Forest Kindergarten - Location and Organisation

Location and Organisation

Forest kindergartens operate mainly in woodland, although some other sites can be equally inspiring, for example beaches and meadows. There should be a building where children can shelter from extreme weather. They may also spend a small part of each day indoors, although that is more likely to be for administrative and organisational reasons, such as to provide a known location where parents can deliver and collect their children. If the woodland is too far away to walk, a vehicle might reluctantly be used for transport.

Children are encouraged to dress for the weather, with waterproof clothes and warm layers, according to the climate.

The kindergarten is held outdoors in all seasons and under most weather conditions, although it is moved indoors in extreme weather, for example if the temperature is below −10 °C, or during storms. Forest kindergartens are generally composed of a group of 15 to 20 children and at least two staff. An ideal location would be close to residential areas, close to the preferred woodland, and would have a suitable building. The reason for children moving inside during severe storms is the risk of trees losing limbs. All forest areas following such a storm would then need to be risk-assessed prior to re- entry. Children within Auchlone Nature Kindergarten and Whistlebrae Nature Kindergarten were out in the extreme winters of 2009 and 2010 in temperatures down to −20 degrees but were dressed for the weather.

There are some forest schools that take children of various ages to woodland less frequently, and with a stronger focus on environmental topics themselves. For example the "Woods for Learning" strategy of the Forestry Commission proposes "regular" access, for example once a week for eight weeks. Some primary schools take children weekly.

Kindergartens with an outdoor focus are slowly increasing throughout the UK. Some of the most successful forest kindergartens are already in rural areas (e.g. the Secret Garden (outdoor nursery), and Mindstretchers Auchlone Nature Kindergarten ). However, with the majority of people living in cities, it will be necessary to incorporate these ideas into an urban setting. The Urban Forest Schools in London include inner city children with a particular lack of experience in nature.

The location chosen within the forest may vary from day to day; indeed the children themselves are likely to make that choice. However, staff would expect to know the area and to be able to guide decisions in terms of interest, safety, distance, etc.

Most forest kindergartens have a permanent building, and then walk each day to their chosen forest. The distance can be an issue, and in populated areas, urban forests may not be easily accessible. The UK Forestry Commission has proposed sites around Glasgow within convenient distances, and new nurseries are opening over time. Less frequent access to outdoor education is perhaps a more realistic goal for some local areas.

Some parents are concerned about the perceived risk of interference by strangers in a public park. In a city, equipment or half-completed projects may not be found the next day as they were before; they may have been interfered with by strangers overnight. These parents may already be helicopter parents, victims of a culture of fear or may be unwilling to let their children explore such a wilderness. They may be concerned about exhaustion (and it does take time for a child to build up the strength and experience to participate fully), risk of personal injury, or a lack of manufactured educational "resources".