Forest School continues to grow and develop, both in the UK and internationally. Literature and research in the field tend to document this growth, while this book takes a novel approach to the Forest school conversation, taking a critical look at the various tensions and difficulties that surround Forest School practice. The editors, together with chapter authors drawn from the fields of academia and practice, form an experienced voice, encouraging the reader to reflect upon, question and explore complex areas of Forest School practice.
Forest School is now implemented across a wide range of settings both nationally and internationally, and this book explores the global similarities between the Forest School approach and how natural spaces are being used all over the world. Written by a range of international authors, the text includes perspectives from: - Sweden - Portugal - Brazil - Germany - Slovenia - South Africa - Australia - USA and Canada - India It considers the impact that global influences have on early learning, and reflects on how the Forest School approach is used in the UK. With case studies, annotated further reading and points for practice this is a key text for all those studying Early Childhood Studies, Early Years and Primary Education. Sara Knight is Principal Lecturer at Anglia Ruskin University. She is a trained Forest School practitioner and author of Forest Schools For All, Risk and Adventure in Early Years Outdoor Play and Forest School and Outdoor Learning (all published by SAGE).
Nursery World Awards 2012 winner! This stimulating book brings together contributions from distinguished practitioners, who demonstrate how they have used educational methods advocated by Froebel in contemporary settings. Stressing the importance of outdoor play, they explore the Froebelian principles of: - Play - Learning through firsthand experience - Parent partnership and community in early childhood - Practitioners supporting children′s interests and learning - Finger rhymes and action songs - Movement - The garden and forests - Wooden blockplay - Use of clay, paint, junk modelling, construction kits The book emphasises how learning and the application of knowledge become possible through play. It contrasts the Froebel approach with the methods such as Montessori, Steiner and recent approaches to play such as post-Modern ′playfulness′. This book is relevant to undergraduate and postgraduate students of Early Childhood Education, as well as students following QTS and EYPS, PGCE, CPD and BEd courses. Tina Bruce CBE is an Honorary Visiting Professor in Early Childhood at the University of Roehampton.
Outdoor learning continues to play an essential role in early years education, and this new edition of a bestselling book explores how the Forest School approach can be easily and effectively incorporated into early years practice. Expanding on aspects of Forest School teaching, and drawing on new developments and policy changes within the field, this new edition also includes: - a new chapter on working with parents - greater coverage of the 0-2 age range - new case studies to aid learning - coverage of international approaches to Forest School Yet again Sara Knight delivers an inspirational text for all those working in or studying early years education and care. Sara Knight is an experienced early years educator and Senior Lecturer at Anglia Ruskin University. She is a trained Forest School practitioner and author of Forest Schools For All and Risk and Adventure in Early Years Outdoor Play (both published by SAGE).
This fully revised edition of Understanding the Danish Forest School Approach is a much needed source of information for those wishing to extend and consolidate their understanding of the Danish Forest School Approach. It enables analysis of the essential elements of this particular approach to early childhood teaching and the relationship it holds with quality early years practice. Describing the key principles of the Forest School Approach to early childhood, and heavily supported with practical examples and case studies, each chapter ends with highlighted key points, followed by reflections on practice to aid discussion and reflection on own practice. Including a new chapter on the curriculum, this text explores all aspects of the approach including: The geographical, historical, social and cultural influences that have shaped the philosophy and pedagogy of the early years setting in Denmark. The people and theories that have influenced and supported the practices of using the outdoors with children. An analysis of the learning environments, their risks and challenges and what a learning environment is made up of. The Danish early years curriculum; the areas of learning and the way pedagogues facilitate the learning processes. Parental, political and research perspectives on the approach and the sustainability of its future. Understanding the Danish Forest School Approach highlights the key ideas that practitioners should consider when reviewing and reflecting on their own practice, and outlines the national appraisals and evaluations of the curriculum. Providing students and practitioners with key information about a major pedagogical influence on early years practice, this is a vital text for students, early years and childcare practitioners, teachers, early years professionals, children’s centre professionals, lecturers, advisory teachers and setting managers.
The Education of Little Tree has been embedded in controversy since the revelation that the autobiographical story told by Forrest Carter was a complete fabrication. The touching novel, which has entranced readers since it was first published in 1976, has since raised questions, many unanswered, about how this quaint and engaging tale of a young, orphaned boy could have been written by a man whose life was so overtly rooted in hatred. How can this story, now discovered to be fictitious, fill our hearts with so much emotion as we champion Little Tree’s childhood lessons and future successes? The Education of Little Tree tells with poignant grace the story of a boy who is adopted by his Cherokee grandmother and half-Cherokee grandfather in the Appalachian Mountains of Tennessee during the Great Depression. “Little Tree,” as his grandparents call him, is shown how to hunt and survive in the mountains and taught to respect nature in the Cherokee Way—taking only what is needed, leaving the rest for nature to run its course. Little Tree also learns the often callous ways of white businessmen, sharecroppers, Christians, and politicians. Each vignette, whether frightening, funny, heartwarming, or sad, teaches our protagonist about life, love, nature, work, friendship, and family. A classic of its era and an enduring book for all ages, The Education of Little Tree continues to share important lessons. Little Tree’s story allows us to reflect on the past and look toward the future. It offers us an opportunity to ask ourselves what we have learned and where it will take us.
The Book That Launched an International Movement Fans of The Anxious Generation will adore Last Child in the Woods, Richard Louv's groundbreaking New York Times bestseller. “An absolute must-read for parents.” —The Boston Globe “It rivals Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring.” —The Cincinnati Enquirer “I like to play indoors better ’cause that’s where all the electrical outlets are,” reports a fourth grader. But it’s not only computers, television, and video games that are keeping kids inside. It’s also their parents’ fears of traffic, strangers, Lyme disease, and West Nile virus; their schools’ emphasis on more and more homework; their structured schedules; and their lack of access to natural areas. Local governments, neighborhood associations, and even organizations devoted to the outdoors are placing legal and regulatory constraints on many wild spaces, sometimes making natural play a crime. As children’s connections to nature diminish and the social, psychological, and spiritual implications become apparent, new research shows that nature can offer powerful therapy for such maladies as depression, obesity, and attention deficit disorder. Environment-based education dramatically improves standardized test scores and grade-point averages and develops skills in problem solving, critical thinking, and decision making. Anecdotal evidence strongly suggests that childhood experiences in nature stimulate creativity. In Last Child in the Woods, Louv talks with parents, children, teachers, scientists, religious leaders, child-development researchers, and environmentalists who recognize the threat and offer solutions. Louv shows us an alternative future, one in which parents help their kids experience the natural world more deeply—and find the joy of family connectedness in the process. Included in this edition: A Field Guide with 100 Practical Actions We Can Take Discussion Points for Book Groups, Classrooms, and Communities Additional Notes by the Author New and Updated Research from the U.S. and Abroad
This Open Access book examines children’s participation in dialectical reciprocity with place-based institutional practices by presenting empirical research from Australia, Brazil, China, Poland, Norway and Wales. Underpinned by cultural-historical theory, the analysis reveals how outdoors and nature form unique conditions for children's play, formal and informal learning and cultural formation. The analysis also surfaces how inequalities exist in societies and communities, which often limit and constrain families' and children's access to and participation in outdoor spaces and nature. The findings highlight how institutional practices are shaped by pedagogical content, teachers' training, institutional regulations and societal perceptions of nature, children and suitable, sustainable education for young children. Due to crises, such as climate change and the recent pandemic, specific focus on the outdoors and nature in cultural formation is timely for the cultural-historical theoretical tradition. In doing so, the book provides empirical and theoretical support for policy makers, researchers, educators and families to enhance, increase and sustain outdoor and nature education.
