Application of Ecological Tourism in Physical Education of Primary School Age Children

Abstract

Purpose: to work out and scientifically substantiate the program of trainings with application of ecological tourism means for primary school pupils, oriented on pupils’ ecological culture formation and increase of their physical condition indicators. Material: in the research 191 pupils (96 boys and 95 girls) from comprehensive schools participated. Physical culture teachers (n=12) were invited as experts. Degree of the questioned experts’ opinions’ concordance was checked with calculation of concordance coefficient. Assessment of pupils’ physical health was fulfilled. For diagnostic of personal ecological settings we questioned pupils by verbal associative methodic. Results: we found that prevailing majority of the questioned pupils were out of safe health level. Results of pupils’ physical condition analysis showed reduction of some indicators in period from second to forth form. The mentioned negative changes were conditioned by weakening of motor functioning and tensed learning activity. The structure of program includes 7 main aspects: educational, physical culture-health related, ecological, research, cultural-entertaining and informational. We determined that practicing of ecological research activity during walks, hiking and excursions facilitates children’s understanding of interactions in the nature, formation of firm interest to environment, children’s cognitive functioning. The content of the program includes merry starts with ecological tasks, practical classes of ecological school of safety, overcoming of obstacle course, mastering of orientation techniques, games in the fresh air, ecological competitions, quizzes, working out and marking ecological paths, arrangement of ecological path near own school. Conclusions: we initiated the structure and worked out the content of “school ecological monitoring” in process of extracurriculum physical education classes. The program contains diagnostic of ecological culture, level of adaptation-reserve potentials, motor functioning and physical health of primary school pupils