2023 Volume 32 Issue 2 Pages 2_15-23
Recently, the frequency of children’s nature-related experiences has been decreasing. Early childhood is an important period for cultivating the foundation of one’s personality. Therefore, enriching nature-related experiences in early childhood is important for nurturing a positive attitude towards nature. This study aims to clarify the current state of nature-related experiences at early childhood facilities in Akita Prefecture, on the island of Honshu, Japan. Furthermore, the authors assess whether or not factors such as the facility's surrounding natural environment and existing staff training affect the frequency of nature-related experiences and discuss potential improvements. A questionnaire-based survey was conducted at all 314 early childhood facilities in Akita Prefecture, and the responses from 193 facilities were analyzed. The results revealed that the frequency of overall activities, especially out-of-facility activities, in Akita exceeded those in Tokyo and Hyogo prefectures, where the same questionnaire-based survey was conducted during previous research. However, the frequency of activities and the implementation of different activity items varied widely between facilities. The environment surrounding facilities and the staff training for nature-related experiences were significantly correlated to the frequency of the activities. Therefore, staff training programs should be implemented to increase and enrich the nature-related experiences. Furthermore further efforts to initiate activities in the respective playgrounds with less naturally appealing surroundings is encouraged.
