“I don’t go to school – I go to the woods,”
These words caught my eye at the beginning of an article in this month’s issue of Mothering magazine. The author describes her family’s experiences in a Waldkindergarten in Switzerland. Waldkindergarten, also known as Wood Kindergarten, outdoor preschool, nature preschool or forest kindergarten, is a school for young children held entirely outside. The only “toys” used by the Waldkinder are those that can be made from natural materials; there are none of the commercial toys that most children are used to having at school. The children observe and explore the natural world, rain or shine (or sleet or snow!); school is only moved indoors during extreme conditions. Waldkinder learn to identify native plants, climb trees, use saws and build fires.
Waldkinder-Ilmenau, Germany
Making snack in a Forest School
Journaling, Waldkinder-Ilmenau
The Wall Street Journal reports that there are around 700 Waldkindergarten in Germany today, and the numbers are rising. The schools are only recently coming to the United States – one is Cedar Song Nature School on Vashon Island, Washington, which also runs a summer nature camp. There are also some interesting experiments going on in the UK working with groups of older children from elementary and high school. These projects were contracted by public schools and involved taking a class of children to a Forest School one day each week for 14 weeks. When the project was over, the regular classroom teachers noted marked improvement in the behavior of students who attended Forest School; you can read more about it here.
Boys hiking, Waldkinder-Ilmenau, Germany
As a teacher, I know that children do behave differently when they are in nature, away from their normal routines and possessions. I also know that children love doing many kinds of things – painting, reading stories, etc. – that it seems they couldn’t do in a Waldkindergarten. At the same time, many schools in the US fall ridiculously short when it comes to “recess” or “outside time”: it is often just a few minutes spent in a paved yard. I would love to see a sort of hybrid-Waldkindergarten that takes place mostly outdoors, but also incorporates art, reading, writing, and other projects. Inspiration for the curriculum could come directly from the children’s experiences in the woods.
What do you think about all of this? Would you consider sending your child to a Waldkindergarten?
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
I would definitely send my child to a Waldkinder. I, too, was intrigued by the recent article in Mothering magazine. I may have to move to Germany, though, in order to find this kind of school.
Thanks for stopping in, Brigit! It seems that Forest Schools are catching on in other places, but there are none in my area yet either
Hello,
I have been doing a great deal of research on Forest Preschools/Waldkindergarten and find it fascinating that this movement is actually a return to Frobel’s concept of kindergarten. When my son was younger (he is now 7) I enrolled him in a Waldorf school b/c I felt they had a strong emphasis on nature and spent a considerable time outside. He no longer attends that school b/c we moved but he does attend a Montessori that is in a very natural setting where they children do spend a good amount of time outside. I would love to open up a Forest Preschool…I have worked in outdoor education for several years but I work as a school group instructor, guiding students through pre-designed/planned programs. It would be wonderful to be with children as they truly discover the natural environment that surrounds them. I am a firm believer that most of what we need to know learn/experience during the formative years can be learned through outdoor play and exploration. As a child I remember spending every waking hour outdoors in the trees or splashing in a mud puddle…these were truly happy and free times. Anyone in CT interested in starting a Forest School…Maybe I can convince the Farm I work at to consider a program.
Kendra – Thanks for your comment – I am also very interested in Forest Schools
I wish I lived in CT – starting a Forest School on a farm sounds like a fantastic project!
Loved this article and I am very sad about the lack of this kind of opportunity in the US! My daughter is almost 3 and we spend 2 days a week with a friend and her daughter in the woods, outside each week and the girls LOVE it! So, I have been thinking of starting a small program in my area. thanks for the inspiration and links!