Jumping, Running, Counting and Calling at Nynäshamns Naturskola

By Madeleine Kawanesicayuga

Rolling off the train, luggage in tow, we all walked 20 minutes through a quaint neighborhood. Along the way, we passed by a small handful of houses on the left and a forest on the right, divided by a road with minimal activity. 13 backpacking foreigners was probably the most activity this place would have anyway, given it was a weekend. Eventually, this cement, paved road turned into a muddy dirt path. One would not know that there was a nature school at the end of this path, were it not for a wooden plank stuck in the ground with “Naturskolan” painted in white. In our pre-trip research, we had read some on this place and the people we would eventually visit, but had not seen much in the way of photos. After those 20 minutes, however, the familiar red building was in our sights; we had reached Nynäshamns Naturskola.

Akin to a small red barn decorated with butterflies and bird and bat boxes on the outside, this small, two-story building was the definition of cozy – a front hallway, bathroom, kitchen, and classroom space were the entirety of the first floor. Between the 13 of us and our host – the school’s administrator, Mats Wejdmark – there was barely any room to move around. Yet, we all took the time to admire the classroom, filled with various reptiles, insects and fish in tanks lining the border of the room. There were even two bearded dragons – Nobel and Albert. And, of course, before Mats would give us his lecture on the history and pedagogy of Nynäshamns Naturskola, we all had Fika.

Nynäshamns Naturskola (Nature School) is a school located in Ösmo, Nynäshamn, Sweden, that is dedicated to teaching subjects in the outdoors. Founded in 1988, it receives thousands of children from classes all over Nynäshamn Municipality annually, with each grade level focusing on a specific subject. Along with incorporating language, math, and science studies into the outdoor setting, kids get to explore subjects such as fire, insects, sustainable living, and even “the Magpie,” all of which are hands-on experiences that allow for students to have a new understanding of concepts and the natural world.

One day out of each year, classes from across Nynäshamn Municipality visit Naturskola to experience their assigned subject in an outdoor setting. For example, a 3^rd grade class in the municipality will explore “Ancient Technologies” in the classroom before traveling to Naturskola and applying it outdoors, from 9AM-2PM. After their day outdoors, they will continue to reflect on the experiences at Naturskola in their own classrooms. It is required that teachers incorporate this subject into their lesson plans, as to educate the students on their selected topic prior to their time at Naturskola. Otherwise, they will be turned away, as it is assumed that students will arrive at Naturskola ready to apply their topic of study, not spend the few hours they have learning the subject and being stuck indoors. Like many nature schools across Scandinavia, Nynäshamns Naturskola acts as a supplement to the traditional classroom setting and the national curriculum, meaning that this school does not actually teach any new subjects – rather, it gives kids the opportunity to apply what they know in a brand-new setting.

Aside from providing physical benefits, such as physical activity and speeding up recovery time, learning outdoors has been shown to reduce stress, strengthen the immune system, and have a heightened sense of cooperation and better ability to learn than those who do not learn outdoors. Even those with behavioral issues and learning disabilities excel when learning concepts outdoors, providing the necessary physical and sensory experience for all students to thrive.

At the end of the day, children reflect on their time at Naturskola using OPA-style (One, Pair, All) discussions, allowing for each student to discuss their thoughts at least once. These reflections are used for the school’s benefit (to know where to improve), but also for the class teacher’s benefit (to see where they could potentially include outdoor education in their lesson plan). While Naturskola is just one day for these children, the experiences are instrumental in their academic and social lives, promoting a healthier way to learn, and group cooperation and communication. It is no wonder, then, that learning tough subjects, such as math and language, become not just easier, but a fun experience for children of all types.

As a part of our research into nature schools, we got the opportunity to experience what a day at Naturskola would look like. Just the day before, we explored playgrounds around Stockholm, and before that, spent the day visiting Lindigö Island and the Raindrop Preschool, eventually playing with its preschoolers in the nearby forest. We weren’t totally sure what to expect from our time at Nynäshamns Naturskola, but we were nonetheless excited. After a brief presentation, where the information above was shared, we eagerly put back on our outdoor gear, prepared to take part in just a few of the exciting activities that the school had to offer.

We began our activities with a simple enough game; 10 cones were laid out in a straight line, and we had to make our way to them in a variety of ways – from waddling, to tippy-toeing, to using as few steps as possible. Little did we know, these various steps were how different types of birds walked (and, obviously, many fly – but for the sake of the activity, that wasn’t an option), and we got to experience just how differently we walk from ducks or sparrows.

For our next activity of the day, we were asked to individually collect a natural object from nearby the school (such as a rock or stick), and return to the group for further instructions. From there, we were told to put ourselves in a variety of orders based off our object – lightest to heaviest, oldest to youngest, biggest to shortest. While this activity seems like somewhat pointless fun (akin to an icebreaker), it was group communication in disguise – According to Mats, there is a serious lack of face-to-face communication skills among children today, with the existence of screens in everyday life. Thus, these simple activities that require effective and frequent communication seek to re-expose children to the art of real-life, group interaction. Additionally, it was a sort of mini-lesson in biology – for example: feeble, rotting sticks are often older than healthy, strong sticks.

Next in our shortlist of activities was perhaps the most eye-opening of them all, especially since it translated complex concepts into a much simpler form. The 13 of us split into 3 groups (two groups of 3, and a group of 4), received a mystery bag, and were asked to act out the activity laid out by our respective bags. Group one created math puzzles using sticks, leaves, and rocks. An example of this would look as follows:

There are 12 objects in total. Half of the objects are sticks, and there are twice as many rocks as there are leaves.

While the answer to an adult may be obvious – 6 sticks, 4 rocks, and 2 leaves – being able to visualize this puzzle with the use of objects not only makes this much easier for children, it made it easier for all of us, too. Being able to count physical objects while doing math makes theoretical concepts much easier to comprehend, especially for children who are just beginning to learn math.

Group two created riddles – these were aimed at teaching English, and creating word association with real life objects. This activity, while relatively straightforward for all of us, would be invaluable in not just understanding words in English, but the relationship between words, implied meanings, and ultimately connecting said words to nature.

Group three illustrated equations by using leaves, rocks, and sticks. An example of what this activity looked like is as follows:

There are 4 leaves and 3 rocks on one side, and 1 leaf and 9 rocks on the other side of an equation. How many rocks are under each leaf? There is an equal amount of rocks under each leaf.

This is, in word form, 4x + 3 = x + 9 (with a solution of x=2). Therefore, there are 2 rocks under each leaf. This can be easily checked by adding “rocks” to each leaf – or saying (2+2+2+2+3), and (2 + 9), which both, in fact, equal 11. What made this activity especially helpful is that you are able to count physical objects, easing some of the difficulty of solving equations. By counting how many rocks are visible on each side of the equation, as well as the leaves, it can become a visual problem rather than a word problem, which can be difficult to solve for younger children. Equations can be a complex concept for younger children, and being able to visualize an entire equation makes it easier to understand. Overall, these secret bag activities translated into concrete benefits to learning outdoors – by tying theoretical concepts to physical objects, it’s easier to comprehend and understand, especially in younger children.

Our final activity was the most physically intensive of all, and required group communication via sounds, and acting out certain prompts. Additionally, it required memorizing and counting from a dice. We remained in the same groups we made in the previous activity. From 1 to 36, there were different prompt cards strung on trees and bushes surrounding the school building, each of which required acting out whatever was stated on the card, such as waltzing while singing happy birthday, jumping up and down, or shouting “I LOVE MATH!”, after which, the dice could be rolled again. Whichever team got to 36 (or above) first, won. The key to winning, however, was dividing up who searched where, and coming up with a group call to get all the group over to read the specific prompt. Cooperation was key, and the lesson behind this activity was obvious – working in groups and having clear communication can be far more effective in life than working alone, or not communicating properly in a team. Also, that running around while acting out bizarre prompts is exhausting yet quite fun and engaging.

Much like the children who go through Nynäshamns Naturskola do, we had a (albeit shorter) OPA debrief, where we shared our thoughts on the day’s activities, and if we thought they were helpful in learning complex concepts such as equations and English. We all agreed that, yes, learning outdoors does make learning not only easier, but much more fun, especially for younger children, who would much rather be outside than stuck in a classroom (but, most people, regardless of age group, would feel the same way). We parted ways with Mats and Nynäshamns Naturskola with wonderful stories and activities to perhaps share on the day of the Learning Cluster Fair.

If there is one thing that our experience at Nynäshamns Naturskola taught us in our research and time there, it is that outdoor education is not only fun and games (as we experienced first-hand), it’s a necessary tool to conveying tough concepts in a concrete, enjoyable way. From learning verbs like “lumber,” “trot,” “walk,” and “jump,” to creating equations out of stones and leaves, complex learning processes can be reshaped to make learning a much more enjoyable and engaging experience than the traditional school setting provides. Even though Naturskola is a one-day experience for most children, it translates into a new understanding of the world, and how the outdoor education model – that is, learning both in the classroom and beyond – is vital to the development of children, academically, socially, and emotionally.

While the success of nature schools in Sweden is in part due to Scandinavian culture valuing experiencing nature, the potential for nature schools and their success globally exists, large in part due to the instrumental positive effects it’s had on children’s learning and success across Scandinavia. Case studies around the world have shown that nature schools – all of which share the same model of mixing indoor and outdoor teaching – equal success later in life for whoever passes through this alternative form of education. Even a short session of a couple hours at Nynäshamns Naturskola showed us that learning in nature truly makes learning more fun – which, at its core, is necessary for children to truly enjoy what it means to learn.