What we love, we are likely to protect. To love something, we must know it. Nature affords children a direct experience with a world not made by humans where they can feel themselves as a part of a larger community of life.

A forest kindergarten is a kindergarten “without ceiling or walls”.

“Because children’s experience of nature remains a vital and irreplaceable source of healthy development, nothing less than the future of our species is at stake in maintaining and, when compromised, restoring this relationship. The crisis of deeply diminished connections between children and the biological basis of our humanity is too great for us to remain passive. The scale and scope of the problem calls for bold steps and a deeper understanding of what is at stake. “                                                                                                  – Reflections on Children’s Experience of Nature, Stephen R. Kellert

The Forest School is a model of early childhood education that was developed in Europe in the 1950s and very popular in many European countries. The hallmark of a true “forest kindergarten” is that the children are exclusively outdoors, year round, regardless of the weather (primitive shelter is available and weather appropriate clothing is required.

While modern mainstream early childhood education emphasizes academics and the use of technology, forest kindergartens support a child’s connection to the natural world, to other people, and to their own developing intuition. The forest kindergartens of Europe now have several decades and generations of experience that demonstrate that forest kindergartens are the optimal environment for the healthy development of the young child.

Early childhood development experts agree that free-range, imaginative play learning available in a forest kindergarten environment supports gross and fine motor skills, balance, coordination, problem-solving socialization, creativity, imagination and empathy. The development of these qualities is essential during the critical ages of 4-7 years old, when right brain activity is dominant in the young child. The current focus in mainstream early childhood education in the U.S. on rational left brain activities such as reading and writing is premature and inappropriate according to the most respected early childhood development experts.  Indeed, many European countries such as Switzerland and Finland, whose students statistically outperform U.S. students, do not begin academic schooling until age seven.

“Logic will get you from A to Z; imagination will get you everywhere.”   Albert Einstein

When children from German Forest Schools go to primary school, teachers observe a significant improvement in reading, writing, mathematics, social interactions and many other areas. Roland Gorges, a researcher, stated that children who had been to a forest kindergarten were above average, compared by teachers to those who had not, in all areas of skill 

tested. In order of advantage, these were:

Improved skills
Knowledge and skills in specific subjects.
Reading
Mathematics
Constructive contributions to learning
Asking questions and interest in learning
Motivation

“For the child, it is not half so important to know as to feel. If facts are the seeds that later produce knowledge and wisdom, then the emotions and the impressions of the senses are the fertile soil in which the seeds must grow. It is more important to pave the way for a child to want to know, than to put him on a diet of facts that he is not ready to assimilate.”  Rachel Carson

“Empathy between the child and the natural world should be a main objective for children ages four through seven. As children begin their forays into the natural world, we can encourage feelings for the creatures living there. Early childhood is characterized by a lack of differentiation between the self and the other. Children feel implicitly drawn to baby animals; a child feels pain when someone else scrapes her knee. Rather than force separateness, we want to cultivate that sense of connectedness so that it can become the emotional foundation for the more abstract ecological concept that everything is connected to everything else. Stories, songs, moving like animals, celebrating seasons, and fostering Rachel Carson’s “sense of wonder” should be primary activities during this stage.”  David Sobel, author of “Childhood and Nature: Design Principles for Educators” and many other excellent books.

Children today are facing a crisis of disconnection from the natural world, as indicated by the term “nature deficit disorder”, coined by Richard Louv in his 2005 book, “Last Child In The Woods”.  ​

Besides the enormous benefits for the healthy development of the young child, the other reason our world needs Forest Schools is that our planet is in trouble.  The modern way of life is rapidly consuming the Earth, creating the enormous ecological disaster currently unfolding. Our Earth needs several generations of nature-connected children who grow into empowered, imaginative, nature-connected adults capable of solving the myriad of problems they will inherit. Forest kindergartens are a visionary, long-range, generation-spanning form of ecological responsibility.

Besides the enormous benefits for the healthy development of the young child, the other reason our world needs Forest Schools is that our planet is in trouble.  The modern way of life is rapidly consuming the Earth, creating the enormous ecological disaster currently unfolding. Our Earth needs several generations of nature-connected children who grow into empowered, imaginative, nature-connected adults capable of solving the myriad of problems they will inherit. Forest kindergartens are a visionary, long-range, generation-spanning form of ecological responsibility.

Benefits of Forest School

• Improved confidence, social skills, communication, motivation, and concentration
• Improved physical stamina, fine and gross motor skills
• Positive identity formation for individuals and communities
• Environmentally sustainable behaviors and ecological literacy
• Increased knowledge of environment, increased frequency of visiting nature within families
• Healthy and safe risk-taking
• Improved creativity and resilience
• Improved academic achievement and self-regulation
• Reduced stress, increased patience, self-discipline, attention span, and recovery from mental fatigue
• Improved higher level cognitive skills

The biophilia hypothesis argues that a love of nature is instinctive. The term nature deficit disorder, coined by Richard Louv in his book Last Child in the Woods recognizes the erosion of this by the urbanization of human society. Attention restoration theory and related psychological work has proven health benefits in reduced stress, improved concentration and improved medical outcomes from surgery.

Playing outside for prolonged periods has been shown to have a positive impact on children’s development, particularly in the areas of balance and agility, but also manual dexterity, physical coordination, tactile sensitivity, and depth perception. According to these studies, children who attend forest kindergartens experience fewer injuries due to accidents and are less likely to injure themselves in a fall. A child’s ability to assess risks improves, for example in handling fire and dangerous tools. Other studies have shown that spending time in nature improves attention and medical prognosis in women. Playing outdoors is also said to strengthen the immune systems of children and daycare professionals.

​     The forest kindergarten movement is in its infancy in the United States.  The first forest kindergartens in the U.S. started in California in the 1990s  (Tender Tracks and Wild Roots Forest School.)  In the southeastern U.S. there are only a scattered few forest kindergartens at present, but the movement is gaining momentum.

Establishing a Forest School: Two main routes to establishing a Forest School program:

1. Employ (or contract in the services) of an existing Level 3 Forest School practitioner
2. Train one of your existing staff to become a Level 3 Forest School practitioner

One of our first forest schools was Wild Roots Forest School in Santa Barbara meets in local, natural spaces. The sky is our ceiling, the trees are our walls, and the floor is the living Earth. Children learn to identify local flora and fauna, recognize patterns in nature, build physical prowess, agility, and confidence, and develop a solid foundation for lifelong learning. Our classes are busy foraging, recognizing plants that can heal or harm us, tracking and observing animals, observing changes on the land, painting, drawing, crafting, and playing in nature’s playground. Using wild harvested materials in our play and work helps us to experience our interdependence through all of our senses.                    With a strong daily rhythm, our classes are infused with songs, games, poetry, storytelling, and plays. This creative work develops, among a wide array of skills and qualities, a keen memory, a rich vocabulary, the firm foundation for future literacy, and a strong sense of rhythm. Our imagination acts as a bond with nature and helps us develop reverence, understanding, and compassion. Daily, the land offers a host of new adventures to spark the natural curiosity and imagination of each child.

The Asheville Forest School on the east coast in N.C. provides nature-based education that supports the healthy development of the whole child—body, mind and spirit–and helps them realize their full potential and become compassionate stewards of the Earth.

Books:

• The Outdoor Classroom by Hilary Harriman
• The Outdoor Classroom Ages 3-7       Karen Constable
• Play the Forest School Way   Peter Houghton & Jane Worroll

Links:

Outdoor Learning 

The Forest School Association

Forest Academy Teacher Training

School gardening research studies that may help fuel your proposals.

• Gardens are places where the cycle of life and season’s come alive for kids.
• Nothing about a garden is abstract.
• Gardening with children is active learning.
• The science concepts and skills students gain from a garden project are impressive.
• The garden classroom is an environment where children learn about plants, food, and nutrition.
• Enhances the core curriculum in math, language, health and science.
• The science concepts and skills students gain from a garden improve reading, reading comprehension, spelling, and written expression.
• Gardening encourages responsibility, patience, and cooperative behavior.
• Kids are enthusiastic, interested, take initiative and develop a love for nature, plants and science.
• Encourages environmental awareness and concern for the human impact.
• Kids gain a greater understanding of life science concepts, life cycles.
• Kids gain a clearer understanding of science processes, and improve problem solving skills, math skills, and language arts skills.
• Student behavior improves when the garden is a learning context.
• Kids exhibit a greater increase in social concerns (feeding the hungry).
• Improves relationships with students and parents.
• Kids who are behaviorally disturbed or learning impaired make great strides in a gardening program.
• When children have an opportunity to create a garden, become ‘experts,’ and share their expertise with others, their skills and confidence soar.
• Scores are significantly higher in students’ understanding of key life science concepts and science inquiry skills.
• Scores are higher on attitude scales measuring “concern for the environment” and “confidence in ability to do science.”
• Attitudes toward vegetables improves, and their preferences for fruit and vegetables.
• Beyond offering rich language arts opportunities, the garden is a natural context for science inquiries, math problem solving, and developing social skills such as working together to puzzle out problems.
• Kids become more expressive and better citizens.
• Students understand the interdependence of life and overcome fears about nature.
• Kids learn about conservation and recycling and develop skills they can use for the rest of their lives.
• The garden develops deep roots for lifelong learners.
• Gardening enhances the core curriculum.
• Children learn to share, and work as a team.
• The most significant student gains are in self-esteem and achievement in reading, reading comprehension, spelling, and written expression.
• At the end kids will be more confident, more expressive, advanced academically and better citizens.
• They learn about conservation and recycling and develop skills they can use for the rest of their lives.
• The garden shows the children’s strength, ability, and love for the outdoors and nature. It develops deep roots for lifelong learners.
• The curriculum is broad and the health benefits are great.
• Freedom comes with self-control, caring, sharing, and kindness and these grow in a garden.
• Gardens are a place where the cycle of life and season’s come alive for kids.
• Gardens can bridge age gaps by bringing together family and community members who are generations apart.
• Gardens are a place of spontaneous hands-on discovery that can’t occur sitting at a desk or reading a book.
• Young children strengthen fine and gross motor skills and experience their own impact on their environment.
• Children hone their observation skills and develop scientific understanding, as early as preschool years, as they watch plants change and grow.
• Gardening is a way to learn and contributes to the vision for a healthier more active community.
• The natural world is a teacher and gives us sustenance, strength, and inspiration.
• Kids learn the consequences of one’s actions in a very direct way.
• Gardening with kids gives them “a real-life connection to what they learn in the classroom and develops deep roots for lifelong learning.
• Sound nutrition and physical activity are a critical part of children’s health and development.
• Gardening programs improve communication skills, increase knowledge and understanding of each other, promote peace, and bring about healthy changes in kids lives, their community and the world.
• Gardening with kids has a lifelong impact.
• Learn about the uniqueness of the earth as a life supporting system.
• Gain insight into how we use science and technology in our lives.
• Give opportunity to take advantage of the teachable moment, address multiple intelligences and an emergent curriculum.
• Gardens are significant for its ethnic heritage associations and its associations with community growth and identity.
• Learn first hand how energy from the sun helps to grow the food we eat.
• Spiritual renewal
• Gives back beneficial and sustainable byproducts.
• Teaches about climate zones.
• Contributes toward a sustainable culture.
• Plays an important role in creating an ecologically sustainable educational system within an ecologically sustainable environment.
• Perfect place for service learning projects and teaches stewardship, grace and empowerment.
• Contributes to the vision for a healthier more active community.
• Caring for life helps children develop their knowledge and understanding of life and a reverence and respect for life. Children develop more nurturing attitudes.
• Children are natural explorers and delight in and are inspired by the outdoors.
• A more stimulating environment than the outdoors for the development of the mind, body, senses and the spirit doesn’t exist.
• Gardens have the power to heal.
• Helps build a movement of educational and environmental change that is rooted in love and respect for the interconnectedness of all of life.
• Nurtures the child’s imagination and curiosity.
• Enhances moral education and socialization skills.
• Reduces stress and enhances mental health.
• Encourages self-discovery and the sharing of individual perceptions.
• Broadens one’s views and knowledge of nature, community, and themselves.
• Helps children understand the value of our natural resources.
• Develops a students understanding of natural systems in their community.
• Foods give us a window on cultural understanding and appreciation.
• Gardens are ideal vehicles for introducing the elements of multicultural education.
• Contributes toward a sustainable culture.
• Foster a greater awareness of and appreciation for how food is grown.
• Impact on cultural literacy, and encourages the implementation of environmental initiatives.
• Increases the opportunities for education and cultural exchange.
• Opportunities for the child to discover abound.
• Horticulture is a profession deeply rooted in community involvement and active based living.
• Many disciplines can be taught in a garden: language, science, creative arts, history, math, nutrition, life skills, ecology, and conservation.

Gardening Meets Special Needs

“Over and over we’ve found that kids who have been labeled behaviorally disturbed, learning impaired, and so on, make great strides in our garden program. When they have an opportunity to create a garden, become ‘experts,’ and share their expertise with others (often in a role reversal), their skills and confidence soar.”

— Karen Williger, New Orleans, LA

“A season after initiating a therapeutic garden for adolescents, I was floored by their enthusiasm and ability to focus on tasks. It was also amazing to see how fast group cohesion, trust, and self-esteem grew.”

— Amy Stein, Yardley, PA