Environmental Education for the Early Childhood Children based on the Environment-friendly Life Style

환경친화적 생활양식에 기초한 유아의 환경교육

The purpose of this study is to propose the direction of environmental education for early childhood children based on the environment-friendly life style and to improve the possibility of application of it at home and kindergarten. This study reviewed reflectively the early studies on the concepts of ecocentrism, the emerging process of it, the importance of environmental education for early childhood children based on the ecocentrism, and the practice of these kinds of education at home and kindergarten. The main concepts connected to the environment-friendly life style based on ecocentrism, that is, 'preservation of nature', 'interdepentence', 'wholeness', 'equilibrium' are the foundations of environmental education for early childhood children. When these kinds of concepts are considered, the aims of environmental education for early childhood children should be focused on the life style that attaches great importance to the symbiosis of human being and nature. The educational contents and methods in harmony with ecocentrism are as follows: The educational methods should be connected to the education based on ordinariness, the learning through adults' model, the family-community-centered activities, and ways of thinking of the unity of knowledge and conduct. And educational contents should include all of the life styles in clothes, food, and shelter. And the educational methods also should be connected to the education through joint working of children and teacher, play-centered education, activities considering ages and individual variations, and education connected home. And educational contents should include many different kinds of activities of experiencing nature outside home and kindergarten.