Characteristics of Forest Sites used by a Danish Forest Preschool

The purpose of this study is to investigate the characteristics of forest sites used and highly valued by children and preschool staff.

Overall, the results show that the selected forest sites can be characterised as sites with a diversity of features and sites which change with the weather and season. Moreover the sites constantly support the children's development.

The authors find that the preschool mostly used glades, often situated at the intersection between different plantings. Staff avoided locations near deep water bodies with steep sides. Moreover, the location and features of the site, the distance from the preschool, the surrounding areas, as well as the weather and season, the composition and skills of the group of children, and the level of staffing affected the daily choice of forest site.

The study shows that children and staff preferences and opinions on forest sites were often similar. Staff preferred to have several different forest sites at their disposal, as this allowed them to choose every day a site based on features, educational goals, the current group of children and level of staffing. According to staff, a good forest site is characterised by good opportunities for climbing, balancing and swaying, i.e. sites with trees for climbing, felled trees, ditches, swings and open ground where the children can run around and carry out group activities, as well as sites with dense vegetation where the children can hide. According to staff, a good forest site is located at a short distance from the preschool and has all the features above not too far apart.

When the children were asked which forest site they liked best, they mentioned loose objects (preferably many and diverse), such as parts of plants. The observations confirm that loose objects were a prominent part of nearly all of the children's play in the forest. The observations also show that the children were attracted to all functions and features that provided them with different and not fully exploited options. According to the authors, this emphasises that variation and change are important qualities in the forest sites preferred by the children. Once the children had become familiar with a certain tree, and had climbed the tree, they looked for a new and more challenging tree to climb. Plant growth and decay were an important source of change in the forest, and so was the meeting with animals and traces of animals.

The data material for the study consists of observations of 21 selected children aged 3-6 years and three preschool teachers from one forest preschool, as well as structured group interviews with all 41 children in the preschool and semi-structured interviews with the three teachers and the preschool leader. The preschool was selected because it used many different sites in the forest. A total of 24 observations were carried out at 15 different forest sites. The researcher observed and recorded the children's free play in field notes and through video footage. A total of 18 groups of children were interviewed and recorded on video by two to four staff members. The interviews took place in the forest and consisted of the following questions: Which forest sites do you know? Which forest site do you like best and why? What do you do when you are in the forest?

Lerstrup, I., & Refshauge, A. D. (2016). Characteristics of Forest Sites used by a Danish Forest Preschool. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening 20, 387-396.