Table of Contents

▪ The Importance of Cultural Education

▪ Cultural Education in Preschool Education

▪ Methods of Teaching/Learning Culture

▪ Goals of Cultural Education

▪ Benefits for children

▪ Museum Education

▪ Cultural Education Through Folklore

▪ Subjects of folklore met by children

▪ Summary

The Importance of Cultural Education

Cultural heritage is a guardian of the common values that constitute our national and European identity and inherents in all areas of our lives. It is fundamental to sustainable development (environmental, economic and social) and an indicator of the human well-being. Tradition contributes to the communication of people, particularly those with common cultural elements, which is crucial for maintaining peace and developing friendly relations among them. Thus, tradition offers for both, individual and social elements that will contribute to the preservation of national values, the human rights defense, the training of individuals being capable of coping with the problems of modern reality.

Tradition is very important for the sovereignty of a nation, for the formation of its national identity, for the human self-existence. Knowing our roots and exchanging experiences and concerns, we will be able to train our European youth towards a better future having  the protection of the cultural heritage in minds.

Therefore, the school is a source of knowledge of the past, tradition, history, customs and habits. It lets youngsters build an experiential relationship with the past. Its contribution is crucial to create the positive approach towards tradition of and acceptance as a part of young people's lives. That is why the cultural education is the inseperable element of pre-school education. 

Through schools and educational process the cultural heritage has the power to contribute to the shaping of features and to prepare coming sensible citizens who know their past, history and culture, create the conditions for a better future and a socio-economically developed society.

The role of preserving and transmitting our cultural inheritance to the younger generations is therefore the primary responsibility of schools and should be aimed as integrated teaching cultural inheritance into the educational process starting from the kindergarten where the indyvidual characters are brought up and life stages are shaped.

Cultural Education in Preschool Education

Cultural education is defined as creating the attitudes of participants of culture. Participation in culture means taking part in the artistic and cultural activities of society.

This  means art, its products and structures of its visual message: painting, theater, dance, film, music, literature as well as applied art, e.g. architecture, etc. and we pass this knowledge on to future generations.

In practice, the main task of cultural education is the implementation of  cooperation between cultural institutions and kindergarten.

Methods of Teaching/Learning Culture

The contribution of culture, and especially of cultural heritage, as a factor of social cohesion emerges as one of the most important challenges for 21st century societies, but also for European sustainability itself. The variety of subjects of native culture gives teachers the opportunity to use linguistic, cultural, intercultural, artistic, aesthetic and historical use. But the most important thing is that it gives children an exciting journey into the imaginary world of the past. 

Through the educational process the cultural material can feed the new generation and add to the technological environment created by the contemporary civilization the folklore, the folk culture and the cultural heritage.

The main principles of Preschool Education are the all-round, harmonious and balanced development of the mental and psychosomatic forces of infants, the development of creative and critical thinking, the development of friendship and cooperation and their successful social integration, through a modern and progressive school, covering new social and scientific needs. Active methods of learning and activating all children's senses and enriching the experiential performances of children are an important factor that contribute to the advancement of their intellectual development. The student can shape his/ her own understanding of society and the world landscape with experiential action.

The active methods mean the  active participation, teaching culture by taking part, by conducting the experiments, by being involved and engaged, by experiencing the culture.

All these acts provide to :

▪ shaping and developing pro-cultural attitudes;

▪ raising children's cultural competences;

▪ preparing children for active participation in culture;

▪delivering conditions for developing children's creative activity;

▪ strengthening national and local identity.

Goals of Cultural Education:

The objectives of cultural education are consistent with and serve the basic principles of Preschool Education, which is the all-round, harmonious and balanced development of the mental and psychosomatic forces of infants, the development of creative and critical thinking, the development of friendship and cooperation and their successful social integration a modern and progressive school covering new social and scientific needs of contemporary society. 

Cultural education, implemented as an integral part of the teaching/learning process in kindergartens, aims to:

▪ preparing children for active participation in culture and developing modern methods of cultural education,

▪ education through art, cultivating tradition,

▪ awakening artistic sensitivity,

▪ promotion and development of pupils' talents, successes,

▪ developing interests, expanding knowledge and skills,

▪ creating and meeting cultural needs,

▪ discovering the culture of our own nation and others,

▪ integration of participants and environmental integration.

Cultural education  integrated with curriculum is provided during many tasks and activities like:

▪meetings with representatives of different professions, members of cultural institutions, 

▪ visiting cultural  institutions.

▪participating in many cultural, national and traditional events and calabrations.

Benefits for children:

▪ Children meet many people presenting different cultural fields like folk dancers and singers, artistic proffesions, actors etc.

▪ Children visit many cultural places like museums and sites of national heritage.

▪Children prepare and present many cultural events like art galeries, teathers, music performances.

▪Children take part in many diffrent events connected with national and European activities, which are possible thanks to participation in many international projects.

Museum Education

Museum education is a field in which one can experiment a lot: it allows to radically change the attitude of the population towards the artistic heritage starting, inevitably, from the education of younger children, potentially more receptive than adolescents and adults. Through the attendance of museums, since the first scholastic cycle, the bases can be laid for an aware education to the cultural patrimony, that, further increased in the years of the formation, can then constitute a constant point of reference also in the adult age. 

But, for this to happen, it is necessary that the students are adequately motivated and that the visit to the museum is really shared; in this sense, the role of teachers in raising students' interest, expectations and motivations in regard to the training experience they will perform is of fundamental importance.

Museum education helps pupils understand the historical value of objects, respect diverse cultures and understand multiculturalism.  Exploring museums gives students the ability to engage actively in the process of acquiring knowledge and to express thoughts and emotions. Effective use of museums can lead to multifaceted learning, development of critical thinking skills and acquisition of lifelong learning skills.

Museums are important educational environments and offer considerable learning potential. Learning in museums helps pupils understand the historical value of objects, respect diverse cultures and understand multiculturalism.

Collections exhibited in museums provide pupils with a tangible connection with time, places, events, or people and allow them to experience the evolution of human history and cultural heritage.

Through a museum education program children can further develop their perceptual ability as well as basic concepts of space-time, enriching their vocabulary.

A visit to the museum and other activities helps to maximize children's interest in issues related to the cultural heritage and lifestyle of their ancestors.

Museums are the witnesses of the past and by receiving their messages, we are able to

respect and protect our cultural heritage.

A museum brings children in touch with his story, which creates a sense of root, security and self-knowledge, gives them a sense of another way of life and the opportunity to compare and evaluate.