Abstract:

Pre-school years, which have a very clear impact on human life and leave lasting traces, shape the individual’s future life. In the pre-school period, the child realizes learning through experiences and observations related to the family, society and nature in which he lives. Children have a strong desire and motivation to explore the world they live in. Curious emotions are the source of learning motivations. In this study, the level of knowledge and awareness of pre-school children about natural disasters was studied, the cut-scanning method was used. Working group is created with sample method and similar sample technique. The study included 110 children from three, four, and five-year-old groups who continued their education in an official kindergarten. The research data has been collected in a way that will include multiple situations that reflect the knowledge and awareness of children about natural disasters. It has been prepared photo cards with images of earthquakes, floods, fires, heilans and storms from the natural disasters that are widely faced. The individual conversations with the children have identified the conditions of recognition of the natural disasters in the photo cards and the children's answers are recorded in the data form.  Five children from each age group who recognize the natural disaster occurrence on the photo cards are asked about the cause of the natural disaster occurrence and what to do when they encounter such a disaster. In the analysis of the research data, the content analysis method was used. According to the research, the natural event known by children in all age groups has been fire, and the little known natural event has been fire. With the age of children, the level of awareness and awareness about natural disasters has increased.