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.

Our lives in urban areas are becoming more and more inactive with negative effects on our mental and physical health. Natural environments and physical activity have the power to both prevent and reduce mental fatigue. Meanwhile we engage ourselves with physical activity, the nature fascinates us with its complexity. In April 2006, some of the visitors to the recreational area of Skrylle were asked to fill in a questionnaire which included questions about their habits within physical activity and the experience of nature. The questionnaires were then divided into two groups: those filled out by persons who exercise on regular basis (i.e. three or several times/week) and those who rarely exercise.

Stress-related diseases in Sweden have doubled since 1997. Even longterm sickness related tostress has increased over the last decade. In future there is a need of alternative methods todecrease the amount of people being affected to gain a better population health. Natureassisted therapy (NAT) was shown to be a successful method as part of the therapy of stressand burnout likewise was nature an important factor to prevent people from mentaldisorders. The aim of this study was to analyse the latest research concearning nature and itshealth effects with focus on stress and burnout patients in order to plan health promotingactivities outdoors for these patients.

This thesis analyses the conditions for subject indexing of fiction by studying the relationship between the nature of fiction and the properties of subject indexing. The analysis is founded on a reading of a recently published Swedish subject headings list and uses a theoretical framework of Adornos theory of modern reason. The study is conducted through a qualitative text analysis in three steps. In the first step the subject headings list is analysed by examining how it provides subject access to fiction by the aspects of form, frame and subject. In the second step of the analysis these aspects of subject access are analysed and discussed by relating them to relevant research of subject indexing of fiction.

In this thesis I have decided to take a closer look into my own ?backyard?. A river that runs through my hometown, Akureyri, has been a thorn in some people?s side. Glerá river has taken lives but it has also given the town possibilities to develop.

The main reason for the study was to find out how much naturscience is used in the daily situation in the preschool/school environment with the younger kids. I have studied the teacher`s educations background, if this had any role in the teaching of naturscience. To get my answers I interviewed ten teachers with different teaching background.The result showed that science was present both in the preschool and school for the early years. Everything from teamwork to outdoor play and small experiments. To play out in the woods is most important part teaching in naturscience.My study showed that a teacher`s educations background had no part in the teaching of everyday life in the nature.Keyword: experiment, primary, school, science..

The main reason for the study was to find out how much naturscience is used in the daily situation in the preschool/school environment with the younger kids. I have studied the teacher`s educations background, if this had any role in the teaching of naturscience. To get my answers I interviewed ten teachers with different teaching background.The result showed that science was present both in the preschool and school for the early years. Everything from teamwork to outdoor play and small experiments. To play out in the woods is most important part teaching in naturscience.My study showed that a teacher`s educations background had no part in the teaching of everyday life in the nature.Keyword: experiment, primary, school, science..

AbstractIn the paper, democracy's development and change are studied in Swedish textbooks related to social science. The study?s starting point is that the picture of democracy provided to students has changed over time. The study aims to see how the view on democracy has altered in Swedish textbooks in social science. In order to examine this, I have studied seven textbooks, from 1945 to 2006, in social science.

Since time immemorial, nature has been conceived of as a female entity. This ancient concept is also a recurring element in contemporary Swedish horror fiction. The purpose of this thesis is to compare the feature of nature in the selected works of Anders Fager, Andreas Marklund and Frida Arwen Rosesund and in what ways these respective depictions rely on a tradition where nature is gendered female. The theoretical starting-point for this comparative study is ecocriticism and its subcategory ecofeminism, which are modes of literary criticism where the role of nature in general, and its female connotations in particular, are appreciated as significant literary features. For executing an analysis that goes beyond what is explicit, the exploration of these three writers? texts also adopts a psychoanalytical perspective.

The aim of this essay is to create an understanding, of how teachers comprehend knowledge, grades and tests in a school context. It is important to get a grip of the different parts of the teacher?s reality. The test, the grades and knowledge are deeply connected as a part of a whole. The teachers view on knowledge can not be understood without asking about the practical parts of their work and understand how the different parts are dependent on each other.The main material consists of interviews with four teachers that work in a public mandatory school in the south suburbs of Stockholm.

The aim of this study is to describe how nature is portrayed in swedish poet and critic Aase Berg?s two earliest poetry collections, Hos rådjur (1997) and Mörk materia (1999), and how it relates to notions of humanity, culture and civilisation. The concept of ?nature? is problematized in a short survey of how it has been used by and critizised in ecocritical literary theory, which is used as the main theoretical framework for this survey, with an emphasis on selected theoretical concepts by Donna Haraway. As a methodological starting point, ?nature? is tentatively defined as ?that which does not let itself be subsumed under the human, culture or civilisation?, and this definition is contrasted with how the concepts are handled in the texts.The investigation shows that the relationship of nature to the human is a fundamental theme that provides a structure for both poetry collections.

In the constitution of Sweden everyone has the right of common access in the nature. Toprotect these rights, as well as the nature, in areas close to shores the environmental law ofSweden (miljöbalken) protects areas within 100 meters from the waterline. Due to amendmentin this law, Swedish municipalities have to present countryside development areas close toshores. Within these areas, which are to be displayed in the municipality?s comprehensiveplan, it will be possible to get exemptions from the protection if the planned measure willbenefit the development of the region.

Aim: The aim of this essay is to study the external communication of Science Park Jönköping, how they want students in Jönköping to perceive them. Further we would like to compare thatinformation with how students in Jönköping actually perceive Science Park Jönköping. Do the both pictures agree?Method/Material: Together with literature studies, a qualitive method has been used.Two interviews with the managers of Science Park, and five focusgroups with students havebeen conducted.Main Results: The main result from the focusgroup interviews shows that the students perceived image of Science Park correlates in many ways with Science Parks profile. But the study also shows that Science Park do not apply many of the relevant theories that would benefit their marketing..

The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) promotes the Ecosystem Approach (EA). In this thesis it is analyzed how the EA approach could be applied to regional management of coastal areas in Sweden. The aim of this report is to compare management for preserving biodiversity on a landscape level in two regional coastal areas in Uppsala and Västra Götaland respectively. In Uppsala, one of the plans consists of a previous nature reserve and in Västra Götaland, a Regional landscape strategy has been established. The ecosystem approach is used as a theoretical framework in this thesis.

Drawing on earlier research, and using observations as the method, this study presents a design of a nature playscape for children. Applying outdoor pedagogy to the fundamental structure of a specific location, the study proposes a design of a playscape, over a more obvious design, for instance one based around a quiz walk.The theoretical framework is Gibson?s theory of affordance, and the goal has been to create a "play flow". The study concludes that spatial rhetorics can be an important tool when teaching children about nature..