Some Poisonous Wild Plants of Shida Kartli: Methodological Recommendations for the Safety of School Field Excursions (grades Iv–v)
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This article addresses the practical problem of accidental contact between primary-school pupils and poisonous wild plants growing in the Shida Kartli region of Georgia, both during organized field excursions and in everyday rural settings. Plants such as Colchicum sp., Veratrum lobelianum, Solanum dulcamara, Datura stramonium, Hyoscyamus niger, Chelidonium majus, Atropa belladonna and Helleborus caucasicus are widespread along fields, forest edges and roadsides; their visually attractive flowers and fruits often override children’s instinctive caution and outweigh verbal warnings. Drawing on Georgian botanical-pharmacological literature and international toxicology and poison-control data, the study demonstrates that childhood plant poisoning is an internationally recognized, not merely local, challenge. A four-stage methodological model is proposed — pre-excursion classroom preparation, field-day instruction, structured field observation, and a summarizing classroom activity — built around the behavioral rule “we look, we do not pick, we do not taste.” Accompanying assessment instruments (an observation sheet, a mini-test, and a visual toxicity scale) and a simple statistical method for measuring learning gains are presented. The recommendations are intended as a practical resource for primary-school teachers and for teacher-training programs lacking a field-based safety component.
Source: ГРААЛЬ НАУКИ
Institution: Gori State University
Language: English
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7219690409