I say, ‘in this day and age’, but I’m reminded of an excellent article I read about German humour (to Brits a famous unicorn’s feather – but this article made it all crystal clear! Oh, how can I put into words the joys of a walk over country such as this; the scenes that delight the eyes, the blessed peace of mind, the sheer exuberance which fills your soul as you tread the firm turf? For a preschooler the next few weeks are not about sitting up at a tablelearning letter, shapes or numbers from books or tracingletters etc. I always enjoy but also cringe when I seechildren playing out being theteacher with their peers and see them holding a book like I do or saying things they have heard me say (I hear the phrase 'Excuse me' a lot as I must say this as a way to s

My own, rather brutal, initiation into winter hillwalking was in the 1980s on Kinder Scout, a Peak District hill I thought I knew well. I always found this saying a bit obnoxious, and couldn’t really believe others were BAD at dressing for the weather (after all, it simply makes sense) – but after not only plenty of visits to European countries in both winter and summer, not to mention living in Dublin for more than 4 months, I realized this saying is not as obnoxious as it seems, because in some countries people DO seem to struggle with dressing. This statement is a weird flex you’ll find German-speaking people bringing to a conversation, even when you’re so cold you can’t feel your feet. To audience members who were arriving late) You haven't missed a thing, I was just killing time 'til you got here. Cool Camping’s Warner Smith suggests Skyside in the Lakes (open fires and a good pub nearby); Stud Farm in Sussex (on the South Downs Way); and North Leas in the Peak District (bang on Stanage Edge for climbers).After a few run throughs we feltthe groups were ready for a real fire and decided tostart with the bestscienceexperiment of all times -popcorn. Parents have had todrop theirchildren at the playground gate and pick them up from the back door every day, they haven't got into the school building at all and haven't been able tostay to see theirchild playing in the playground.

In my native country of Sweden, people live by the old Scandinavian saying “There’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes,” and dressing for the weather is akin to a national sport.

Swedish data confirm that the amount of time young people are active outdoors has dipped slightly over the past three decades, with around 25% now spending time in the countryside or forest at least once a week, compared to 29% in the early 1980s. He is sometimes known, especially in his native Scotland, by the nickname "The Big Yin" ("The Big One", a reference to his 6' height). Both concepts are important building blocks of the culture and are passed down from generation to generation.

I also favor coveralls and winter pants with snow locks at the leg openings and elastic bands that go under the foot, since those help tremendously when it comes to keeping kids’ feet dry. Content you previously purchased on Oxford Biblical Studies Online or Oxford Islamic Studies Online has now moved to Oxford Reference, Oxford Handbooks Online, Oxford Scholarship Online, or What Everyone Needs to Know®. Below, we caught up with the author (whose children are now 9 and 12) to hear about her own upbringing as well as how best to get kids outdoors…even in the dead of winter. I love the term 'Slow Pedagogy' and am striving to ensure I try my best to offer such an approach in my classroom.

Whenvisiting European kindergartens I wasalways struck by the gentle flow of the day, transitions wereseamless and didn'talwaysinvolve thewhole class butmore importantlystaff and children had a lot more trust in each other - it was common forchildren to be out of sight and rarely did I see a whole group sitting looking an adult awaiting instruction. The didn't keep coming up to an adult forreassurance like many of our children do, instead they wanted their peers approval. A handpicked selection of stories from BBC Future, Culture, Capital and Travel, delivered to your inbox every Friday. We took thedecision to turn the hallway into a dedicated eating space and create a calm environment where half the classat a time could eattogether whilst the other halfremained at play. These are for the seeking, and those who seek and find while there is still time will be blessed both in mind and body.

This is why I believe that allowing enough time for kids to play freely outdoors is just as important as making sure that they eat healthy food and get enough sleep. I think the real crisis for friluftsliv is that my generation, we don’t want to sit for long periods of time in the countryside doing nothing,” says Hjalmar Nilssonne, CEO of Swedish green energy start-up Watty. In the past 16 years I have read widely and attended many conferences in person and online and engaged with colleagues across theworld to help me develop my knowledge andunderstanding of the youngest children in our education system.My choice on any particular occasion is governed by my speed, and governs my speed; my feet march in tempo. So here I am 16 years after I finished my DASE in Early Education, embarking on a new course through the University of Edinburgh - A Froebel in Childhood Practice Certificate. g they might not listen when asked to stay in one place, or to sit down when on the boat but they are allowed to be children and blindobedience is not expected nor are theypunished for not doing as they were asked the first time. And we need to let them take risks, so that they will learn to make judgments and build their self-esteem.