Czech parents
discover nature kindergartens
A Nature
kindergartens are a relatively new phenomenon in Czech society, although
elsewhere in the world they have been around for more than half a century. The
first attempt to introduce something different were the Waldorf schools, which
quickly gained popularity among parents who wanted their kids to have a
different education than they themselves had received. A few years later came
the first Nature kindergarten, or Lesní školka in Czech the direct translation
of which is “forest kindergarten”. Over the past decade 40 such kindergartens
have emerged around the country.
B One
thing nature kindergartens guarantee is that children will get plenty of
fresh air. Come rain or shine they spend most of the day out in the open
playing games, exercising and learning from Nature. They not only tend to be
healthier, but are generally more self-sufficient with a greater
understanding of how things work and being able to release their pent-up
energy are less inclined to be frustrated, bored or badly-behaved. Jitka
Valehrachová, a Nature kindergarten teacher in Moravia describes a typical day at school. “The
kids usually arrive between 8.30 and 9am. At nine we all gather outside, greet
each other, sing a few songs and talk about what we will be doing that day.
Teachers plan the day according to the season, but the children are able to
make some choices of their own; f.e. what they want to do that day or where we
should go. We go back indoors for lunch at 1.30 and have a short nap before
heading out again. If the weather is really bad we’ll stay indoors and
engage in something creative like art classes or singing.”
C At
nature kindergartens children learn about the cycle of the seasons and the
flora and fauna surrounding them. They learn to distinguish various types of
trees and flowers, recognize herbs growing on a meadow and learn to create
things from natural materials that are all around us. They play with objects
that can be found in nature and learn in the process. Teachers focus on
developing respect and empathy with young children taught to mind the
feelings of others and help each other out. For the first few years of
their lives children are shielded from excessive commercialism and our growing
reliance on technology. While the food served at these nature kindergartens is
vegetarian, teachers say there is nothing orthodox about the practice: “We feed
children a balanced vegetarian diet which should cover their needs but if
parents want to give their children meat and milk, that’s perfectly acceptable.
They can have these things for breakfast or in the evening and if a child likes
meat parents can always pack a schnitzel for them as a snack.”
D Parents
who like the idea but are not completely certain its right for their child may
start by putting their offspring in a nature kindergarten for just two or three
days a week to “test the waters”. These two mums say things look very
promising: “The expectations are great. Of course every mum wants her child to
spend as much time outside as possible.”
E One of the things that worry
parents is their child catching cold, but Jitka Valehrachová says these kids
are much healthier than those who spend time indoors where viruses spread much
faster. “We go out in all kinds of weather. We make sure the kids are bundled
up properly and when it’s cold we pick vigorous activities such as
skating or sledding that keeps them warm. To tell the truth I think that we grown-ups
feel the cold much more than they do not having had this experience. When we
think they’ve had enough we go indoors, warm up and come out again. We’ve not
had any complaints from them and I think they’re happy.”
Adjusted
to (1)
pent-up
– potlačovaný
bundled
up – zabalený
vigorous
– energický, vitální
1) Read the article and match
each of the headings to a paragraph.
1 Children are always outside
2 Children
learn about nature, feelings and use nature materials
3 Children have
better immunity
4 There is a possibility to
attend the school for 2 or 3 days a week
5 Nature preschool appeared
before more than 50 years
2) Read the article and answer
the questions.
1 What is the history of
nature kindergartens in the Czech
Republic?
2 What are positives of being
educated in a nature kindergarten?
3 How do children spend their
day there?
4 How can parents realize that
this type of education is suitable for their child?
5 What is the program like in
bad weather?
3) Explain the following words
and phrases.
1 plenty of fresh air
2 self-sufficient
3 have a short nap before heading out again
4 mind the feelings of others
5 grown-ups
4) Answer the following
questions.
How
are nature kindergartens funded? What
are other types of alternative education? What is their program like? What are
their positives and negatives? Would you like to work in an alternative
kindergarten? Why?
Video:
Tips,
sources of information:
Source:
(1)
LAZAROVÁ, Daniela. Czech parents discover nature kindergartens. Český
rozhlas [online]. 2013 [cit. 2015-09-21]. Available at:
http://www.radio.cz/en/section/panorama/czech-parents-discover-nature-kindergartens
