Forest Kindergarten – Study of preschool teachers’ perceptions of learning in nature

Nirit Asaf and Nirit Lavie Alon

Forest kindergarten is an educational approach for extracurricular learning, which includes prolonged visits to a fixed natural environment, where nature and its resources provide a source of free play and unstructured learning. This educational approach places importance on the educator’s strong affinity for the natural environment together with an understanding of the change in his/her role from a ‘teacher’ to a mediator and guide.

In this study we examined whether and how preschool teachers’ perceptions of learning in nature changed following participation in a professional development program (PDP) on forest kindergartens. We also examined which components of the programme contributed to the change in perception and the implementation of the forest kindergarten educational approach, and whether it is possible to describe the development of attitudes towards learning in nature.

The programme took place entirely outside, in a fixed location at Ramat Hanadiv, and following the forest kindergarten approach, it took place in all types of weather and also at night. During the meetings, the preschool teachers listened to forest kindergarten experts who described the approach, were exposed to new ideas and participated in a wide range of hands-on experiences in nature: observing and listening, working with mud, foraging, being creative, playing games, storytelling, and more. The preschool teachers also shared their experiences and feelings, consulted with each other and helped each other.

The study was a qualitative study using a multi-case investigation approach. It included 13 preschool teachers out of 25 who participated in the programme. The research tools were questionnaires before and after the programme, observations that documented the meetings, interviews with selected preschool teachers before and after the programme, reflective analysis, and an assignment that described an excursion in nature with the preschool children.

The results of the study demonstrate that all the preschool teachers changed their perceptions and nature visiting habits to some extent following the programme: the aims they defined for visiting nature become more diverse, free activity was added alongside structured activities in nature, and the frequency of visiting nature and the time spend in nature both increased. Some preschool teachers also implemented a forest kindergarten model on a fixed day in the week. All the preschool teachers indicated that they enjoyed the programme and were enriched by it, both in terms of the tools they received and the personal process they underwent.

The components of the programme that contributed to a change in perception were exposure of the preschool teachers to a new conceptual perception, meeting inspirational people, spending time in nature as part of the programme (that was entirely outside!), the connections forged among the preschool teachers, sharing and reflective discussion, receiving new knowledge, receiving practical tools, and having hands-on experience. Similarly, the great investment in organising the programme was acknowledged. Moreover, elements that may affect the process the preschool teachers underwent and the implementation of forest kindergartens were identified, including the challenge of accompanying adults to activities, the support of the local municipality and the Ministry of Education, the attitudes of parents and staff towards learning in nature, the nature of the preschool children, the weather, the preschool teachers’ familiarity with the site and environment, and further exposure of preschool teachers to the forest kindergarten concept in meetings and professional development programmes. All of these topics are recommended for further research.

References for further reading:

Bailie Ensel, P. (2014). Forest School in Public School: Is It Possible?

Carruthers, R., & Hoed, D. (editors). (2014). Forest and Nature School in Canada Guide.

Lindemann-Matthies, P., & Knecht, S. (2011). Swiss elementary school teachers’ attitudes

toward forest education. The journal of environmental education, 42(3), 152-167.

Maynard, T. (2007). Forest Schools in Great Britain: an initial exploration. Contemporary

issues in early childhood, 8(4), 320-331.

O’Brien, L. (2009). Learning outdoors: The Forest School approach. Education 3–13, 37(1),

45-60.

O’Brien, L., & Murray, R. (2006). A marvelous opportunity for children to learn. A

participatory evaluation of Forest School in England and Wales.

Sobel, D. (2015). Nature Preschools and Forest Kindergartens: The Handbook for Outdoor

Learning. Redleaf Press.

Stasiuk, P. Early Nature Lessons in Denmark’s Forest Preschools

Waite, S., Bølling, M., & Bentsen, P. (2015). Comparing apples and pears? a conceptual

framework for understanding forms of outdoor learning through comparison of English

Forest Schools and Danish udeskole. Environmental Education Research, 1-25.

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Of further interest...

Accessibility

An accessible trail through the Nature Park

In the Nature Park at Ramat Hanadiv there are a number of spectacular hiking routes.

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Sustainability

Sustainable Gardening

Sustainable gardening is defined as gardening that considers the needs of the current generation without harming the needs of future generations. It includes garden design that considers the existing elements on site – the landscape, soil, environment and vegetation suitable for the region

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Dining Here

Dining-Kiosk

Refresh yourself at the Kiosk with a drink or snack. The kiosk is open daily.

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Sustainable Gardening

Gardening in the previous century was characterized by high-maintenance garden design, ostentatious use of plants and inanimate elements foreign to the environment, and overuse of non-environmentally friendly fertilizers and pest control agents. While this approach produced immediate results, they came at the heavy price of environmental and groundwater pollution, diminished soil fertility, invasive vegetation, long work hours to control fast-growing plants, and routine use of mechanical equipment.

At the Visitors Pavilion, a garden of wild plants and a garden of cultivated plants exist side by side

With the increased global awareness of wastage and the environmental damage hidden in this approach, a contrasting trend arose to create sustainable interactions in ornamental gardens.

Sustainable gardening is defined as gardening that considers the needs of the current generation without harming the needs of future generations. It includes garden design that considers the existing elements on site – the landscape, soil, environment and vegetation suitable for the region. Sustainable gardening espouses a low level of maintenance and implementation of gardening methods that enrich the soil, increases the natural resistance of the vegetation to diseases and pests and avoid use of chemical fertilizers and control agents as much as possible.

The main aim of this kind of gardening is to reach a long-term balance between all components of the garden.

Ramat Hanadiv by number

The gates of Ramat Hanadiv are open to visitors 365 days a year (except Yom Kippur). The site is visited by over 500 thousand visitors per year, who enjoy the expanses of the Nature Park covering 450 hectares, the walking trails and the cycling trails. In the center of the Nature Park are the 7-hectare Memorial Gardens dedicated to the memory of Baron Rothschild and his wife. A connecting link between these two points of interest is the Visitors Pavilion, where a garden of wild plants and a garden of cultivated plants exist side by side.

Sustainable gardening is expressed in the Memorial Gardens, in the Visitors Pavilion and in the ‘Green Space’ in a number of ways:

Maintaining landscape resources

The garden design of 1936 designated less than 50% of the garden areas to cultivated plants. The remainder of the land (about 4 hectares) remained adorned with local wild plants. As a result, during all four seasons of the year visitors can enjoy displays of native vegetation inside the gardens themselves.
During the dry summer, cultivated plants with a range of foliage colors (such as Acalypha and golden dewdrop) and interesting textures (such as cat’s tail asparagus) take center stage. The vast majority of the plants are perennials, and do not require intensive maintenance.
When constructing the Visitors Pavilion, great efforts were invested in preserving existing landscape assets, such as carob, pine and oak trees. The garden integrated pleasant-looking rocks, with their accompanying vegetation.

Rocks that were dug out on site were crushed and integrated into the construction. On the building’s roof, soil mixed with crushed rock was spread out and enriched with locally-produced compost. In addition, through awareness and planning, the number of parking spaces for cars was reduced in order to plant many trees that will provide shade in the future to 80% of the parking lot area.

Water resource managementThe irrigation system in the Memorial Gardens was made more efficient using remote control. Likewise the amounts of water used to irrigate lawns and shrubs were reduced. The seasonal flowerbed area, a relatively high water consumer, was reduced to one percent of the garden area, and the freed-up area was filled with perennial vegetation with reduced water consumption.The garden of the Visitors Pavilion was planted with Israeli wild plants suited to the local climate, which after their establishment can be disconnected from the dripper lines and manage with the winter rains. An example of such plants are herbs and medicinal plants including rosemary, lavender, hyssop, oregano, fringed rue, tree wormwood, common sage, white micromeria and others; shrubs and trees such as European olive, Syrian maple, mastic tree, Palestine oak and Mount Tabor oak, sage-leaved rock rose and pink rock rose, wild grape, Judas tree and mock privet; and corms and bulbs such as Persian cyclamen.
Diversion of marginal water (from air conditioners) and blackwater from the Visitors Pavilion to the biodisk purification plant.

From the purification plant the clean water flows through purple dripper lines to a designated irrigation plot in the service area.
In the Visitors Pavilion runoff water is drained into four drainage pits, penetrates the soil through penetration pits and is absorbed into the garden areas.
The garden integrates ground cover with wood chips to maintain soil moisture and a pleasant temperature for the root systems, reduce reflected radiation, improve irrigation efficiency, prevent weed growth and enrich the soil as the wood chips slowly decompose.

Conservation of rare wild species is also important to us; these plants are grown in Ramat Hanadiv’s nursery area, to be planted in suitable areas around the Park.

Zero waste in the Garden

Garden waste leaving the Gardens or collected from the Nature Park is taken to Ramat Hanadiv’s composite site. There it is crushed, piled up into piles and decomposes slowly. Soil, rocks and tree trunks are kept on site, and are re-integrated as needed.

A Garden without poison

We minimize fertilizer and pest control with chemicals in the Gardens. Our approach is that a plant which is planted in the most suitable environmental conditions will reach its potential, be strong and not require special treatment. In the Memorial Gardens we do not use leaf blowers, and we implement follow-up and early monitoring of diseases and pests.

Integrating local vegetation

We established an Oncocyclus iris garden in the Memorial Gardens. The irises were collected from disturbed habitats around the country, acclimated and buried in the extensive areas (irrigated by rain alone, with no supplementary summer irrigation) in the Memorial Gardens. Conservation of rare wild species is also important to us; these plants are grown in Ramat Hanadiv’s nursery area, to be planted in suitable areas around the Park.

A garden that attracts animals

Sustainable gardening supports local animals by creating a supportive habitat for them. An example of this is the Ecological Footprint Garden. This picturesque garden is based on vegetation that attracts butterflies, for nectar and as hosts. Butterflies are used as bio-indicators of the balance in their environment, and provide a glimpse of the biological diversity at their service. Such a garden also supports songbirds, for which the Garden’s tree branches provide defense, a place to nest and a food supply.

Positive interactions between humans and the environment

For over 50 years, the Gardens have been serving the broad public that comes for occasional visits, or to enjoy educational activities and cultural events, such as concerts in the shade of the trees and in the amphitheater. Another activity that contributes to strengthening the connection to the community is the work of volunteers from the nearby environment who work in the different divisions at Ramat Hanadiv.

All this is done via consideration of the local plants and animals; we create a supportive habitat for them by limiting the active hours to daylight hours in order to free up the area for the animals during the night hours.

In summary, the vision of Ramat Hanadiv, expressed through commitment to maintaining harmonious interactions between humans and nature, is reflected in the implementation of sustainable gardening throughout the Gardens, while sharing the knowledge accumulated in this field over many years with the professional and amateur public.

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Mata'im Restaurant

Kiosk

The Picnic Site

Please note, in light of the situation, the kiosk is Closed!

Refresh yourself at the Kiosk with a drink or snack. The kiosk is open daily.
The kiosk at Ramat Hanadiv is open every day of the week.
• Freshly-made vegetable salads, the locavore’s delight
• Mauro coffee, choice of true java lovers
• Sweets and snack foods to please the kids
• Cold drinks and hot
• Ice cream and other frozen treats for all

Rosh Hashana – Visiting Hours

02.10.2024, Wednesday	Rosh Hashana Eve.	08:00 – 14:00
03.10.2024, Thursday	Rosh Hashana I	08:00 – 15:00
04.10.2024, Friday	Rosh Hashana II	08:00 – 14:00
05.10.2024, Saturday	Saturday	08:00 – 15:00

Yom Kippur – Visiting Hours

11.10.2024, Friday	Yom Kippur Eve.	Closed
12.10.2024, Saturday	Yom Kippur	Closed

Sukkot – Visiting Hours

16.10.2024, Wednesday	Sukkot Eve.	08:00 – 14:00
17.10.2024, Thursday	Sukkot I	08:00 – 15:00
18.10.2024, Friday	Sukkot II	08:00 – 14:00
19.10.2024, Saturday	Sukkot III (CH’’M)	08:00 – 15:00
20.10.2024, Sunday	Sukkot IV (CH’’M)	08:00 – 15:00
21.10.2024, Monday	Sukkot V (CH’’M)	08:00 – 15:00
22.10.2024, Tuesday	Sukkot VI (CH’’M)	08:00 – 15:00
23.10.2024, Wednesday	Simchat Torah Eve.	08:00 – 14:00
24.10.2024, Thursday	Simchat Torah	08:00 – 15:00