This study was conducted to obtain baseline data on young children's knowledge of native species prior to the introduction of 'researcher's boxes' in their childcare facilities. The 'researcher's boxes' were developed by the city of Cologne as a resource aimed at sensitizing pre-school age children to their local natural environment. Included in the 'researcher's boxes' were observational tools such as binoculars and bug eye viewers, resources to increase biodiversity in the area around the childcare facilities (e.g. wildflower seeds and materials for building bird boxes), children's literature with illustrations of common native organisms, and guidance for the educators on how to use the materials in the box.
Data were collected through one-on-one interviews with 92 four- and five-year-old children in 27 different childcare facilities in the city of Cologne, Germany. A questionnaire, with mainly closed questions and accompanying pictures, was used during the interview to collect information about children's understanding of nature, their experiences in and with nature, their knowledge about species, and their responsibility towards nature and living beings. Additional demographic information was collected on all the children participating in the study, including their age, gender, and migration (immigrant) background. Socioeconomic information – which was also included in the data analysis – was based on a rating system used for the childcare facilities, rather than individual children. This rating system (the SinusMilieu) classified each of the facilities as high, middle, and lower based on geographic, economic, and demographic characteristic of various households in a certain district. Twenty-one different districts were represented in this study.
Findings indicated that the migration background and social economic milieu of children are both factors that affect their experiences with and knowledge about nature, as well as their ability to recognize appropriate behavior relating to different species. For environmental knowledge, the children were best at identifying small animals and knew the least about trees. Gender was not an influencing factor in this study. Seventy nine children indicated that they had direct access to nature close to their home, and only eleven children said that they had neither a garden at home nor a green area close to their home.
Based on these findings, the researchers suggest that the introduction of the 'researchers' boxes' might be a useful method for raising children's interest in the more 'unknown' species, such as trees. The researchers also recommend that, in fostering children's understanding of the natural environment, educators start with species that are already known to the majority of the children and use this as a way to build on existing knowledge and interest.
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