Young naturalist is a member of a children's circle in which children study natural sciences and nature. In other words, a beginner naturalist.
History of Appearance
Back in 1918, on the outskirts of Moscow, on the territory of Sokolnicheskaya grove, which had a common border with the forest of Pogonno-Losiny Island, the first station of young naturalists was founded. Then they called education a little differently - a children's agricultural station. Since 1930, similar children's circles began to open everywhere. At the beginning of 1975, there were about 500 stations throughout the USSR.
Main goals:
- inculcating love for nature;
- study and environmental protection;
- training in agricultural skills.
Meetings, seminars and reviews of works were held on a regular basis. Children's holidays dedicated to the Day of the Forest, the harvest festival were organized. Children were taken on excursions to forests, botanical gardens and biological research institutes, collective farms and state farms.
At the stations of the young naturalists there were often specialized circles, and in the summer a children's camp was opened. Such circles and stations were accepted from the age of 6.
Monthlymagazine
Since 1928, a monthly publication for schoolchildren about biology, natural history and ecology has been regularly published. The main goal pursued by the editors is to educate the younger generation in love for the environment and the Motherland. Only from 1941 to 1965 the publication was not published. In some years, the magazine was in truly huge demand, with circulation reaching 4 million.
The periodical was also in demand among famous publicists and writers. Prishvin M. M., Michurin I. V., Rakhilin V. K., Obruchev V. A. and others posted their articles in it.
The young naturalist knew for sure that in the next magazine he would see the following headings:
- "Secrets of the seas and oceans";
- "Pages of the Red Book";
- "A hundred friends of a hundred suits";
- "Aibolit's advice" and others.
Oddly enough, but the publication managed to resist, and it is printed to this day, but, of course, not on such a scale.
Modern nature lovers
In our country, the movement of young naturalists has been preserved. This is a children's club where animals are kept, which those who wish can take care of. The circle allows you to develop the skills of keeping and feeding animals, caring for plants. Naturally, children manage to quench their thirst for communication with wildlife. In such circles, they not only take care of representatives of flora and fauna, but also gain additional knowledge in zoology and biology.
Novosibirsk station for young naturalists
Last year Labenvironmental education Institute of Cytology and Genetics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences celebrated its 50th anniversary. The circle, opened in 1966, was called the Station of Young Naturalists.
Modern juveniles are boys and girls aged 5 to 18. The laboratory is engaged in the popularization and professional orientation of high school students in the field of geology and biology, natural science. Children are taught to respect nature. The visit to the circle is voluntary and free, it includes several associations of interest:
- zoology;
- physiology;
- geology and minerals;
- animal ecology and others.
As 50 years of practice shows, young naturalists are people who more consciously choose their future occupation and thoroughly approach the choice of an educational institution. Young people who have been trained in the circle willingly become mentors for beginner naturalists. Children participate in regular city and all-Russian competitions, olympiads. Meetings (youth exchange) were held within the framework of the Russian-German youth environmental project.
In the circle, teachers are employees of the Research Institute of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Mineralogy and Geology, Genetics and Cytology. For half a century of history, about 10 thousand schoolchildren have studied at the station, many of whom have become specialists from the institutes of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, teachers, doctors of science.
Yugra youth
However, not all regions are so happy with the schools of young naturalists. In the rather rich Khanty-Mansiysk Okrug, there was no worthypremises for keeping a mini-zoo in the city of Surgut, as well as for schoolchildren, nature lovers in the city of Khanty-Mansiysk.
In Surgut, for several years, local authorities have been promising to open the doors of an unfinished station where it was planned to educate children and maintain a mini-zoo. By the way, there are almost 1.5 thousand students in the circle. The mini zoo contains 208 species of animals. More than 400 species of plants can be seen in the greenhouse. The zoo is a member of the Euro-Asian Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
Today, Surgut young naturalists are children huddled in an emergency room, along with animals and plants. According to some reports, the new building is not planned to be completed, and the station managers will have to decide whether to overhaul the existing one.
Animals do not live in the best conditions, there is a constant lack of food, which is replenished by caring residents of the city. Indeed, within the walls of the circle, they provide assistance to all animals that managed to survive after unsuccessful communication with humans. The employees of the mini-zoo even introduced the "Take Custody of an Animal" program. That is, everyone who wishes receives a certificate of a guardian and takes patronage over a certain animal, helps with feed. I would like to believe that the situation will be resolved soon, and young naturalists with animals will get a new place.
