Forest Kids

Forest Kids
ture Network.
Before long, helicopter parents were getting a bad name. Now
the buzz was turning to “free-range kids” who were allowed to
wander, and “slow parenting” through unscripted days and time to
daydream and watch the sky.
Last year, Svenneby visited family in Norway for three months.
She found the same pressures felt by Toronto parents had permeated
her old neighbourhood near Oslo, in spite of the Norwegian
spirit of embracing the outdoors. Kids were glued to screens, parents
chauffeured them to activities, everyone was in a rush. But at
the same time, forest kindergartens were booming, she reported.
And young children who attended spent hours moving about,
breathing fresh air and building habits that would affect their lifestyle
and allow them to find their place in nature. She sent You-
Tube links so I could see for myself.
Outdoor educators are in favour of getting students of all ages
out into nature. But the early years are a logical place to start. It’s
easier to adapt preschool and kindergarten format and curriculum
to an outdoor environment. And it fits with new research that
supports play-based learning, which sees play as a key to building
imagination, confidence and cognitive and social skills.
We are at a crossroads. Surveys show Canadians believe being
outdoors improves quality of life, yet the amount of time they
spend there is declining. The school day provides an opportunity.
Full-day kindergarten is being ushered in across Ontario and with
it, rising concerns about how children will fare with so much of the
day spent between four walls. There are huge challenges to finding
enough indoor space.
At the same time, cities are not all traffic lights and cement.
Toronto, the country’s biggest, boasts more than 1,600 parks, ranging
from neighbourhood parkettes to rambling landscapes such as
High Park and Sunnybrook. There are many schools within walk-
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