KAEE’s 48th Annual Conference | Forging Paths for Environmental Education: Community, Conversations, and Creativity
Title Sponsor: Morehead State University | Drs. Ernst and Sara Lane Volgenau College of Education
Land Acknowledgement Morehead State University and the surrounding area are located on the traditional lands of the Yuchee, Shawnee, and Eastern Band of Cherokee. Indigenous peoples have lived on the land we now call Kentucky for over 12,000 years. We want to acknowledge the deep history of this land and the people who still live here today. To learn more about this land and the land you call home, visit native-land.ca.
Forest schools, which come from Denmark and the Scandinavian principle of friluftsliv, offer children regular opportunities for nature exploration and most importantly, play-based activities in a woodland environment (Boileau & Dabaha, 2020). Forest schools offer a valuable alternative to traditional classroom setting as they provide a natural and stimulating environment for play and social interaction. The following research questions were used to guide this study; · RQ1: How do parents’ perceptions of Forest Schooling aid their preschool-aged children with and without disabilities with play and social skills? · RQ2: How does the type of play preschool-aged children with and without disabilities partake in during Forest School benefit their social skills? This presentation will delve into how forest schools can foster the growth of social skills in preschool-aged children with and without disabilities. The research questions are explored through a mixed-methods case study that utilizes interviews, observations, surveys with the children’s parents/caregivers, and artifact collection. The child participants (N=10) attended a forest school in a local nature park. The Forest School was delivered in sessions ranging from 2 to 4 days a week for 3 hours over four months, August through November. This study adds to the current literature on forest schooling in the United States. Prior research has focused in countries outside the U.S. and on developing the awareness and skills to be environmental stewards (Boileau & Dabaha, 2020). My study builds on this literature base by exploring how forest schools may develop children with and without disabilities social skills and play. Overall, this presentation will identify the importance of forest schools in nurturing the social and emotional development of children with and without disabilities and provide practical strategies for integrating forest schools’ principles into educational settings. Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of the benefits of outdoor play and nature-based learning in promoting social skills development in children.
