Merging the Child in Nature: Towards the Greening and Afforestation Project in Light of the Initiatives of Egypt and Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Awareness and appreciation of nature and environmental sustainability have become global issues. Egypt and Saudi Arabia have contributed to several serious initiatives to participate in the development of feasible solutions to these vital issues. The current research attempted to study the dimensions developed by those initiatives. The research adopted the dimension of education in early childhood and educating children about the issues of nature and the environment by monitoring the practices that take place in four programs implemented in Egypt and Saudi Arabia. The research aims to determine how the relationship between children and nature is rooted, and the consequent appreciation of nature and environmental awareness. The qualitative approach was adopted for the continuous interpretation of the practices of participants in the specific programs. The results found that educational programs that seek to merge nature and the environment in the education of children led to increased knowledge of environmental issues, improved environmental ethics and increased desire to discover, learn, protect and preserve nature. In other words, learning about the environment and nature may have a significant positive impact on the behavior of children’s connection to nature and the environment. Nature offers real opportunities for children to grow and learn. In light of the current results, the research recommended the necessity of integrating the traditional approach of the early learning stage with a curriculum on the appreciation of nature and environmental awareness. Also, there is a need to train teachers to work in nature with children and educate the community, especially parents, about the importance of learning in nature for their children.