The natural environment provides children with space in which they can move spontaneously without restrictions, react, be independent, give free rein to imagination and play without intervention and interpretation by adults. While playing in natural environments, children spontaneously acquire new knowledge, patterns of movement and develop skills. Playfulness in the woods is freely chosen and involves all the senses while developing problem solving skills and imagination. There is always something going on in the woods – the forest is constantly changing and offers children new challenges and opportunities to explore. It allows authentic and real experiences which help children to develop a positive attitude towards nature. The woods also offer children many opportunities to learn to deal with dangerous situations through play.
In my diploma thesis, titled Children's Conversations while Playing in the Forest, I observed children's play in detail. I was mainly interested in their conversations – what children talk about when adults do not watch them and how their symbolic play develops. I also wanted to find out what children’s wishes are; therefore, I used a survey to determine how children feel in the woods, how important unstructured play is in the natural environment, what materials children choose to play with in the forest, and how they use these materials.
The purpose of my diploma thesis was to give parents and educators a better understanding of play in the woods and to encourage them to include spontaneous play in the natural environment into their daily lives and the lives of their children.
We documented children's play with the help of GPS cameras. The recorded conversations were then transcribed and analysed. I also analysed the answers received from interviews with children before and after their forest visits.
The results showed that children prefer to choose to play outside. They like to play both on the playground as well as in the woods. All children say they feel good in the woods, as they can play freely there as they wish. Although they like guided activities, most children prefer free play without adult intervention. I also noticed progress in the areas of social, motor, emotional and cognitive development, and fantasy play. We categorized children’s statements during their free play. Large number of statements categorized as fantasy play proved the development of fantasy play. I also noticed development of mathematical abilities, learning new words, forming shorts stories, songs and rhymes, conversations and monologues during free play. Observing natural environment has an impact on emotions and helps children appreciate it’s beauty. Many statements were categorized under social development. Physical activity was constantly present during children’s free play in the forest.
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