Forest education refers to an outdoor learning process and practice that provides children or teenagers with opportunities to experience in the forest environment, thus cultivating their self-confidence and self-esteem. It is defined as "an inspiring process, which provides children, teenagers and adults with regular opportunities to realize and develop self-confidence and self-esteem through practical learning in the woodland environment".

Similarities and differences between forest education and nature education

The similarity between forest education and nature education is that children can learn in nature and gain knowledge. However, in the educational environment of China, natural education depends on natural science courses, and students enter the natural environment in order to establish contact with natural knowledge and experience. But books and classes are still the main ways to impart knowledge, and reading insect maps and bird maps has become the so-called nature education.

Forest education, on the other hand, is based on cultivating children's personality, and the form of expression is to give children different kinds of games and stimulate their exploration spirit. Forest education pays attention to the subjectivity of the object of education, and carries out differentiated teaching in a targeted way, so that every child can develop his strengths and avoid his weaknesses and get the best development opportunities.

Forest education website

The implementation place of forest education is not limited to forests or woodlands. For cities lacking these resources, simulated forests can be used, and large areas of grasslands or open spaces near schools and urban parks can also be used for forest education. Forest education attaches importance to outdoor education content rather than "forest" form. The most common teaching method of forest education is to lead students to explore forest green space every week.

What does forest research "study"?

As an important part of nature education, forest research aims to make children have the consciousness of respecting and protecting nature and learn scientific methods to protect nature. However, in the process of forest research, it is necessary to improve children's cognitive level and self-help inquiry ability, broaden students' minds and cultivate optimistic spirit.

"Forest" is just a synonym for nature, and forest education is a part of nature education. Forest kindergartens can be forests, farms, beaches or parks. What we need to learn more from is the spirit of German nature and forest education. With the natural game teaching method as a tool, combined with our own conditions and environment, we create our own natural education system.