INTEGRAÇÃO DOS ESPAÇOS NÃO FORMAIS DE EDUCAÇÃO AMBIENTAL AMAZÔNICOS AO CURRÍCULO DA EDUCAÇÃO INFANTIL: POSSIBILIDADES E DESAFIOS NA PROMOÇÃO DA INTERAÇÃO DA CRIANÇA COM A NATUREZA

Abstract

The Amazon is a territory of broad biological and cultural diversity, bringing together unique natural resources and traditional ways of life, reaffirming its socio-environmental relevance. Despite this, this potential is still little explored in Early Childhood Education, a stage where contact with nature is essential for children's cognitive, affective, emotional, and motor development. Authors such as Capra (2006), Tiriba (2010), Profice (2016), Louv (2016), Horn and Barbosa (2022) highlight that approaching natural environments in childhood favors positive bonds with the environment and stimulates sensitivity to socio-environmental problems. Therefore, in this context, integrating Amazonian non-formal Environmental Education spaces into the Early Childhood Education curriculum proves fundamental to providing meaningful experiences of interaction with nature, contributing to the construction of socio-environmental values and attitudes from early childhood. Starting from this principle, the objective of this research was to analyze the possibilities and challenges of integrating Amazonian non-formal Environmental Education spaces into the Early Childhood Education curriculum, to promote meaningful experiences of interaction between children and nature. Regarding the methodological aspects of the research, the study adopted a qualitative approach, with a descriptive and field-based nature. Data were collected in a Municipal Integrated Center for Early Childhood Education and in four non-formal educational spaces located in different zones of the city of Manaus, AM. Participants in the research included young children and Early Childhood Education teachers, as well as a manager from the Amazon Museum. Data collection techniques included semi-structured interviews, participant observation, teaching sequences, and field research. For data analysis, Bardin's Content Analysis and Salete Kozel’s methodology for mental map analysis were used. The results evidence that the integration between Amazonian non-formal Environmental Education spaces and the Early Childhood Education curriculum favors meaningful experiences, expanding children's connection with nature and stimulating a sense of belonging to the territory. The experiences enabled contextualized learning, sparked curiosity, enchantment, and values of socio-environmental care, making the curriculum closer to the Amazonian reality. Among the identified challenges, the following stand out: difficulty of access, infrastructure limitations, absence of institutional policies that ensure regular visits, and the need for greater qualification of pedagogical mediation. However, these obstacles do not outweigh the benefits. On the contrary, they reinforce the need to expand and consolidate such practices, given the positive impact on children's development. In summary, the results indicate that the integration of non-formal spaces into the curriculum is a promising strategy, capable of enriching Early Childhood Education with unique experiences of contact with nature and strengthening socio-environmental values.