‘Forest kindergarten’ gets kids outside and into nature

Forest kindergartens, and other exclusively outdoor classrooms known as ‘forest schools,’ are growing in popularity across the country, especially since the pandemic.

The concept is simple: students receive a nature-based education while outdoors. Even in inclement weather, kids learn while playing outside.

Forest kindergartens have been around for decades, originating in Denmark in the 1950s, and are still popular across European countries.

Related: 12 Montessori-inspired toys to encourage open-ended outdoor play

Nature preschools and forest kindergartens are undergoing a surge in popularity in the U.S. right now—but it started well before Covid lockdowns swept through schools, pushing even preschoolers into online learning. 

According to a report from the Natural Start Alliance, forest kindergartens have more than doubled since 2017, growing to 585 schools in 2020.

Why is forest kindergarten growing in popularity?

While many families turned to outdoor schools as a way to limit exposure to Covid, many parents say the benefits go beyond the pandemic. Forest schools are designed to give children room to explore nature and their own physical limits, to encourage and enhance communication skills, and to help children build emotional resilience. There is evidence that forest kindergartens boost brain development and academic performance, as well as reduce symptoms of ADHD, according to the Natural Start Alliance.

“Certainly, the pandemic has supported [the popularity]; I think it’s supported the expansion of outdoor programming in elementary schools as well,” said Kit Harrington, a policy adviser for the Natural Start Alliance, to The Pew Charitable Trusts. “But I think increasingly what we’re seeing, particularly in the policy sphere as well, is obviously teachers are on the ground. They see this as a means of responding to the mental health crisis for children.”

Related: The benefits of outdoor play for kids

Not every family has access to forest kindergartens. First, they’re simply not as common as traditional pre-K or kindergarten programs, so you might not have one within driving distance of your family.

They’re also usually privately run and require tuition. For families who rely on state-subsidized childcare or free kindergarten programs, they might be out of the question.

According to the Natural Start Alliance’s 2017 survey of 121 nature-based schools, just 3% of students are Black or African-American and only 7% are Hispanic or Latinx. Students are overwhelmingly white (83%.)

The majority of schools reported serving less than 5% of students who are dual language learners or who receive special education services. Across the country, almost a fifth of all American children live in a household where English is not the first language. In traditional school settings, 13% of American students receive special education services, too.

Are forest kindergartens the new norm?

Will forest kindergarten replace traditional kindergarten as we know it? Of course not, especially when you factor in the limitations the schools have regarding special education and language services, as well as high costs and limited availability.

Still, they’re growing in popularity for a reason.

A 2021 systematic review found that the benefits of outdoor play for children were potent.¹Fyfe-Johnson AL, Hazlehurst MF, Perrins SP, Bratman GN, Thomas R, Garrett KA, Hafferty KR, Cullaz TM, Marcuse EK, Tandon PS. Nature and children’s health: a systematic review. Pediatrics. 2021 Oct 1;148(4). “What we walked away with feeling confident about was that nature exposure increases physical activity in children, and it also improves cognitive behavior and mental health in childhood,” said Amber Fyfe-Johnson, the lead author on the study and an assistant professor with WSU’s Institute for Research and Education to Advance Community Health and Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, to Union Bulletin.

“The opportunity for children to access nature-rich environments must now be designated a public health priority,” the study authors write.

More parents than ever are enrolling their children in forest kindergartens. It’s all about getting kids active, engaged with nature and encouraging curiosity and physical play. And who doesn’t want that for their littlest learners?

A version of this story was originally published on Feb. 23, 2021. It has been updated.

Source(s)

• 1
  Fyfe-Johnson AL, Hazlehurst MF, Perrins SP, Bratman GN, Thomas R, Garrett KA, Hafferty KR, Cullaz TM, Marcuse EK, Tandon PS. Nature and children’s health: a systematic review. Pediatrics. 2021 Oct 1;148(4).