The purpose of my study is to describe how educators think about the play environment, the nature and its importance for the children's development and learning in preschool. The study is based on qualitative interviews with four active educators. The results of the study show that the teachers regarded the children's interests to a great extent when the different play environments were structured. They are also based on different themes that they have seen that the children were interested in, such as the fire station, hair salon or shop and café. Educators designing not only these play areas for different types of play for the children, but the different environments also have a learning purpose. The outdoor environment however attracts greater interest from children, to where they have more space to move freely in and outdoors, there are no limits to the children.

This essay, with the title: Among children, laser swords and lions. ? How do we approach and utilize the cultural experiences of children? is an approach to participate in a scientific discussion in the field of cultural experiences. This text is an attempt to show the importance of paying attention to, how children express themselves, and place their activities in social and cultural contexts. By doing so and approaching children and their activities with an intercultural point of view, I can use my new found knowledge and use it to stimulate their future learning progresses in different fields.

The aim of this paper is to find out to what extent outdoor mathematics is used in preschool and elementary school. I have chosen to use interviews to find it out. I made my interviews in five different schools in Karlskoga, with teachers in preschool and in first and second class. Focus has been on the positive effects in outdoor activities. The paper also deals with some of the prerequisites necessary to organize such activities.

AbstractThis project discusses various aspects of children's way to explore nature with their senses. Therefore I conducted a study in two preschools, one nature-oriented and another preschool. This study was carriedout usien the three metods, interviews, observations and surveys. Interview four children from each preschool, observations of each group outdoors during four different occasions and question forms to teachers. The result of the study showed that both teachers and children have a great interest in being outdoors in nature, but it is not always possible to take out all children's groups. The reason is large groups and inadequate staff.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the children?s mathematics learning through play. The questions to be answered are: how can teachers facilitate children?s mathematics learning through play? How can play affect children?s math learning? Are the children aware of the role of play in their mathematics learning?My method is based on interviews and observations. My informants are three teachers who work in two different preschools.

This paper is a quantitative case study named Outdoor recreation of urban areas viewed through a gender perspective. The intention of this paper is, by studying gender pattern in outdoor recreation practices in Gothenburg, to describe gender patterns in outdoor recreation of Swedish urban areas. This subject is important to study because of the practices of outdoor recreation forward public health. Today many people suffer from diseases caused by stress and too little exercise, which could be prevented if they practiced outdoor recreation. Not everyone has the same possibility to practice outdoor recreation because of the inequalities between women and men.

I Ur och Skur preschools base their teaching on outdoor activities and all educators are called leaders, disregarding their educational background.The purpose of this study is to find out how the leaders of six I Ur och Skur preschools are working, specifically with the written language, in the outdoors environment. The study discusses the concept of literacy, methods leaders use and the advantages and disadvantages they experience with outdoors education and the thoughts they have about outdoor activities. The basis for this study is the objective pursued in the curriculum: "preschools should strive to ensure that children develop an interest in written language and an understanding of symbols and their communicative functions". Respondents have also been asked what outdoors education means to them on a personal level.To achieve my research results five qualitative interviews, with room for follow-up questions, were conducted. One of the respondents felt that she lacked time but still wanted to participate and doing so by answering questions by email.

AbstractThe purpose of this essay was to investigate what thoughts children in preschool and preschool class have about friendship. We also want to investigate what characteristics and which strategies they look for in friendship relationships.  To perform this study we used the following questions as a starting point. Which characteristics do children see as attractive in their cultures?How are friendship relationships affected in different contexts?Can one see a difference in the most important characteristics and strategies between the children in preschool and the children in preschool class? To answer our questions and to reach our purpose we have held group interviews with children in preschool and in preschool class.  We have, in our study, used published scientific literature to get an understanding of what has been presented in relation to this topic in the past.The result shows that the children in preschool and preschool class do differ in certain aspects but also have some similarities on ideas about friendship. Both preschool children and the children in the preschool class are highly competent and skilled at integrating with other children. What divides them is their ways to plan their friendship.

AimThe purpose with our study has been to investigate if upper secondary high schools in the south of Sweden, Stockholm and north of Sweden follow the outdoor education regulations stated in the curriculum (Lpf-94). Moreover, we aim to study if the teachers? previous experiences as well as the students affect the outdoor education. Finally, the purpose is to find out how the outdoor-life-education can be improved. These are the research questions:o How do the chosen high schools follow the outdoor education regulations stated in Lpf-94?o What obstacles, advantages and differences exist between the outdoor-life-education in these high schools?o In what way do the teachers? outdoor life experiences influence their education at school?o How can the students influence the outdoor education in their High Schools?o How can outdoor education be improved?MethodThe study is based upon data collected from four interviews with PE ( physical education) teachers from four different high schools.

According to international and national literacy studies (PISA, PIRLS) Swedish boys are inferior to Swedish girls when it comes to reading. There can be numerous reasons to that statement. One is that Swedish teachers require more knowledge about communication as an important component in literacy. In spite of this shortcoming, Swedish girls manage to gain sufficient literacy. Why is that? The aim of this survey was to examine if there were any differences between girls and boys regarding communication skills when they begin in school.The main questions taken in account were:Which differences and/or similarities in communication skills are discernible between boys and girls this particular preschool?How do boys and girls communicate with each other in different room contexts on this particular preschool?           To be able to answer the questions, I adopted observations and audio recordings from children aged five.

AimOur aim with this study was to examine how outdoor education is designed and experienced in three upper (senior) levels of compulsory school in Stockholm, and to compare it with the Norwegian equivalence.MethodOur method has been interviews with ten teachers, of whom six are Swedish teachers and four are Norwegian teachers. Two Swedish teachers are teaching in other subjects than Physical Education, four are teachers in Physical Education, two are teachers in Norway in Physical Education at and two are teachers in Norway at university level. Questionnaires were used to examine the Swedish pupils? attitudes towards outdoor education. 90 questionnaires were delivered, and 70 answered them.

Boulognerskogen is a park in the central of Skövde that have had a health resort, paths for strolling, outdoor-bath, outdoor-sport areas and events. During the 1970:th there was a lack of interest for the park and very few visited it. By a motion from a resident in Skövde wich proposes that a city playground will be build in Boulognerskogen gave me an opportunity to investigate how the potential of the park can be used to create a funny and nice place to visit for children in company with adults. By a program that contains the main goals and design program for a city playground in Boulognerskogen, I wanted to present a proposal that could meet childrens needs to play and to use the conditions of the place to create places to play in, and where children in company with adults could be together. To reach this, I wanted to try different methods that could lead to a proposal that was well supported by children and adults, and wich was possible to use by the local authority in their further actions. The methods that I used was therefor an important part of the work. I have choosen to define the concept "city playground" as a greater playground situated in the center of the town that are suitable for outings and as a meetingplace, with a varation in playground attractions and promote children and adults to be together, aiming at younger children in the ages of 1-10 years in company with adults, but should also give space to activities of other groups.

As a result of my fascination for nature I have chosen to study the possibilities to introduce natural environments on schoolyards. Too many schoolyards are lacking vegetation and many of them look like sterile asphalt deserts. The master thesis consists of two parts. The first part is based on literature studies and the second part in which findings from part one are put into practice. Five examples are presented; four schoolyards in Malmö; Kryddgårdsskolan, Kirsebergsskolan, Rörsjöskolan and Lindängeskolan and one in Kalmar; Åbyskolan. Malmö Naturskola has been working with the chosen areas on the schoolyards in Malmö.

According to international and national literacy studies (PISA, PIRLS) Swedish boys are inferior to Swedish girls when it comes to reading. There can be numerous reasons to that statement. One is that Swedish teachers require more knowledge about communication as an important component in literacy. In spite of this shortcoming, Swedish girls manage to gain sufficient literacy. Why is that? The aim of this survey was to examine if there were any differences between girls and boys regarding communication skills when they begin in school.The main questions taken in account were:Which differences and/or similarities in communication skills are discernible between boys and girls this particular preschool?How do boys and girls communicate with each other in different room contexts on this particular preschool?           To be able to answer the questions, I adopted observations and audio recordings from children aged five.

This report is about the current outdoor environment in the housing area Brunnsbacken in the city of Eskilstuna. The report examines the various factors in the outdoor environment that can affect the physical and psychic well being of the elderly people through availability and inclusion. The research methods that are affected are qualitative and has been implemented in order to give insight and knowledge about the way elderly people view the outdoor stay in their neighborhood, but also through analysis produce an informed design suggestion..