NURTURING AN AESTHETIC ATTITUDE TOWARDS NATURE IN PRESCHOOL CHILDREN IN THE CONTEXT OF THE ACTIVITIES OF THE RESEARCH LABORATORY “SPIRITUAL FOUNDATIONS OF PRESCHOOL CHILDHOOD”

Abstract

The article reveals the theoretical and practical foundations of ecological and aesthetic education of
children of senior preschool age using art in the context of the activities of the research laboratory
“Spiritual Foundations of Preschool Childhood”, the purpose of which is the development of scientific
programs, projects for the spiritual development of the personality of a preschool child and the promotion
of spiritual, artistic, creative and aesthetic development of student youth - future specialists in preschool
education. The work of the research laboratory is carried out within the framework of the basic provisions
of the Concept of Preschool Education, that preschool age is the basis for the general cultural and spiritual
development of a preschool child. Based on the analysis of scientific developments of leading domestic
and foreign scientists, the relationship between aesthetic and environmental culture is revealed; the
importance of nature as an aesthetic value is shown; the role of aesthetic factors of nature in the formation
of the spirituality of preschool children is substantiated. It has been proven that preschool age is an
important period in the formation of a child’s personality, the development of his emotional and sensory
sphere, which is manifested in the ability to aesthetic perception, aesthetic feeling, aesthetic appreciation
and aesthetic activity.The importance of art is revealed as a special form of activity in which the formation
of a person occurs, the strengthening of his spirituality, the development of creative abilities, imaginative
thinking and the aesthetic sphere; as a reflection of reality, art is the most perfect form of comprehension
and creative development of the spiritual and practical experience of mankind. It helps to cognize life in
direct sensory contact, to perceive the phenomena of reality in the sense that they exist in the system of
social relations.The directions of technology for environmental and aesthetic education of preschool
children are revealed: enrichment of the emotional and sensory sphere of children, improvement of artistic
and imaginative perception, stimulation of artistic and creative activity in the environmental direction; and
also identified the pedagogical conditions that ensured the effectiveness of this educational process,
namely the use of a complex of arts as a way of understanding the aesthetic value of nature; creating an
emotional background at all stages of children’s interaction with nature; compliance of the pedagogical
process with the age, individual characteristics and capabilities of the older preschooler; focus on
developing children's creative activity; step-by-step, systematic and consistent formation of children's
value attitude towards nature in a preschool institution; coordination of work with parents; the pedagogical
skill of the teacher, his erudition in the field of art; material support for the educational process. It is
concluded that the development of the spiritual world of a preschool child is possible only through
instilling in him humanism, love of nature, and a value-based attitude to the social environment - the
spiritual phenomena of society.