“If I’m in the Grass and These Boots Overflow, I Could Water the Plants”: Exploring the Natural World as Service Learning with Young Children

Abstract

Service learning is a valuable learning tool when properly integrated into educational settings, yet relatively little research explores this form of experiential education with preschool-aged children. A particular challenge is identifying developmentally-appropriate methods of reflection, a key component of service learning. The chapter will explore environmental stewardship in a Reggio-inspired preschool as a form of service learning in young children. We will demonstrate, through our own research as well as extant developmental theoretical frameworks, that affording young children positive relationships with nature cultivates the next generation of environmental stewards. Fostering environmental stewardship through developmentally-appropriate, engaging experiences is a unique form of service learning in that it connects with community values and needs on a local and global scale. Furthermore, it integrates with the Reggio Emilia early childhood pedagogical approach in which the environment is considered a “third educator.” Finally, this form of service learning provides opportunities for children to reflect through interactions with peers, intentional teacher guidance, regular interviews at school, photo-documentation of children’s ongoing experiences, and activities that demonstrate respect and valuing of the natural world including growing and eating their own food, recycling, picking up trash, and mindful meditation in natural outdoor environments.