Forest kindergarten

Did You Know?

• Forest kindergartens operate mainly in woodland, with a building for shelter from extreme weather.
• Children are encouraged to dress for the weather with waterproof clothes and warm layers.
• The concept is consistent with notions of slow parenting, the idle parent, and free range kids.

Activities

A forest kindergarten is described as a kindergarten without a ceiling or walls, with staff and children spending their time outdoors, typically in a forest. A distinctive feature is the emphasis on play with objects found in nature rather than commercial toys. Each forest kindergarten is independently minded, but all aim to care for, stimulate, and educate young children. Typical activities and goals vary by organisation.

History

The first forest kindergarten was created by Ella Flautau in Denmark in the early 1950s, arising from her spending time with her own and neighbors' children in a nearby forest. In Sweden in 1957, Gösta Frohm created the idea of Skogsmulle, using fictional characters to teach nature. Siw Linde set up formal nursery schools called I Ur och Skur (Rain or Shine Schools) in 1985. Nature kindergartens existed in Germany since 1968, but the first forest kindergarten was officially recognized as a form of daycare in 1993, enabling state subsidies.

By 2005 there were about 450 forest kindergartens in Germany, and by late 2017 the number surpassed 1,500. The first FCS Forest Kindergarten 3-day training took place in February 2012, and in 2017 the course became a Scottish Qualification Award at SCQF Level 7. This training has been embedded in various Early Years College courses in Scotland and is delivered by Learning through Landscapes across the UK, with plans for NOCN Accreditation in the rest of the UK.

Effects

The lack of commercial toys with predefined meaning supports language development, as children verbally create common understanding of objects used in play. Forest kindergartens are generally less noisy than closed rooms, reducing stress. For inner-city girls, sight of green space from home improves self-discipline. Prolonged outdoor play positively impacts balance, agility, manual dexterity, physical coordination, tactile sensitivity, and depth perception.

Children attending forest kindergartens experience fewer injuries from accidents and falls, and their ability to assess risks improves. Spending time in nature strengthens immune systems. When children from German Waldkindergartens enter primary school, teachers observe significant improvement in reading, writing, mathematics, social interactions, and other areas. Forest kindergartens have been recommended for young boys to prevent negative self-esteem. Roland Gorges found that children who attended forest kindergarten were above average in all tested skill areas.

Related organisations

In the UK, the non-profit Learning through Landscapes offers SQA Accredited Forest Kindergarten Awards. Other groups include Play England, PlayScotland, the Czech Republic’s Association of all Forest Kindergartens, and the U.S.-based Natural Start Alliance.