Learning by nature : A stydy of learning and meeting between cultures in preschool outdoor activities

Today many children have limited experiences with the outdoors or nature. In most suburbs where people originate from many countries and have various ways of understanding nature is it perhaps in preschool that several children for the first time experience nature. This survey is qualitative and the main research methods are participant observations and interviews. The theories used in this study are mainly based on the thoughts of Dewey and Vygotskij as well as on ideas from outdoor education and different ways or ideas of understanding nature. The purpose with this study is to make clear in what ways nature is used by the teachers in preschool activities and how this work is done in preschools in multicultural suburbs. Questions at issue are: What way of understanding nature are the teachers trying to convey to the children? How is nature used in the ordinary outdoor activities by the preschool teachers? What are the teachers experiences of success and problems in this work? The conclusion is that nature is used in preschool activities in many ways. The most prominent ones are different types of learning for example subjects as mathematics and language or simply the experience of enjoying nature or the development of the childrens motor function and health. In these outdoor activities also the meeting between cultures, where Swedish as well as preschool traditions become clear, can be observed