The Influence of Nature on a Child’s Development: Connecting the Outcomes of Human Attachment and Place Attachment

Little, Sarah; Derr, Victoria

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-51949-4_10-2

Cited by 6 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 56 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Nevertheless, as the analysed situations also illustrated, the processes encouraged action, reflection and collaboration across the preschool. Engagement in the process of changing the immediate environment would appear to be particularly important for the newly arrived children, as a way of making their own place in Sweden (Little and Derr 2018).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Another related area is the notion of green schoolyards' (Jansson and Mårtensson 2012), as well as gardening as a widespread educational practice (MacQuarrie et al 2015). More recently, children's experiences-or lack of opportunities for experiences of nature (Askerlund and Almers 2016)-in urban contexts have again become the object of pedagogical discussions, notably concerning the way such contexts affect children's understanding of self (Cele 2006;Blundell 2016;Little and Derr 2018) and how children relate to non-human life forms (Pedersen 2019). In Sweden and elsewhere, lack of opportunities for young children to access nature or green environments, particularly in lowincome urban contexts, has led to the development of 'forest schools' (Knight 2009) and similar initiatives.…”

Section: Pedagogical Approaches In Swedish Outdoor Environmental Educmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the preschool teachers' and the researcher's conversations with the children about their 'picture stories,' the children developed more confidence in expressing themselves in Swedish with the adults. The shared experiences underlying their photographs thus offered opportunities to children for expressing their experiences and the meanings they gave to different elements in this space (Einarsdóttir 2005;Cele 2006;Green 2012;Little and Derr 2018;Sobel 2020). The process of taking pictures, telling stories about them and displaying the pictures on the indoor walls, engaged many of the children and staff who had not taken part in the work on the outdoor place (cf.…”

Section: Reaching Beyond the Outdoor Spacementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The aims for preschool education are set out in the Swedish national curriculum and preschool teachers are required to organise activities and the spaces in which the activities take place to achieve detailed and specific objectives. Outdoor education is not directly described in the curriculum and learning objectives fall under other headings, such as 'science ' (Lpfö 98 revised 2016;2018, p. 8) or getting to know the immediate environment as an element of identity formation (see Little and Derr 2018). While sustainability is an objective at all levels of Swedish education, the curriculum does not clearly specify how it should relate to learning objectives in other knowledge domains.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Redesign of an Outdoor Space in a Swedish Preschool: Opportunities and Constraints for Sustainability Education

Nordén

Avery

2020

IJEC

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Children's early engagement in design of outdoor spaces can form the basis of later attitudes and responsible action for sustainability. The present study is part of a participatory action research project in an urban multi-ethnic preschool in Sweden, involving children, parents, preschool staff and management with a focus on improving the preschool playground. The methodology involved children taking pictures of the outdoor space, informal participant observation by one researcher and conversations with children and teachers. Analyses completed of selected fieldwork excerpts focus on learning opportunities for children and adults, children’s participation, cooperation and leadership for sustainability. Deeper awareness and confidence, and practical pedagogies for staff in preschools are required for effective sustainability education. A joint frame of reference on pedagogical practices and processes for reflection is needed within and across early childhood institutions. More continuous training of staff and preschool leadership would be of benefit. However, such commitment is ultimately a matter of policy to invest in giving preschools the means to develop and realise ambitions for environmental and sustainability education.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Pedagogical Approaches In Swedish Outdoor Environmental Educmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Reaching Beyond the Outdoor Spacementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Redesign of an Outdoor Space in a Swedish Preschool: Opportunities and Constraints for Sustainability Education

Nordén

Avery

2020

IJEC

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The quality of the outdoor environment must motivate the child to venture outdoors and explore [41]. The inclusion of nature in urban environments seems to attract children, e.g., [42][43][44].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Considering Autonomous Exploration in Healthy Environments: Reflections from an Urban Wildscape

Little

Rice

2021

IJERPH

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Autonomous exploration should be considered in the creation of healthy environments since autonomy is an important developmental experience for children. For a group of boys in Raleigh, N.C., U.S. during the period 2002–2006, autonomous exploration was a meaningful experience. Results of a qualitative research project (n = 5) which highlight the importance of autonomous exploration are organized within a proposed framework for thick description. The framework creates verisimilitude by reporting on the context, social action and cultural context, and behavior and intentionality. The context of Raleigh and urban wildscapes furnished areas ripe for exploration. The social action and cultural context of attachment supported the autonomous exploration through scaffolded experiences of autonomy. The intentionality of the behavior was a desire to distinct themselves through a focus on individual development and the pursuit of extraordinary experiences. The ultimate outcomes of autonomous exploration for the boys were the development of long-term, intimate friendships and confidence in their decision-making ability. As cities become more health-focused, attention should be paid to preserve the rough edges of a city for children to explore.

show abstract

Perceptions of Risky Play among Kindergarten Teachers in Norway and China

Liu

Birkeland

2022

IJEC

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Risky play provides multiple benefits for children’s development. This study compared teachers’ perceptions of risky play in one kindergarten in Norway and one in China, including the concept of risky play, the roles of teachers, the protective strategies adopted, and the factors limiting the practice of risky play. The aim of the article is to identify how teachers perceive risky play in different cultures and broaden our knowledge of what risky play is. The research question is: How do teachers from different cultures perceive different aspects of risky play? The study employs a risk “thermostat” model (Adams, 2001), drawing on teachers’ perceptions of individual propensity to risks, perceived danger, potential rewards, and accidents in children’s risky play. Semi-structured interviews with ten employees revealed that teachers in the two participating kindergartens had different perceptions of risky play. Findings indicated that teachers in the Norwegian kindergarten have theoretical and practical experience of understanding risky play within their cultural background. Guided by the kindergarten philosophy (rules or guidelines that kindergartens should follow, such as letting go of children and encouraging risky play), kindergarten teachers in Anji (a county in China) have learned a little about risky play and are gradually developing their views on it in practice. Teachers in both kindergartens support children’s risky play, although in different ways and with different perceptions. This study contributes information on the differences in risky play across countries with diverse cultures.

show abstract

The Influence of Nature on a Child’s Development: Connecting the Outcomes of Human Attachment and Place Attachment

Cited by 6 publications

References 56 publications

Redesign of an Outdoor Space in a Swedish Preschool: Opportunities and Constraints for Sustainability Education

Redesign of an Outdoor Space in a Swedish Preschool: Opportunities and Constraints for Sustainability Education

Considering Autonomous Exploration in Healthy Environments: Reflections from an Urban Wildscape

Perceptions of Risky Play among Kindergarten Teachers in Norway and China

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About