Emily Hanford recording kindergarteners from the Ottauquechee School in Quechee, Vermont. (Photo: Chas Goldman)
In April, Emily Hanford, a reporter for American RadioWorks, visited Quechee for a Forest Monday with the kindergartners. She and her son spent the full day with us in the snow and on the ice; the snow had melted and refrozen in a hard pack on the forest floor. Emily and Chas were intrepid documentarians and trekked through the woods, managing to balance themselves, and their recording equipment with a horde of happy five and six year olds under foot. After taking many fantastic photos, the woods proved exhausting for the teenager, who was caught dozing in the classroom before the final dismissal bell had rung. Maybe we should look into developing some forest high school programming…
From the American RadioWorks site:
There are places in the world where kids go to school not in classrooms, but in the woods. The Forest Schools movement became popular in Scandinavia in the 1950s. Forest schools can take many forms – from just one day a week in the woods to schools where there are no buildings: all day, every day is outdoors. These schools serve mostly younger children – 4- to 7-year-olds – but there are some forest school programs that serve older students, too.
This week on the podcast, Emily Hanford goes to Quechee, Vermont to understand why teachers there wanted to take their kindergarteners into the forest, and what the kids – and the teachers – are learning from the experience.
Listen to her podcast on Forest School programs here.
