OUTDOOR ENVIRONMENTS AND CHILDREN'S CURIOSITY: THE SCHOOL AS A PLACE OF INVESTIGATION

Abstract

This article discusses the relationship between the school's external environments and the development of children's curiosity, taking as a reference the pedagogical work carried out with children in Kindergarten 5. It is based on the premise that curiosity is an essential driver of learning and finds, in external spaces such as playgrounds, gardens, vegetable gardens, and patios, privileged opportunities for investigation and knowledge construction. Based on authors such as Vygotsky (2000), Lima (1989), Forneiro (1998), Loureiro (2012), Barbosa and Horn (2017), as well as the guidelines of the Brazilian National Common Curriculum Base (BNCC), the study highlights the importance of understanding the school as a place of exploration, enchantment, and discovery. Methodologically, it presents a theoretical and practical reflection, based on a literature review and analysis of pedagogical experiences that value teacher mediation in the organization of investigative activities. The discussion highlights that children's contact with outdoor environments fosters not only observation and hypothesis formulation, but also autonomy, cooperation, and holistic development. It concludes that by reinterpreting school spaces as territories of investigation, the teacher expands educational possibilities, promoting meaningful learning that stems from the child's natural curiosity.This article discusses the relationship between the school's external environments and the development of children's curiosity, taking as a reference the pedagogical work carried out with children in Kindergarten 5. It is based on the premise that curiosity is an essential driver of learning and finds, in external spaces such as playgrounds, gardens, vegetable gardens, and patios, privileged opportunities for investigation and knowledge construction. Based on authors such as Vygotsky (2000), Lima (1989), Forneiro (1998), Loureiro (2012), Barbosa and Horn (2017), as well as the guidelines of the Brazilian National Common Curriculum Base (BNCC), the study highlights the importance of understanding the school as a place of exploration, enchantment, and discovery. Methodologically, it presents a theoretical and practical reflection, based on a literature review and analysis of pedagogical experiences that value teacher mediation in the organization of investigative activities. The discussion highlights that children's contact with outdoor environments fosters not only observation and hypothesis formulation, but also autonomy, cooperation, and holistic development. It concludes that by reinterpreting school spaces as territories of investigation, the teacher expands educational possibilities, promoting meaningful learning that stems from the child's natural curiosity.