Humans are influenced by natural surroundings or artificial surroundings made
through development or changes in natural surroundings. Sometimes they take a
subjective attitude, adapting to the law of nature, regarding themselves as part of nature.
Other times they take an objective attitude, being positive in attempts to cause changes
to nature to meet their requirements or objectives, but subjected to the results of such
changes.
It is necessary to develop an educational program concerning interaction between
humans and nature as part of the effort to enhance the quality of life through
coexistence and inter-supplementary relations with nature.
It is thought that holistic education is a good way to help children interact with
nature, as it has the philosophical, psychological and social background that puts stress
on the inner consciousness of humans and the relation between Mother Nature and life.
The purpose of this study is to provide educational contents that can enables
children to have a first-experience to harmonize, sympathize and familiarizing with
nature through application of methods of fine arts/ecological education based on
holistic approaches.
Opportunities for children's first-hand experiences of nature and the ecological
system and activities designed to help them express what they have felt and experience
in images have a lot in common with holistic educational approaches. And they have
something to do with the suggestions for first-hand esthetic experiences and the organic
relations between them and actual expressions contained in the 7th fine arts curriculum
for elementary schools.
It has been found through the study that the adoption of the holistic approach
helps children feel familiar with the ecological environment, such as forests or ponds,
built within or near their schools, feel interested in observing wild life and develop the
ability to communicate with wild life.