title: [Study of the positive effect of work and nature on various aspects of child development at the preschool age].
abstract: The goal of this study consists in showing the positive effects of contact with nature, linked to some well structured activities, on some developmental aspects with 4 to 6 years old children. In a semi-structured setting children belonging to the experimental group had the opportunity to meet and explore spontaneously nature with all its aspects and to discover natural phenomena linked to evolution and life, mirroring some analogous principles of their own development. Nature functioned as a free space, offering multiple possibilities to play and explore freely, aside from any kind of evaluation and consideration based on priority. With regard to the complexity of the theme and the great amount of possible interconnections, a holistic approach was appropriate. With the help of a quasi-experimental design, we evaluated the data of two groups of children, analyzing not only their development, but also the relationships with their familiar environment and their involvement with nature. Thanks to three different procedural approaches, it was possible to show the differential progress of the experimental group in comparison with the control group, to select variables responsive to contact with nature and to bring out the positive link between good emotional contact with nature and general development.
authors.affiliation: Serge.thomas@arcelor.com
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Thomas
mesh_terms: D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D006694:Holistic Health; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D019368:Nature; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010944:Plants; D014937:Work