I have been privileged to have visits to both an an outdoor nursery school in Stuttgart and Sweden and spend time observing children and how they are taught in both countries in these settings. These countries are quite similar in that they are generally safety focused and also generally compliant to rules and the accepted norms of engagement, for example having the right gear to wear in all weathers and where parents back up the rules of the school.
I was speaking to an English nanny recently when visiting in July, who works in both the UK and Sweden with small children in nurseries . I questioned her about how they compare to the UK. The feedback was interesting. Firstly, the uniformity of the Swedes to accept the status quo is very different. Parents are keen that their children don’t stand out and they ensure they ‘fit in’. It is a more community-minded country where the individual ego is subservient to the greater good.
I was told, in her experience the UK the diversity of parenting and values prevent this type of common approach. Some parents will not comply in he UK and a nursery is more beholden to the parents rather than what is set down by the government. Of course in Sweden nursery schools are heavily subsidised.
I think the way round this, to make outdoor nursery work well for the children here, is to get parents to sign up to particular conventions and etiquette that accepts the guidelines set out by each school, preferably one that involves parents and enables the safe learning environment so that nurseries are not at the mercy of non-conforming parents, resulting in a very risk adverse experience for children. The one I visited was a co-operative run by parents but funded by the state.
The thought at the front of my mind is that it would be the highly motivated parents over here who see the value in signing up to underpinning protols, policies and procedures that enable the child to benefit from an outdoor learning experience. These include manual skills, such as whittling wood with sharp knives and use of small saws and other woodcraft tools, and learning how to manage elements safely. As an occupational therapist the use of fine manual skills learnt early can help in so many ways in a child’s development, using natural tools outdoors. Another idea is that these parents would understand the need for particular codes of dressing, for example having the right protective footwear, and particular quality of layered clothing to cope with the elements. This is new learning for many Brits who have less cultural awareness of what is needed to keep children warm in all conditions including very cold temperatures so they can stay outdoors. This is supported by good sleep discipline and healthy nutritional choices offered at snack and meal times, all of which have to be re enforced at home.
I would love to see more of this type of outdoor education for more very young children. It comes a degree of parenting discipline that creates a successful outcome for everyone. We know it increases confidence, self-esteem, concentration and communication skills.
The other difference is the numbers of adults to children in nurseries differ in the UK as they have a higher ratio in Sweden. Parents are expected to comply in Sweden. if there is a problem with their child they would normally work on it at home, rather than blaming the organisation , complaining, feigning victimhood, or shaming the organisation or even a teacher on social media. This type of behaviour is not part of Swedish culture which lends itself more easily to outdoor full time child centred experience. Most people of all ages tend to spend a lot more leisure time outside . This includes weekend regular family walks in the extensive parks endowered with many specially crafted outdoor play facilities – a priority for local government (Communes) to provide over there. It’s pragmatic. There is also a general level of acceptance of sharing and responsibility to the wider community.
Getting children out of their digital world into natural outdoors has been recognised as pivotal during this time. The attention span on under 16 year olds Generation Z is recorded by Ofcom research at 8% and regular social media checks within an hour of waking up is 73% on average!
The same approach to getting outside more comfortably with the right clothes can be experienced in care homes which need to use of the outdoors to maximise human flourishing. This is as important at the end of life as it is at the beginning . Specialist clothing was at-the-ready easy to access so that carers can take people outdoors in the specialist dementia home I visited before the pandemic. Having spontaneity and getting outside regularly was all seen as part of the norm.