When kindergarten is no longer a school and a single place to provide knowledge, when kindergarten becomes more and more like home, like a sports ground and like a natural museum, children will love this environment more and be attracted by a truly high-quality education.
The best environment for children to grow up is a school like home.
In Okazaki City, Aichi Prefecture, Kentaro and Tamaki Nara run a private family nursery-"Four-leaf clover house". This 105 square meter two-story building, surrounded by rice fields and mountains, is where my brothers and sisters teach their children English and Chinese.
Their educational philosophy is very simple and simple-"Let the school become a second home", providing children with a warm and comfortable growing environment like home.
When the second floor could not provide good educational services for more children, the two brothers and sisters decided decisively to tear down the home where the whole family had lived for many years and expand the original family private nursery into a children's educational institution.
It's a big change from private nursery to kindergarten.
Pre-school education in Japan is divided into nurseries and kindergartens. A nursery is somewhat similar to a kindergarten in China, but it also has an educational function. Children can't apply for admission to the park until they go to primary school four months after birth, while kindergartens can't enter the park until they are at least three years old.
Japan's Basic Law on Education also stipulates: "Early childhood education should emphasize the relationship between kindergarten and family." The newly-built kindergarten will realize their long-standing educational dream-to make the kindergarten a "second home" for children.
Different from traditional kindergartens, the four-leaf clover home is a shelter between public preschool institutions and houses, and adopts a fully open teaching method: during the day, children and teachers eat, study, discuss, have lunch breaks and play games together, just like a family; In the evening, this is where the teachers live.
In order to save costs, the designer of the four-leaf clover house kept and strengthened the main structure of the old house, making it a part of the new building, completing the integration of old and new time and space in the new building, and continuing the soul and memory of the old house.
The gap between the curved surface of the shell and the internal structure has also formed a small corner that only children can climb and become their secret paradise. Children study in such a transparent and closed space, feel the light migration in the circular window and watch the changes of scenery outside the window all year round.
And these natural talents have become the "materials" for natural learning at hand, so that children can grow up in nature.
The transformed four-leaf clover house became a white castle, and the new shell wrapped the old structure. The whole building not only expresses respect for the feelings of the past houses, but also opens up a new space for daydreaming.
The new structure is connected with the old wooden structure, forming a three-story space, including living room, kitchen, bathroom and studio. The operation of the kindergarten during the day and the residence of teachers and their families at night are all satisfied here.
The problem of preschool education is the driving force of change.
A country's education determines its future. Both China and Japan attach great importance to early childhood education, but different concerns also lead to great differences in the concept and effect of early childhood education between this small neighboring country and us.
The economically developed society pays more attention to children's education, hoping that they can learn more knowledge earlier and faster. However, it rarely happens in Japan now. It seems that their understanding of "winning at the starting line" is completely different.
In fact, Japan has had a similar experience of "total westernization and excessive knowledge education" for young children. Japan 1948 promulgated the Conservation Plan-Happy Children's Experience, which has a strong American color. In view of Dewey's empiricism, the course content is determined on the basis of students' direct participation in life activities, which promotes the growth of children's instinct.
However, Japanese educator Gubenfu once said in his speech "How to run a kindergarten well" that "children are independent individuals with independent will and personality and should not be manipulated by adults at will". Nurses in kindergartens are required to follow the principle of "following nature": kindergartens are places for free play and all classes are prohibited.
And soon promulgated the "Early Childhood Education Law", which defined the game-centered early childhood education system.
However, in recent years, there has been a problem of "three rooms decreasing" in Japanese education, that is, the space, time and interval (partners and companions) of children's outdoor games have been seriously exploited by modernization and urbanization.
In heavily urbanized Japan, public spaces (parks, squares, green spaces, etc. ) playing less and less for children; Due to the extensive development of electronics and entertainment, children's time for outdoor games has been greatly reduced; Modern communities pay more and more attention to privacy and closeness, which also leads to a great reduction in the opportunities for children and partners to go out to play.
And a gamification kindergarten can make children have enough space resources when they grow up, and can be close to nature with their partners anytime and anywhere, away from the influence and impact of urbanization, electronics and information age.
Therefore, the four-leaf clover house is not a special case in Japan, and many kindergartens are friends with nature.
Natural playground creates exclusive happiness for children.
In traditional kindergartens, children can't go out in rainy days, but Daichi Watertreading Kindergarten in Kumamoto City has an open atrium roof to collect rainwater so that children can tread barefoot in natural pools after heavy rain.
In the eyes of teachers in Dachi Kindergarten, stepping on the rain is a game, just like building blocks and putting together puzzles. Just as children should not be prevented from building blocks, they should not be prevented from stepping on puddles.
"Barefoot education" is also one of the most distinctive educational contents in outdoor activities of Japanese kindergartens. Japanese educators have proposed that barefoot education has a good corrective effect on children's feet because of the reduction of barefoot life created for children in today's society. Treading on water is undoubtedly one of the best "barefoot" education.
In winter, the frozen water in the atrium becomes a natural skating rink for children. On snowy days, you can stay indoors, enjoy the snow scene at any time and start a snowball fight; On a sunny day, the atrium becomes a badminton court again. In a word, Dachi Kindergarten is a natural playground for children all year round. Continuous outdoor activities throughout the year make children's sports skills and self-resistance constantly enhanced in repeated games.
Not only indoor and outdoor communication, but also the kindergarten restaurant is open. Chefs are used to preparing every meal under the supervision of children every day. Every day, curious and food-loving children stare at the chef with good eyes to see what will be delicious today.
Gifts from nature are children's best toys.
Japanese kindergartens can't find modern equipment and dazzling array of high-grade toys, but more toys are made of local materials or waste materials, which is quite different from the developed modern society in Japan, but it reflects the essence of Japanese education:
Tap children's potential and innovative spirit in the natural environment, not slaves under the control of electronic products.
In the tsunami suburb of Shiga Prefecture, Japan, there is a kindergarten called "House of Light". Designers introduce light through the light well in the conical upper space of the building, and bring different light to children with different shapes and colors at the light introduction place.
Indoor, children can feel these "light" changes, and even chase them, play together, and feel the changes brought by light in daily life and activities.
By collecting natural light reasonably, Light House creates different impressions for each space. These light sources located on the high ceiling are different in shape, color and direction, full of dreamy colors.
Compared with the house itself, it is more important to provide children with the enlightenment education of beauty and nature. Even if the room is small, children can know that they are in nature from an early age and feel the power and beauty brought by nature.
Kindergarten diversification is the result of Japan's exploration of preschool education.
In 2009, Japan began to fully implement "New Essentials of Kindergarten Education" and "Conservation Guide", which are the program of preschool education in Japan, which clearly requires teachers to "focus on guiding children's games, achieve the prescribed goals by guiding children's games, and pay full attention to the role and position of games in children's growth and development."
The five fields of health, interpersonal relationship, environment, language and expression are specified in detail, which shows the concept of Japanese preschool education without exception: "Education in early childhood is to cultivate rich sensibility, curiosity and exploration through games."
In 20 12, The Economist published the level of preschool education in 45 countries around the world. By investigating and ranking the education quality, education cost and availability of kindergartens in various countries, Japan ranks 13 in terms of education quality.
Children in Japanese kindergartens are independent from childhood and have good living habits. They learned how to integrate into society through collective life. Compared with all kinds of early education classes that seem to make early education full of relaxed and pleasant atmosphere, it actually pushes young children to endless after-school counseling. Japanese kindergartens are not so much enlightenment places for learning as amusement parks for childhood.
Children who grow up in such an environment have a precious childhood, play in nature and keep company with their peers. This precious childhood will completely release children's nature, nourish and inspire them when they really absorb knowledge.
When kindergarten is no longer a school and a single place to provide knowledge, when kindergarten becomes more and more like home, playground and natural museum, children will love it more and be attracted by a truly high-quality education.
As Rousseau said: You can never teach a wise man without cultivating lively children first.
Chopin said
To tell the truth, Chopin admired this nation more and more when he saw that Japan, as a defeated country, could open all primary schools on the bombed ruins in less than two weeks after the end of the war. Because Japan is a real "crane-tailed" nation that has come back from the most backward position step by step through universal education.
At first, Japan had nothing in culture, population and economy. The geographical position of this country can even be said to be "abandoned by God", because there are no favorable resources except natural disasters and fish in the sea. They can rise against the attack and only rely on education!
From advocating China culture at the beginning to leaving Asia for Europe, they all followed the most advanced culture at that time to improve their own shortcomings. And they themselves clearly know that only through education can they change their backward status! No matter how complicated your feelings for Japan are, you have to admire such a country that relies on education to counterattack and ultimately change the destiny of the whole nation.
Chopin didn't mean to belittle himself, because Japan can't compare with us in terms of resources and culture, but we should also learn to attach importance to our education so that our children can rely on education to make this great nation rise again in the future!