Learning in Nature..Forest Kindergarten

This place has no swings or slides, but children still have lots of fun every day. The children are in a forest, playing, learning and exploring. We meet the children of this forest kindergarten. At nine o'clock in the morning, we met with 30 kindergartners at a park in Incheon. It looks like they're going on a picnic, but they are actually on the way to the kindergarten. Whether it rains or snows, the children spend about four to five hours in the forest every day, learning in nature. It is very popular, with a long waiting list for admission. What makes this school special? I love the fact that this kindergarten has no set curriculum. However, my child still speaks good English and Korean because she's not under pressure. My child is quite active, so I wanted her to be in an environment where she can do a lot of physical activities and handle things on her own. There is no official curriculum, and the children spend most of the day learning and developing socialization skills in the wilderness. No matter the weather, children are encouraged to play in the forest. Adult supervision is intended to assist rather than lead. It's the children who decide. Though it's sometimes boring, the children carefully observe the forest. They have no set schedule, apart from lunch and snack time, therefore the teachers never hurry them. The children are surprisingly focused. This process is also beneficial to their emotional stability. I let the children play with what interests them, and then ask them to try certain things together. Therefore, they lead, and I just follow them. It took the children a full hour to walk and observe the distance that would usually take adults about 10 minutes. The children choose what and where they want to learn. They also name the objects they see in the forest, which is part of the learning process. This is Sesame Oil Road. If we drop soil, all the natural objects will fall over there and become soil. At the end of Sesame Oil Road is a huge forest seemingly connected to the sky. It will serve as today's classroom. The children are going to become spiders. The teacher gives safety instructions as the children hide their eyes like spiders and hunt food, relying only on this road. After group activities, the children enjoy their free time in the forest. Commercial toys are replaced by nature, but they still have so much fun. People develop a sense of curiosity during early childhood. Nature is full of unexpected surprises and offers an enriched environment that fosters children's curiosity and creativity. In this regard, I believe forests and children are very similar and that this education is beneficial to them. The kindergarten personnel say that children naturally develop their imagination and creativity while discovering new objects and creatures in nature. They also communicate with their friends along the way, which helps them boost linguistic and communication skills. Children exercise their imaginations and creativity with natural objects seen in the forest. Through this process, they naturally develop their creativity, imagination and concentration. Also, nature cures or reduces symptoms of a number of allergies over time, including atopy. The children spend a stimulating day in nature. Parents seem genuinely impressed by their children's development in this environment, compared to an ordinary institution. All the parents, including myself, are ecstatic to see the children return home in dirty clothes because it shows how much fun the children had in the forest. My child is becoming more interested in nature. He physically feels the laws of nature and the changing of the seasons. It's a true blessing. Life is all about discovering and exploring the unknown. Forest kindergartens help children reach their maximum potential on their journeys of discovery as anticipation and interest in this unique education system is growing.