ERIC Number: EJ1193490
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2018
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-2331-0464
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Creative by Nature: Investigating the Impact of Nature Preschools on Young Children's Creative Thinking
Wojciehowski, Mandi; Ernst, Julie
International Journal of Early Childhood Environmental Education, v6 n1 p3-20 Fall 2018
Creative thinking is valuable and necessary in society today and in the development of solutions to environmental issues. Fostering creative thinking skills and environmental values should begin early in life. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence that a nature preschool experience has on the development of creative thinking in young children. The "Thinking Creatively in Action and Movement" (TCAM) instrument was used to assess creative thinking through measuring children's fluency, originality, and imagination scores at four nature preschools and one non-nature preschool. Results indicate that nature preschooler's creative thinking scores increased significantly from pretest to posttest measures. Results further suggest variation in influence on creative thinking across the nature preschool sites.
Descriptors: Creative Thinking, Creativity, Outdoor Education, Natural Resources, Preschool Education, Preschool Children, Child Development, Program Effectiveness
North American Association for Environmnental Education. 2000 P Street NW Suite 540, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 202-419-0412; Web site: https://naaee.org/eepro/resources/international-journal-early-childhood-environmental-education-ijecee
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Preschool Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Minnesota
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A