Through interviews with children of ages 4-5 years old and by observing children children at play at three preschools with different types of outdoor surroundings, I have investigated if the preschools outdoor surroundings have any influences on the children´ choice of play. The hypothesis was that natural surroundings can entice children´s interest in nature being in it and play. I have also investigated if the children know why it is important to be outdoors and if they know it has a positive influence on their health.The result of my investigation is that the children play about the same games at the three different preschool gardens, but at the preschool with more natural surroundings, the children have more contact with plants and animals, and could learn of the different phenomena of nature by the preschool teacher answering their questions. Most of the children in the interviews know it´s useful to be outdoors and be on the move and get fresh air, but many of them thought it was most important to play. By being outdoors the children get exercise, fresh air, play and at the same time they establish an understanding of the nature and a healthier life..

Abstract   The actions of Sweden during the second world war has been richly discussed over the years. Sweden declared itself neutral in the war between the great powers but did not manage to maintain its neutrality. The nature of neutrality has often been discussed; whether it is of a idealistic or more pragmatic nature. Realism, a theory of international relations, would argue that it is of a more pragmatic nature, hence these two are in opposition. Realism also takes credit in claiming to explain how and why a state chooses to act in a situation. The aim of this essay was to, by examining specific decisions made by the swedish government during the Second World War, come to a conclusion whether or not Sweden?s proclaimed neutrality was of idealistic or pragmatic nature, and thereby possibly coming to a conclusion about neutrality in large.It was also to examine the worth of realism as an explanatory theory by applying it to this specific case; to examine its validity.The study was conducted using a qualitative method; presenting empiric facts and then by using a decision model interpreting the actions and results from a realist perspective. The study concludes that realism has explanatory power, although not a complete one.

Through a quantitative examination, 26 pedagogies in the pre-school activity answered a few questions in an enquiry about outdoor education. The purpose with this examination was to find out what pedagogies think and apprehend about outdoor education, and also if the "education plan" is in their minds during outdoor activities and if they see them self´s as competent in nature studies. They have also answered questions whether they think that they have good outdoor environment that stimulates children´s development and learning and if there´s any forest that they visit on regular basis.The pedagogies think that during time spent outdoor, it´s the motor skills that are best developed. All of the pedagogies mentioned above think that they need to get more educated in nature studies and also that pedagogies attitude towards time spent outdoors affect the children. They do not think about the goals and intentions of the "educations plan" all the time.

The examination of the adequate nature conservation methods in a natural reserve, to conserve a specific species and / or increase biological diversity is the subject of this study. This work is based on four species, that can be found during the Spring season, liverleaf, wood anemone, brimstone and woodpecker. The incidence and availability is studied and closely observed for these species in twenty forests, i.e. ten forests which are nature reserves and ten forests with the similar characteristics as the nature reserves habitat, but are not nature reserves in Gnesta mucipality, Södermanland. Measurements of the tree crown and the diameter of the tree trunks where noted to study how these factors could affect the outcome of the abundance and incidence of the four species.

Through a quantitative examination, 26 pedagogies in the pre-school activity answered a few questions in an enquiry about outdoor education. The purpose with this examination was to find out what pedagogies think and apprehend about outdoor education, and also if the "education plan" is in their minds during outdoor activities and if they see them self´s as competent in nature studies. They have also answered questions whether they think that they have good outdoor environment that stimulates children´s development and learning and if there´s any forest that they visit on regular basis.The pedagogies think that during time spent outdoor, it´s the motor skills that are best developed. All of the pedagogies mentioned above think that they need to get more educated in nature studies and also that pedagogies attitude towards time spent outdoors affect the children. They do not think about the goals and intentions of the "educations plan" all the time.

För att alla elever ska kunna uppnå scientific literacy bör man utgå från barnens erfarenheter där naturorienterade ämnen, NO, knyts till ett sammanhang ? en kontext. I kontexten synliggörs naturvetenskapens mänskliga sida, och därmed visa att NO är mer än fakta. Elever behöver lära om naturvetenskapen, vilket kallas nature of science, NOS. Vårt syfte är att ta reda på hur lärare aktualiserar nature of science genom ett Linné-tema.

Outdoor recreation habits in metropolis and rural areasThis study aims to examine the perception of nature and outdoor recreation habits from an urban-rural prospective. The urbanization process continues in Sweden and the populations of the cities are growing continuously. Trends to build more compact and ?climate smart? reigns and with this a risk that green areas and areas where outdoor recreation can be practiced are situated further and further away from the urban population. Analyzing the responses from a survey made by the research program Friluftsliv i förändring 2007 we have examined if and which differences exists between urban and rural areas regarding their perception of nature, outdoor recreation habits and factors influencing the practice of outdoor recreation.

This study has been about the representation of the Swedish tourism company Swanson?s. They do trips in US and every year they do a brochure with many pictures. The objective of my study is to look how pictures help to constructs places. Its often problem with pictures because sometimes they are constructs.

AbstractThis essay aims to problematize and illuminate the connection between special-education and nature-based activities. With a theoretical ground that is based upon a sociocultural perspective I consider the information from the field. Through a qualitative and critical perspective I performed individual interviews with five pupils from the sixth school-year in the Swedish elementary-school. I also performed Focus-group interviews with two educators and three teachers in the same school-form. By a Hermeneutical working-method I have found out that the informants in my survey have a common experience that activities performed in nature has a positive effect on learning.

I examensarbetet har läroboksserier inom fysik för gymnasienivån studerats med avseende på Nature of Science. Begreppet Nature of Science, NOS, handlar om naturvetenskapens epistemologi och de sammanhang som påverkar skapandet av ny kunskap inom naturvetenskap. Aspekter från andra vetenskapsområden som, historia, filosofi, ekonomi, och sociologi lyfts fram som viktiga i kunskapsutvecklingen av naturvetenskap. Som grund för studien har ett avgränsat avsnitt, som i examensarbetet benämnts vad är ljus, undersökts. Inom detta område har det studerats om och hur NOS används i läroböckerna.

Abstract The aim of this study is to create a pathway through Gustav Sandgren?s short-story collection Skymningssagor and the second collection with that title, based on his social criticism, notions of art and nature, use of fairytale motifs and finally, his view of the metaphoric liberation of mankind. The study is based on a comparative and thematic investigation, illustrated by examples from Sandgren?s short stories. The theoretical framework is based on Eva Nordlinder?s study of the art fairytale in Sekelskiftets svenska konstsaga och sagodiktaren Helena Nyblom (1992) and Konstsaga och Kultursyn (1992) as well as Torben Brostrøm?s study of the folktale in Folksagan och den moderna litteraturen (1992). The investigation shows that Sandgren?s social criticism permeates his short stories, but that his keys to salvation, nature and art (first and foremost music) exist to help mankind rise above our shackles. The investigation also shows that Sandgren?s short stories are firmly placed within the tradition of the fairytale and the romantic notion of a relation between nature and man.  Keywords social criticism, fairytale, nature, music, art, liberation.

95% of the productive forest land in Sweden are now being exploited for forestry. The new Forestry Act of 1993 equate the goal of production and the environmental goal which means that the objective for forestry is a sustainable yield, while the biological diversity must be preserved. Recent years results from the inventories of the Board of Forestry show declining trends in how nature conservation aspects taken into consideration at the felling sites.The aim of this study is to investigate what happends with the nature consideration taken at felling sites in the long run. 20 final fellings in the county of Östergötland were re-inventoried 7-9 years after final felling. These felling sites had previously been inventoried before final felling (P0) and one year after final felling (P1) in the inventory Polytax by the Board of Forestry.

This paper examines how nature is understood in the province of Ha?rjedalen by the sami population of the area, through interviews with three informers and photographs taken by the author. Pictures and answers point in the direction that much of nature is understood through the reindeer, the most important key symbol of the reindeer herding part of the sami people and their kin..

The female labour is still a rather unexploited resource in many parts of the world. Unleashing women?s potential, giving them the possibility to start their own enterprises would increase the economic growth. Not only does women's entrepreneurship foster greater equality in the world but it also creates a more versatile economy. Sweden is considered to be one of the most equal countries in the world; still, entrepreneurship is an area with sharp gender differences, especially in some industries.

In the middle of the 19th century was Calluna heath the major nature type in Halland, but the remaining parts today is only 1 500 hectares which is a 99 % decrease of the Calluna heath mainly due to an increase in forest plantations and arable fields. I have made a quantitative study how the Calluna heath of Grönabur & Sandsjöbacka has changed between 1841 and 2005 and why it didn?t disappear in the same manner, as it did in other parts of Halland. The studying of original sources as historical maps, literature and by doing field visits has been significant for the final result. The main reason for the different development of the Calluna heath in the investigation area (69 % decrease), compare to elsewhere in Halland, is the establishment and management of a nature reserve..