Bee-Plant Relationship in Early Childhood: A Study through the Analysis of Children’s Drawings

  1. Rodríguez-Loinaz, Gloria 1
  2. Toral, Naiara 1
  3. Palacios-Agúndez, Igone 1
  1. 1 Universidad del País Vasco/Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea
    info

    Universidad del País Vasco/Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea

    Lejona, España

    ROR https://ror.org/000xsnr85

Proceedings:
Innovative and Creative Education and Teaching International Conference (2nd. 2018. Badajoz)

Year of publication: 2018

Pages: 1251

Type: Conference paper

DOI: 10.3390/PROCEEDINGS2211351 GOOGLE SCHOLAR lock_openOpen access editor

Sustainable development goals

Abstract

Bees play a key role for humans, since crops pollination relies heavily on them. However, bees’ population is diminishing dramatically. Therefore, conservation actions are needed to protect them, including educational ones. Childhood Education is a crucial period to learn and strengthen values about nature and the environment. In fact, it is believed that early exposure to scientific explanations on natural phenomena and on different living species can lead children to value and respect more the environment. The aim of this paper is to study, through the analysis of drawings, whether young children establish the relationship between bees and plants, the basis of the pollination. 47 five and six-year-old-children took part in the study. Results showed that children begin to establish relationships between bees and plants in early childhood, which is a valuable starting point to work with them through educational programs on the role of bees in pollination and on the importance of bees’ conservation.