Forest School Applications in Pre-school Period: A Case Study

Abstract

The current study was conducted to investigate the contribution of the forest school approach to the development of preschool children. In this connection, the study group is comprised of 7 pre-schoolers aged at 48-60 months. The sample of the current study was determined by using the convenience sampling method, one of the purposive sampling methods. The current study is a case study, covering an eight-week period. A total of five data collection tools were used in the study: “General Information Form”, “Pre-Application Questions”, “Activity Evaluation Form (Individual)”, “Activity Evaluation Form (General)”, “Development Observation Form”. The collected data were transcribed; codes and themes were established and finally content analysis was conducted on them. As a result of the analysis, it was concluded that the forest school applications positively affected the children’s cognitive development, language development, social and emotional development, motor development and self-care skills in some situations and supported the development of the children in general. In light of these findings, integration of forest school into pre-school education is thought to be of great importance.

Keywords

• Forest school,child development,case study

Kaynakça

1. 2023 Education Vision [2023 Eğitim Vizyonu] (2018). 2023 Eğitim Vizyonu. http://2023vizyonu.meb.gov.tr/doc/2023_EGITIM_VIZYONU.pdf adresinden alındı
2. Aktaş Arnas, Y., & Ördek İnceoğlu, S. (2019). Okul öncesi çocuklarda gelişim, öğrenme ve okul öncesi eğitim kurumlarında öğrenme ortamları. Y. Aktaş Arnas içinde, Çocuk merkezli öğrenme ortamları: Okul öncesi çocuklar için bir okul tasarla (s. 1-38). Ankara: Pegem Akademi.
3. Anonymous (2005). Effects of outdoor education programmes for children in California. Palo Alto: American Institutes for Research.
4. Balcı, A. (2014). Etkili okul ve okul geliştirme. Ankara: Pegem Akademi.
5. Başal, H. A. (2015). Okulöncesi ve ilkokul çocukları için uygulamalı çevre eğitimi. Ankara: Nobel Akademik Yayıncılık.
6. Blackwell, S. (2005). Forest schools; if you go down to the woods today. Horizon.
7. Blackwell, S. (2015a). Impacts of long term forest school programmes on children’s resilience, confidence and wellbeing.
8. Blackwell, S. (2015b). The archimedes forest schools model. Archimedes Earth Press.

9. Borradaile, L. (2006). Report to forestry commission Scotland and forest education initiative Scotland. Forestry Commission Scotland.
10. Çelik, A. (2012). Okul öncesi eğitim kurumlarında açık alan kullanımı: Kocaeli örneği. Atatürk Üniversitesi Ziraat Fakültesi Dergisi, 43(1), 79-88.
11. Close, M. (2012). The Forest School initiative and its perceived impact on children’s learning and development: An investigation into the views of children and parents. Cardiff : Cardiff University.
12. Davis, B., & Waite, S. (2005). Forest schools: An evaluation of the opportunities and challenges in early years final report. University of Plymouth.
13. Fjørtoft, I. 2004. Landscape as playscape: The effects of natural environments on children’s play and motor development. Children, Youth and Environments, (14),23–44.
14. Forest School Wales (2009). A guide to forest school in wales. Foresty Commission Wales.
15. Green, S. (2012). The outdoor classroom ages 3-7. New York: Routledge.
16. Güleş, F., & Erişen, Y. (2013). Okul öncesi eğitimde fiziksel çevre standartlarını belirleme: Paydaş görüşlerine dayalı bir analiz. Selçuk Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, (30), 129-138.
17. Kahriman Pamuk, D., & Ahi, B. (2019). Orman okuluna devam eden çocukların okul kavramına yönelik fenomenolojik bir araştırma. Eğitimde Nitel Araştırmalar Dergisi, 7(4), 1386-1407.
18. Karadoğan, S. (2016). Eğitimde sınıf-okul dışı öğrenme uygulamaları ve yaşanan sorunlar. Recep Aksu (Ed.) içinde, Türkiye’de Eğitim Sorunlarına Yönelik Akademik Değerlendirmeler-I (s. 47-84). Ankara: Maya Akademi Yayıncılık.
19. Kıldan, A. (2007). Okulöncesi eğitim ortamları. Kastamonu Eğitim Dergisi, 15(2), 501-510.
20. Kiewra, C., & Veselack, E. (2016). Playing with nature: Supporting preschoolers’ creativity in natural outdoor classrooms. International Journal of Early Childhood Environmental Education, 4, 71-96.
21. Lester, S., & Maudsley, M. (2006). Play naturally: A review of children's natural play. London: NCB.
22. Lincoln, Y.S. & Guba, E.G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
23. Lovell, R. (2009). An evaluation of physical activity at forest school. Edinburgh: The University of Edinburgh.
24. MacEachren, Z. (2013). The canadian forest school movement. Learning Landscapes, 7(1), 219-233.
25. Massey, S. (2013). The benefits of a forest school experience for children in their early years. Worcestershire LEA.
26. Maynard, T. (2007). Forest schools in great Britain: An initial exploration. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 8(4), 320-331.
27. Mckinnell, V. (2015). How does the forest school approach support the development of a creative disposition? Major Study in Education.
28. Ministry of National Education (2013). Milli eğitim bakanlığı temel eğitim genel müdürlüğü, okul öncesi eğitimi programı. Ankara.
29. Nawaz, H., & Blackwell, S. (2014). Perceptions about forest schools: Encouraging and promoting archimedes forest schools. Academic Journals, 9(15), 498-503.
30. Nixon, C. (2015). Remembering why forest schools are important: Nurturing environmental consciousness in the early years. Montreal: McGill University.
31. O’Brien, L., & Murray, R. (2007). Forest school and its impacts on young children: Case studies in Britain. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 6(4), 249-265.
32. O'Brien, L., & Murray, R. (2006). A marvellous opportunity for children to learn; A participatory evaluation of forest schools in wales and england. Forestry Commission England.
33. Oktay, A. (1999). Marmara üniversitesi anaokulu/ anasınıfı öğretmeni el kitabı(Editör: Rengin Zembat). İstanbul: Ya-Pa.
34. Parks, K. C. (2013). This is our classroom: A teacher’s guide to forest school at kent country parks. Kent Country Council.
35. Ramazan, O., & Demir, S. (2011). Okul öncesi eğitim kurumuna devam eden 36–48 aylık çocukların bilişsel gelişim düzeyleri. Eğitim Bilimleri Araştırma Dergisi, 1(2), 83-98.
36. Roe, J., Aspinall, P., & Thompson, C. (2009). Forest school: evidence for restorative health benefits in young people. Forestry Commission Scotland.
37. Slade, M., Lowery, C., & Bland, K. (2013). Evaluating the impact of forest schools: A collaboration between a university and a primary school. Support for Learning, 28(2), 66-72.
38. Şen, A. (2019). Okul dışı öğrenme nedir? A. Şen içinde, Okul Dışı Öğrenme Ortamları (s. 2-20). Ankara: Pegem Akademi.
39. Şimşek, H., & Yıldırım, A. (2016). Sosyal bilimlerde nitel araştırma yöntemleri. Seçkin Yayıncılık.
40. Taylor, A., & Kuo, F. (2009). Children with attention deficits concentrate better after walk in the park. Sage Journals, 12(5), 402-409.
41. Thomas, G., & Thompson, G. (2004). A child’s place: Why environment matters to children. A Green Alliance/Demos report.
42. Wells, N., & Evans, G. (2003). A buffer of life stress among rural children. Environment and Behavior, 35(3), 311-330.
43. Yıldırım, A., & Şimşek, H. (2011). Sosyal bilimlerde nitel arastirma yontemleri (8. Baskı). Ankara: Seckin Yayincilik.
44. Council of Higher Education (CHE) [Yükseköğretim Kurulu] (2018). Yeni Öğretmen Yetiştirme Lisans Programları. https://www.yok.gov.tr/kurumsal/idari-birimler/egitim-ogretim-dairesi/yeni-ogretmen-yetistirme-lisans-programlari adresinden alındı