Forest schools: A growing alternative for parents wanting less screen time for kids | ABC News

Parents fed up with screen time and indoor activities are turning to the Danish concept of forest schools to get their children playing outside.

In Denmark, forest schools allow children to take risks like climbing on trees and rocks and roaming through nature freely, rather than learning at a desk.

Bush Knowing is a Brisbane program based on this concept and is run by early childhood educator Joanne Sorensen.

For a fee, parents and family day care groups attend the Arana Hills location with their children to take part in seasonal activities such as finding tadpoles and particular bird species, as well as natural playdough, a rope course, dirt slide and a mud kitchen.

University of the Sunshine Coast child psychology lecturer Dr Rachael Sharman said there was no doubt kids were not playing outside enough.

"At the moment I think maximum security prisoners are mandated more time outside than the average Australian child," she said.

"When children do play outside, it's often in those heavily manufactured plastic fantastic playgrounds — not necessarily the best place for them to be."

She said results from Europe have shown children who attend forest school have better psychological resilience and social skills.

For more read here: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-1...


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