Learning about materials through building with children aged 3 to 5 years

In the diploma work we want to present the knowledge of materials through construction and present an example of a project activity in the field of technique and technology, which we carried out in kindergarten, where children actively participated. The purpose of this thesis is to determine how construction affects the learning of materials in children aged 3 to 5 years. With the diploma work we also wanted to find out which materials professionals more often or. rarely offered to children. Therefore, in the diploma work we focused mainly on less frequently used materials. The results were obtained with the help of a questionnaire, which was distributed in physical form in the kindergarten Najdihojca, Ljubljana. We found that they use wood, paper and textiles more often, and leather, ceramics, building materials and metal less often. Therefore, in the diploma work we dealt with materials that are rarely used by professionals. In the kindergarten we carried out a 2-month project with children in which children actively participated and learned about materials through assembling, mixing, construction… We encouraged children's participation in all activities, from planning activities to independent use of knowledge in the manufacture of finishing structures. Through the activities, the children learned and deepened their knowledge about the properties and characteristics of materials. We found that half of the children know the properties / characteristics of the materials before the activity and most after the activities, which is evident from the analysis of the observation sheets. The questionnaire for professionals shows that 63% of professionals use unstructured materials and 37% structured. Half of the respondents often use unstructured materials when working with children. Most professionals believe that the most appropriate method for learning about materials is construction. Through construction, children gain new knowledge, technical and physical experience and develop creativity. They are technologically literate and develop competencies for life