Forest Schools and Outdoor Learning in the Early Years

Abstract

349 Forest Schools and Outdoor Learning in the Early Years Knight , Sara (2009). Los Angeles: Sage Publications; 131 pages. $35.95. ISBN 9781847872777. A growing body of research substantiates the benefits children receive from unstructured play with nature (Kellert 2005; Lester and Maudsley 2006; Taylor and Kuo 2006). Among the most significant obstacles for this play, however, are access to and availability of desirable and suitable play spaces (Fjørtoft 2001). Access is particularly limited for preschool children, who frequently do not have the autonomy to reach these places on their own. One solution has come in the form of forest kindergartens: mixed-age schools where children are outside in a forested setting for some or all of the day. Forest kindergartens, which generally serve ages 3 to 6, are well-established in Germany, where there were more than 300 such schools in 2003 (de Pommereau 2003). They have also been developed in Scandinavia (Fjørtoft 2001) and the U.K., and two schools have been started in the United States fairly recently (Leyden 2009; Valdes 2010). Despite this growing interest in forest kindergartens, there is little substantive research regarding their benefits for children. Many of the studies of German forest kindergartens are more descriptive of the program than evaluative in its effects (Kiener 2004). Within this context, then, Sara Knight’s book, Forest Schools and Outdoor Learning in the Early Years, is useful for educators, researchers, and those with interest in establishing a forest kindergarten. The book is focused primarily on forest schools in the U.K., giving a historical overview of their migration to the country, their current structure in U.K. settings, and the research claims for this approach in improving physical and emotional well-being, addressing childhood obesity, and cultivating positive social behaviors. Knight gives context to these schools in the broader educational philosophies of Pestalozzi, Froebel and Steiner, as well as Montessori, Reggio Emilia, Outdoor Adventure Education, and Te Whariki. The final two chapters of the book provide many practical suggestions for “getting the forest school ethos into settings” as well as case studies of forest kindergartens in the U.K. Knight is herself an early childhood educator and Senior Lecturer at Anglia Ruskin University and has run and provided training in Forest Schools. The most interesting section of the book provides original data from a study Knight conducted with the Nayland School in Suffolk, England. This research replicated earlier studies with forest schools in the U.K. (Murray 2004; Murray and O’Brien 2005), which were then replicated in Scotland (Borradaile 2006). These studies evaluate the effects of forest kindergartens on low-income children who do not have access to natural settings outside of school. They focus on eight outcomes, including confidence, social skills, language and communication, motivation and concentration, physical skills, knowledge and understanding, new perspectives, and ripple effects related to other outdoor experiences. Many of these outcomes were evaluated through storyboarding with school staff, as well as direct observation of children’s play and experiences in the forest kindergarten 350 setting. Knight also asked children and parents questions related to any long-term influences of forest kindergartens on their children. Overall, children and parents find the forest kindergarten to be a positive experience, with most children and parents reporting increases in confidence, social skills, physical skills, and environmental knowledge, as well as ripple effects of being outdoors with family. Knight herself acknowledges that the research could be improved through a larger sample and changes to the research design. The original research from which Knight drew (Murray 2004; Murray and O’Brien 2005) presents the research in more depth and will be of greater value to those interested in setting up similar evaluations. However, the ability to build on previous studies with other forest kindergartens in the U.K., and therefore begin to accumulate a relevant and comparable study pool is of great merit, especially given the few studies that exist from any country. Previous research has frequently been more of a descriptive approach (Kiener 2004, Änggård 2010). While such research is valuable, the attempts made by Knight and her predecessors to combine qualitative and quantitative methods will deepen our understanding of...