by the sun and stars during their travels. Very interesting experiments helped us find out. In autumn and spring, the birds were kept in a special cage from where they could see the sun. The birds turned in the direction where they would fly if they were free. When scientists used mirrors to change the direction of the sun's rays, as if moving the sun, the birds turned to follow it. So it was proven that they navigate by the sun. Similar experiments were carried out at night. As long as the birds saw the night sky, they were positioned in the right direction. But then they were placed in a planetarium and they began to change the location of the stars in the artificial sky. And the birds, trusting this sky, turned completely in the wrong direction. This meant that they actually navigated by the stars.
Measurement
Very often, when studying nature, another method is used - measurement. They measure, for example, the size and mass of bodies, their temperature, speed of movement, and the time of occurrence of certain phenomena. To do this, they use measuring instruments: a ruler, scales, thermometer, stopwatch or watch, etc. Biologists often need to know the number of animals of a particular species in a certain area. To determine this, they count how many times animals, their tracks, burrows or nests were encountered in a certain area. The number of birds is determined in the spring by their calls.
Equipment for scientific research
Magnifying devices
Measuring instruments
Laboratory equipment
Test your knowledge
- What are the main methods of studying nature?
- What can you learn through observation?
- What is an experiment?
- What measurements are taken when studying nature?
- What can you measure with a stopwatch? What about using scales?
Think!
- Give examples of observations you made while studying nature in elementary school.
- What experiments did you conduct in elementary school during your “The World Around You” lessons?
- What magnifying devices do you know?
- What specialties do scientists use a telescope for their observations? Who uses a magnifying glass?
- Which units of measurement from the right column correspond to the values given in the left column?
Nature is studied using various methods. The main ones are observation, experiment (experience), measurement.
The natural world around us is simply teeming with various secrets and mysteries. Scientists have been looking for answers for centuries and sometimes trying to explain, but even the best minds of mankind still defy some amazing natural phenomena.
Sometimes you get the impression that strange flashes in the sky and spontaneously moving stones do not mean anything special. But, delving into the mysterious manifestations observed on our planet, you understand that it is impossible to answer many questions. Nature carefully hides its secrets, and people put forward new hypotheses, trying to unravel them.
Today we will look at physical phenomena in living nature that will make you take a fresh look at the world around you.
Physical phenomena
Every body is made up of certain substances, but note that different activities have different effects on the same bodies. For example, if you tear paper in half, the paper will still be paper. But if you set it on fire, all that will remain is ashes.
When the size, shape, state changes, but the substance remains the same and does not transform into another, such phenomena are called physical. They may be different.
Natural phenomena, examples of which we can observe in everyday life, are:
- Mechanical. The movement of clouds across the sky, the flight of an airplane, the fall of an apple.
- Thermal. Caused by temperature changes. During this process, the characteristics of the body change. If you heat ice, it becomes water, which transforms into steam.
- Electrical. Surely, when quickly taking off your woolen clothes, you have at least once heard a specific crackling sound, similar to an electric discharge. And if you do all this in a dark room, you can still observe the sparks. Objects that, after friction, begin to attract lighter bodies are called electrified. Northern lights, lightning during a thunderstorm - vivid examples
- Light. Bodies that emit light are called. This includes the Sun, lamps and even representatives of the animal world: some types of deep-sea fish and fireflies.
The physical phenomena of nature, examples of which we discussed above, are successfully used by people in everyday life. But there are also those that to this day excite the minds of scientists and evoke universal admiration.
Northern lights
Perhaps this rightfully bears the status of the most romantic. High in the sky, colorful rivers form, covering an endless number of bright stars.
If you want to enjoy this beauty, the best place to do it is in the northern part of Finland (Lapland). There was a belief that the cause of its occurrence was the anger of the supreme gods. But the most popular legend of the Sami people was about a fabulous fox who hit the snow-covered plains with his tail, causing colored sparks to soar into the heights and illuminate the night sky.
Clouds in the form of pipes
Such a natural phenomenon can drag anyone into a state of relaxation, inspiration, and illusion for a long time. Such sensations are created due to the shape of large pipes that change their color.
You can see it in those places where a thunderstorm front begins to form. This natural phenomenon is most often observed in countries with a tropical climate.
Stones that move in Death Valley
There are various natural phenomena, examples of which are quite understandable from a scientific point of view. But there are those that defy human logic. One of the mysteries of nature is considered to be. This phenomenon can be observed in the American national park called Death Valley. Many scientists try to explain the movement by strong winds, which are often found in desert areas, and the presence of ice, since it was in winter that the movement of stones became more intense.
During the research, scientists made observations of 30 stones, the weight of which was no more than 25 kg. Over seven years, 28 out of 30 stone blocks moved 200 meters from the starting point.
Whatever the scientists’ guesses, they do not have a clear answer regarding this phenomenon.
Ball lightning
Appearing after or during a thunderstorm is called ball lightning. There is an assumption that Nikola Tesla managed to create ball lightning in his laboratory. He wrote that he had not seen anything like this in nature (we were talking about fireballs), but he figured out how they form and even managed to recreate this phenomenon.
Modern scientists have not been able to achieve similar results. And some even question the existence of this phenomenon as such.
We have considered only some natural phenomena, examples of which show how amazing and mysterious our surrounding world is. How many unknown and interesting things we still have to learn in the process of developing and improving science. How many discoveries await us ahead?
Sections: Working with preschoolers , Ecology
Nature, with its diversity, color and dynamism, attracts children and gives them many joyful experiences. A child’s perception of nature is sharper than an adult’s, since he comes into contact with it for the first time. By maintaining and developing this interest, we cultivate many positive personality traits, such as cheerfulness and a sensitive attitude towards all living things.
Observation is the main means of understanding nature. It makes it possible to introduce children to natural phenomena and the relationship between living and inanimate nature. It is observation that helps preschoolers see the changes that occur in plants depending on environmental conditions or those created by man. Observation of distances can be carried out with children, starting from the younger group, since already at this age they learn to establish relationships in nature, notice the dependence of plant growth and development on different conditions. Preschoolers look with great interest at the world around them. The tasks that I have planned include teaching them not only to look, but also to see what changes occur in nature throughout the year.
As a result of observation, children learn to analyze and compare. Comparison takes place only on the condition that the image reflecting the previous state of the object is clear enough so that it can be compared with the features of the object that exist at the moment. Considering that the observation process is extended over time (you can observe once a week), the image of the previous object in the child’s mind may turn out to be unclear, and this will not allow for a comparison to be carried out at the proper level and to identify the nature of the changes that have occurred. As a result of observations, it is necessary to record an object of nature (draw or photograph).
In the process of comparing drawings or photographs, children form ideas about the growth and development of plants.
To see the changes occurring in plants, it is necessary to carry out observations regularly. This is one of the observation conditions. The choice of object and the content of observation are also important. I chose vegetable crops as the object of our observation. They grow quickly and gain weight, and these changes are clearly visible to children. The first vegetable that was observed was onion, which germinates easily in indoor conditions.
The purpose of this observation was to show children the effects of light, heat, moisture and nutrients on the growth of vegetables. Observations took place in 4 stages.
- Stage 1. We looked at the bulbs with the children. I noticed that the upper part of the bulb is narrow, and the lower part is wide, which is called the bottom, roots grow on it, it should be in the ground. Green feathers grow from the top part; it should be above the ground. Show children how to properly plant a bulb in the ground.
- Stage 2. Planting bulbs in the ground. Each child took one onion and planted it in the ground himself. After that, I showed the children how to pour water on the onion. At the same time, I explained to the children why we watered the plants (moisture is needed for the onions to germinate)
- Stage 3. On the fourth day after planting, small green feathers appeared on the bulbs.
- Stage 4. In the process of further observation, the children noticed that the onion feathers had grown and become longer. At this stage, it is necessary to bring the children to the fact that all conditions are necessary for plant growth: moisture, light, warmth.
To reinforce in children the concept that all plants need three conditions to grow: moisture, light and warmth, I observed beets in the summer.
The purpose of this experiment is to show children that a seed is alive and a new plant grows from it. And also show the influence of conditions (heat, light, moisture, air, nutrients) on the growth and development of plants.
- Stage 1. We looked at beet seeds that were soaked in water for germination. Three days later, the children and I looked at what happened to the seeds. The children saw small sprouts. They concluded that the seed was alive.
- Stage 2. The sprouted seeds were planted in previously prepared soil. After planting, water well.
- Stage 3. A week later, the children saw that green sprouts had appeared in the ground. Together with the children, we watered them every morning and watched what would happen next.
- Stage 4. Then observations were carried out once a week so that changes in growth were better visible. The children noticed that the beet leaves had increased in size. Each time after observation, I had a conversation with the children about how vegetables grow so quickly because they are watered, the soil is loosened, and it is warm and light outside.
- Stage 5. The final stage of observation. These are comparisons of plant drawings at different stages. In the process of observations, children not only understand the relationship between plant growth and natural conditions, but also begin to treat plants more carefully.
I want to continue similar work in the future. In older, preparatory groups, conduct cyclic observations throughout the year. For example, observe the changes that occur with mountain ash at different times of the year (spring, summer, autumn, winter) depending on environmental conditions. In the spring, draw children's attention to the beauty of rowan inflorescences - a combination of green and white. In summer, watch for the appearance of small green berries. And in the fall, it is necessary to draw children’s attention to the beauty of the autumn rowan tree, to the brightness of its outfit. In winter, pay attention to clusters of bright red berries. In winter, the tree sleeps, the trunk has become darker because the sap flow has stopped, and there is severe frost outside. You can also conduct a cycle of observations of coltsfoot during April and May.
Thus, we can say that with proper organization, observation becomes not only a factor in mental education, but also moral: the child develops clear ideas about the patterns in the growth and development of plants, an understanding of the relationship between the development of the plant and the environmental factors that ensure its survival. The knowledge gained allows preschoolers to better understand the properties of a living organism, develop the correct attitude towards plants and animals, and independently design their behavior in relation to living things.