Känslor och estetik i förskolans naturvetenskap

Emotions and aesthetics in preschool science

Abstract

The significance of aesthetic experiences, including things perceived as beautiful or pleasant, but also ugly or unpleasant, has been studied in relation to children’s interest and learning in science. The pur­pose of the present study is to contribute to the development of knowledge about how aesthetics and exploratory approaches are used in preschool teaching in science. Based on this, we wanted to examine the possibility that a focus on aesthetic experiences and experiences based on living organisms or natural objects could be considered and used as a subject didactic model in activities with scientific content. The article is based on an analysis of interactive logbooks from a collaborative project between preschool and university. Our results show that aesthetic experiences and expressions appear as constantly present and in constant change and development in the preschool’s activities, and that this is driven by the children’s and educators’ curiosity and creativity in close interaction. Our conclusion is that a subject didactic model with a focus on aesthetic experiences might contribute to this didactic approach being formulated, con­cretized and developed in preschool teaching.