Partnering for Outdoor Play: A Case Study of Forest and Nature School Programming in the Context of Licensed Child Care in Ottawa, Ontario

This case study examines the policy significance of a partnership between two organizations committed to improving children's learning and well-being through the delivery of a forest and nature school (FNS) program offered in the context of a licensed childcare program in the province of Ontari...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inCanadian journal of environmental education Vol. 23; no. 2; pp. 67 - 85
Main Authors Niblett, Blair, Hiscott, Kim, Power, Marlene, McFarlane, Hanah
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Canadian Journal of Environmental Education 2020
Subjects
Alignment (Education)
Best Practices
Child Care Centers
Child Caregivers
Curriculum
Ecology
Educational Environment
Educational Facilities
Educational Policy
Experiential Learning
Foreign Countries
Knowledge Level
Natural Resources
Outdoor Education
Preschool Education
Professional Development
Risk
Role
Social Justice
Teaching Methods
Training
Well Being
Canada
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:This case study examines the policy significance of a partnership between two organizations committed to improving children's learning and well-being through the delivery of a forest and nature school (FNS) program offered in the context of a licensed childcare program in the province of Ontario, Canada. The notion of the Anthropocene is taken as a theory and practice framework which emphasizes the urgency for developing new educational strategies that respond to the current moment of ecological crisis facing human and more-than-human planetary communities on earth. Methodologically, the case study is taken up through the lens of action research, wherein the leaders of the two partnering organizations participated as co-investigators of the project. Thematic findings of the study suggest that best-practice policy in early years FNS programs broadly include, among others, the following: understanding a continuum of FNS pedagogies, working to influence regulatory disconnections between built and natural play environments, and advancing social and ecological justice values through FNS programs.
ISSN:1205-5352