EN
One of the priorities of the national education policy is to ensure the improvement of the natural education quality of younger generation. Natural education is the most important source of knowledge about surrounding world. It is a leading factor in personality comprehensive development, the formation of its intellectual, socio-economic, environmental culture and life competence. The analysis of historical and pedagogical literature has shown that problems of natural education in schools were considered in broad pedagogical discourse. The works of I. Aloshyntsev, A. Kupleyatskyi, V. Kurashova, S. Rozhdestvenskyi, H. Falbrok covers regulatory support of natural education. In the article the author reveals how the idea of natural education organization was formed in Ukrainian pedagogical thought from ancient times to the XVIth century. The ethnic pedagogical principles of natural education basis were found in Ukrainian ancestors’ work and daily life. The main means of knowing the nature were observations, demonstrations of different actions and their multiple repetitions. The source of natural education is referred to scientific researches of world famous scientists, common in Ukraine thanks to Ostrog College scientists Yi. Drohobych, S.Orihovskyi, P. Rusyn, K. Stavrovetskyi. It is noted that the folk customs and traditions helped develop in younger generations the conscious humanity and sense of rationality in relation to the environment. This is the basis of Christian traditions in the origins of natural education in times of Kievan Rus, integrating traditions and perceptions of scientific thought in the natural sciences in antiquity. The problem of saving the environment common to all conditions of life still remain as the foundation of human life. In this we see the unity of the socio-economic and natural origins of ethnic-pedagogical education in the pre-Christian period. Proof of the above is the diversity of folk customs, ritual celebrations and traditions, which are based on the idea of becoming Science Study (growing plants, preserving of plants and animals, land, water, etc.), numerous signs, play zoo and floristic elements in arts and crafts, rituals. General scientific materials, intensive development of the natural science branches, morphological system of plants, anatomical terminology, the discoveries of Leonardo da Vinci, Paracelsus, Galileo, Copernicus, Harvey, Vesalius contributed to strengthening the idea of natural education necessity in Ukrainian schools.