The purposes of this study were to explore and implement activities for five-year-olds'
effective participation in the community and investigate the responses of the children and
teachers to the operation of the activities. This study was conducted with a class of
twenty-eight, five-year-old children in a private kindergarten in Seoul, Korea. This study was
conducted from April until October in 2013, and the community participation activities were
analyzed. The conclusions of this study are as follows.
Based on a problem analysis of those activities that had been performed previously, the
researchers planned and executed the first implementation. In the first implementation, the
researchers devised and executed a plan for cultivating a rooftop garden so that the children
could utilize the diverse resources of the community. In addition, as a place for education, the
study used the community an out-of-classroom venue. Using the assessment results of the first
implementation, the second implementation was conducted in a way that involved the public
institutions in the community. As a result, the children were helped to understand the necessity
for public institutions and organizations which helped the children to solve problems. Also, the
Children under study participated in these activities to achieve a common goal, the renaissance
of a tree-lined road, and worked together as main agents with community members, such as
children, parents and residents.
This study suggests a need for five-year-olds to be involved in the community and provides
suggestions for the means to achieve this involvement. In addition, it suggests that future
studies examine a variety of ways to encourage participation in the Community by using
specific human and material resources of the community.