Abstract

The purpose of this study was to compare how preschool teachers at kindergartens with focus on outdoor learning and without any specific focus work on the young children´s learning in the outdoor environment and in biology. Interviews have been conducted to investigate this. The respondents to the interviews were nine active preschool teachers at three different preschools, one preschool with outdoor learning focus and two preschools with no specific focus. The survey shows that specializations that are important for how educators use the outdoor environment. At preschool A with outdoor learning focus the teachers chose to take out materials that are traditionally inside materials such as beads and Lego while at preschool B without specific focus they chose to take in natural Engelska översättning  materials like chestnuts instead. At preschool C the preschool teachers use outdoor environment exclusively for free play. At preschool A the forest was used as a complement to the preschool yard and they had their own home place where they went once a week. They spent the whole day in the forest and they had both planned activities and free play. Preschool B went to the forest 4 – 5 times per term. They spent to a few hours in the forest and had motor skills for the small children as a focus. Preschool C had gone to the forest only one time. Biology became a major part of the activities of preschool A because they spent a lot of time outdoors and in the forest and that they had cultivation on the preschool yard. At preschool B, the preschool teachers followed the children's interests for small insects and snails and worked on and thus received biology. At preschool C, the preschool teachers had actively chosen to remove biology in favour of the small children’s motor skills and language learning.

Keywords:

Preschool, Learning environment, Outdoor, Preschool teachers