Course Content

01۱ Abdol-hossein VahabZadeh biography and introduction of the course

Dr. Abdol-hossein VahabZadeh, the lecturer of this course, is an activist, researcher, lecturer and translator in the field of environment and ecology and the founder of “Nature School”. He is a three-time winner of Iran’s Book of the Year Award, a one-time winner of the Environmental Book of the Year, a winner of the Mehrgan Award and a winner of the Science Promotion Award for establishing and promoting the “School of Nature”. In the new page, he tells us why, after gaining various experiences of teaching in school, university, translation and authoring, he focused his activities on children and childhood.

02۲ What drove me to this path

On this page, Vahabzadeh reviews the memories that helped him connect with nature and made the importance of kids being in contact with nature as of his concerns. We hear from him about his childhood and youth in nature, school, university and finding a career path, and finally what caused him to change his path towards working with children.

03۳ Understanding the childhood

The instructor of the course believes that for any action in the field of childhood, the first step is to understand childhood thoroughly. Based on the characteristics of human biology, what is the process of childhood and the boundary between childhood and adolescence? What is the difference between childhood age in today’s world and the past? Why is the childhood period so long in humans? When does childhood end? What are the differences between childhood and adolescence and what are the consequences of these differences in educational methods? VahabZadeh answers these questions in this lesson.

04۴ Learn more about childhood

Based on the latest findings of human biology, the new view on childhood  does not consider the child as a blank slate. Rather, the belief is that a child is born with a background and knowledge and is biased towards phenomena. In this lesson, we learn the characteristics of childhood, the formation of concepts and values in relation to nature, and the impact of childhood on adulthood. Abdol-hossein VahabZadeh believes that without rich experiences in childhood, none of the future achievements can make us a successful, happy and capable human being.

05۵ Human and nature

Human beings have a basic and intrinsic tendency and need for connection with nature. Man’s adaptation to nature and his desire and avoidance of natural phenomena are both adaptive and to ensure survival. In this lesson, we learn about the adaptation of humans to nature, the theory of biologicalism, the need and tendency of humans to nature.

06۶ Child and nature

Abdul-hossein VahabZadeh considers the experience of nature to be a birthright, like the right to have water, food, shelter, and loving hugs. On this page, he talks about the effect of nature on the child’s development, the meaning of experiencing nature in childhood, healing and learning in nature, the ability to solve problems in nature, and the development of creativity in nature. VahabZadeh believes that children have the ability to solve problems when excitement and fear are at the same time, and this is an experience that occurs to the highest extent in nature.

07۷ Consequences of distancing children from nature

Staying away from nature for today’s children has consequences such as being overweight, reduced intelligence and lack of proper understanding of the concept of birth, growth and death. In this lesson, we will learn about these consequences and the phenomenon of environmental generational forgetfulness. On this page, VahabZadeh tells us why he believes that love for nature should be instilled in us from childhood.

08۸ Learning from nature

A child is a self-learner and a dreamer. In this section we learn about child learning methods and free learning.

09۹ Teaching children

What do we know about teaching children? What is the effect of competition and evaluation on the child? What are the appropriate educational approaches for children? We will hear the answers to these questions in this lesson from Abdul-hossein VahabZadeh.

10۱۰ Nature School

The instructor of this course believes that education should be based on the child’s desires. In this lesson, he talks about nature school and its differences from traditional schooling. He also introduces us to his reasons for the superiority of the nature school structure compared to other educational methods.

11۱۱ Nature itself is the best teacher

In nature school, there is a facilitator instead of a teacher. In this page, we learn about facilitation, how to protect children in nature, and the conditions required for creating a rich habitat for child development.

12۱۲ Play is the practice of life

Abdol-hossein VahabZadeh believes that children learn everything through play, not through lessons and lectures. We hear from him about the suitable environment for children’s play, the role of playmates in childhood, and whether adults can be good playmates.

13۱۳ Liberation and growth of the child

Nature school aims to surprise us about children and provide them with opportunities for liberation and creativity, where abilities such as risk assessment and creativity can develop in children. How far is this liberation allowed? VahabZadeh believes we should redefine the concept of vagabonding.

14۱۴ The role of parents in child development

Dr. VahabZadeh believes that today’s children are trapped in a cage of kindness and control, but they don’t need control and planning. In this page, the instructor of this course talks about the dos and don’ts regarding children’s exploration in nature and how to create a balance between traditional education and children’s free learning.

15۱۵ Ways to experience nature in urban life

​“Experiencing nature is more important than nature school.” Abdol-hossein VahabZadeh discusses ways to provide experiencing the nature for children by having the right perspective on space and children’s needs in the city, neighborhood, home, and school.

16۱۶ The role of educational, environmental, and management institutions

In this page, we hear from the course instructor about the role of educational institutions, teachers, environmental organizations, and municipalities in providing a nature experience for children.

17۱۷ Personal habits

VahabZadeh talks about his personal habits in his daily life on this page. He attributes a significant part of his professional achievements to these personal habits.

18۱۸ Last page, final words

Abdol-hossein VahabZadeh concludes the course and shares his final words with the participants of this educational program.