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

V diplomskem delu želimo predstaviti spoznavanje materialov skozi konstruiranje in predstaviti primer projektne dejavnosti s področja tehnike in tehnologije, ki smo jo izvedli v vrtcu s participacijo in aktivnim sodelovanjem otrok. Namen diplomskega dela je ugotoviti kako konstruiranje vpliva na spoznavanje materialov pri otrocih starih od 3 do 5 let. Želeli smo tudi ugotoviti, katere materiale strokovni delavci pogosteje oz. redkeje ponujajo otrokom. Zato smo se v diplomskem delu osredotočili predvsem na redkeje uporabljene materiale (kovina, moka, mivka, beton, testenine). Rezultate najpogosteje uporabljenih materialov smo pridobili s pomočjo anketnega vprašalnika, ki smo ga v fizični obliki razdelili vzgojiteljem predšolskih otrok v vrtcu Najdihojca, Ljubljana. Ugotovili smo, da pogosteje uporabljajo les, papir in tekstil, redkeje pa usnje, keramiko, gradbene materiale in kovino. Zato smo se v diplomskem delu ukvarjali z materiali, podatke smo pridobili z anketo, ki se jih strokovni delavci poslužujejo redkeje. V vrtcu smo izvedli dvomesečen projekt pri katerem so otroci aktivno sodelovali in spoznavali materiale skozi,- sestavljanje, mešanje, gradnjo… Spodbujali smo participacijo otrok v vseh aktivnostih, od načrtovanja dejavnosti do samostojne uporabe znanja pri izdelavi zaključnih konstrukcij. Skozi dejavnosti so otroci spoznavali in poglabljali znanja o lastnostih in značilnostih materialov. Ugotovili smo, da polovica otrok pozna lastnosti in značilnosti materialov že pred izvedbo dejavnosti večina pa po izvedenih dejavnostih, kar je razvidno iz analize opazovalnih listov. Iz anketnega vprašalnika za strokovne delavce je razvidno, da 63% strokovnih delavcev uporablja nestrukturirane materiale in 37% strukturirane. Polovica anketirancev nestrukturirane materiale pogosto uporablja pri delu z otroki. Večina strokovnih delavcev meni, da je najbolj primerna metoda za spoznavanje materialov konstruiranje. Otroci skozi konstruiranje pridobivajo nova znanja, tehnično-fizikalne izkušnje in razvijajo ustvarjalnost, se tehnološko opismenjujejo in razvijajo kompetence za življenje. Z diplomskim delom želimo vplivati predvsem na vzgojitelje, jih motivirati za iskanje novih izzivov, jim ponuditi drugačne materiale in zamisli za konstrukcijske dejavnosti in tako otrokom omogočiti čim več aktivnega učenja preko manipuliranja z različnimi materiali. Spodbuditi želimo večkratno aktivno uporabo nestandardnih materialov v predšolskem obdobju in s tem prispevali k spoznavanju novih postopkov ter orodij za ustvarjanje konstrukcij.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\u27s 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