Waldkindergarten - Was ist das? Naturpädagogik und Waldpädagogik | ERZIEHERKANAL

In Germany there are more than 1000 nature and forest kindergartens. But what exactly do you understand under forest pedagogy and nature pedagogy? What does everyday life look like? What goals does the pedagogical approach pursue? What does the child's picture look like? And what tasks do pedagogical experts have? You will find out about this and much more in today's video. Hi and welcome to a new video. This video is about the nature and forest kindergartens. At least one video a week appears on the educator channel about the topics of the educator profession. Feel free to leave a free subscription to not miss any more videos and to support the work on the educator channel. And now, have fun with the video. What is behind nature and forest pedagogy? As the name suggests, kindergartens are very closely linked to this focus and concept of nature and the forest. A large part of the time is spent in these facilities in nature and the forest. Freely according to the motto There is no bad weather, only bad clothing. What this exactly means, which goals are pursued and what it looks like in practice, I will show you in a moment. Since it is often confused and misunderstood because of the similar name, it must be mentioned at this point that the Waldorf pedagogy is something completely different from the nature and forest pedagogy. You can find a detailed video on Waldorf pedagogy here. The concept of nature and forest kindergartens is a Danish model. There, facilities of this kind are widespread and established for a long time. In Germany, the first forest kindergarten was opened in 1993 with state recognition. Prior to that, there were only private and self-financed projects of this kind in Germany. But even today, many forest kindergartens are financed by parent initiatives. Let's take a look at what everyday life can look like in a nature and forest kindergarten. Pedagogical practice. How is the concept implemented exactly? The pedagogical practice is of course totally different from facility to facility. Nevertheless, there are basic points that are very similar in most facilities. On the one hand, there is the connection between nature and the forest. This is expressed by the fact that everyday life is spent in the forest. The children are welcomed in the free nature. There, the so-called chair circles take place, in the form of sitting or standing circles. It is eaten in nature. And also the offers, the free play and other experiences are collected in the free nature. The whole thing in wind and weather, i.e. at 30 degrees sun, in rain and also in snow and frost in winter. Nevertheless, in forest and nature kindergartens, there is usually also a fixed heated retreat option. Mostly in the form of a trailer. There is no bad weather, only bad clothing is really taken very seriously. But in really extreme weather conditions, this fixed retreat option is rejected. Everyday life is mainly experience-oriented. So it's about experiencing the life-like things from nature and the forest and experiencing them with all senses. You don't look at a tree with colorful leaves in a picture book, but you learn and experience this with all the senses in nature. Which topics are being dealt with, what is going on right now, and how to deal with it often results from what is happening. An exciting tree, a colorful beetle, a traffic jam in the creek can then become the topic of the day. The pedagogical experts accompany, provide information and discover nature and the forest together with the children. It is experimented and discovered together. In addition to a pedagogical training, there is of course also an interest and expertise about nature and the forest of great advantage and use. In children from nature and forest kindergartens, animistic thinking is often very pronounced. Animistic thinking includes the belief that nature has a soul with feelings. However, this animistic thinking is also widespread and common among children of other settings. For example, children who think animistically not only think that it may be bad to cut down a tree, but they would report that this hurts the tree, it hurts the whole forest, and the bugs around the fallen tree may be their children, who are now grieving. In the nature and forest pedagogy, this attitude is mainly due to the fact that an emotional connection is created to nature and the environment. The children are committed to nature and conservation and treat it with appreciation. In nature and forest kindergartens, there are gradations in intensity. There are also kindergartens that work like regular facilities, with solid buildings and then have one solid day of forest in the week. Or facilities that have a whole forest week once a month. The picture of the child in the forest and natural pedagogy. Early childhood is seen as its own life phase, so not only as a transition phase to adulthood. The child is therefore not an unfinished adult or the like. The child is seen as an independent and competent person with their own interests, who wants to grow, strives for development and knowledge, and is happy to gain active experience. Children are therefore entrusted with something and transferred appropriate self-responsibility. For all this, free space and development opportunities are especially necessary. This is not only seen that way, but in this pedagogical approach clearly defined as a right of the child. Goals of forest and natural pedagogy The overarching goal in forest and natural pedagogy is the connection and appreciation of nature and our environment. Fundamentally in this pedagogical approach is the experience-oriented learning, i.e. experiencing with all possible senses, by doing and acting and perceiving the environment. In doing so, the person should develop nature- and environmentally friendly lifestyles and a concern for nature. This falls under the area of ​​education for sustainable development. In forest and natural kindergartens a lot is discovered and experienced together, so as one goal the cooperative act with fellow humans can also be seen. The cooperative act with children, adults and pedagogical professionals, but also all this in harmony with nature and the environment. Click here to get to the latest video on the Erzieherkanal. Leave a free subscription here. For more information, have a look at the homepage www.erzieherkanal.de. Vielen Dank und bis zum nächsten Mal. Simon vom Erzieherkanal.