Utomhusmiljön i förskolan. Betydelse för lek och utevistelse
Engelsk titel: The outdoor environment of day care centers. Its importance to play and development
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Författare:
Söderström M
;
Mårtensson F
;
Grahn P
;
Blennow M
Email: m.soderstrom@pubhealth.ku.dk
Språk: Swe
Antal referenser: 15
Dokumenttyp:
Artikel
UI-nummer: 04081013
Sammanfattning
Introduction: Today most children in the Nordic countries who are one to six years of age attend day care centres. Earlier studies have shown an inverse relation between outdoor activity and absence from day care centres due to illness. Our objective was to describe the outdoor environment of day care centres, factors important to the children's outdoor stay during different seasons and weather conditions. Materials and methods: A questionnaire mailed to 100 day care centres in a defined area of the Stockholm region concerning the number of children, educational profile and estimated time spent outdoors in good, as well as in bad weather during the four seasons and the physical properties of the outdoor environment, was answered by the principal or teachers. Results: Day care centres with an outdoor educational profile had an outdoor environment attached to the centre with good opportunities for play. Children attending these day care centres spent more time outdoors during all seasons except for summer days with nice weather. Children attending day care centres without an outdoor educational profile but with a yard of their own containing a climbing tree or a small grove spent more time outdoors during warm weather (summer, fall and spring with nice weather) than children who did not have access to such a yard. Discussion: The design of »green« and varying outdoor environments attached to child day care centres in the city could include a focus not only on the enjoyment of nature but also on giving children more opportunities for outdoor activity, which may promote the children's health.