«Children learn more in the forest»

Mrs Walser, what is the aim of the «Get out into nature» campaign?

We would like outdoor lessons to become a regular method used by teachers in the long term - as a supplement to classroom teaching.

What are the benefits of outdoor lessons?

Most children look forward to lessons outside because they can grasp the subject matter with all their senses and fulfil their urge to move. Children are less restricted here than in the classroom. The learning success is greater and the relationship between the children and the teacher is strengthened.

How does the relationship with the teacher improve?

It's a completely different situation than in the classroom. When you are outside together, you experience something together. This increases trust in the teacher, which in turn is an important prerequisite for good learning.

Those who learn about the forest as children are more willing to protect it later on.

And what does the WWF gain from this campaign?

It has been proven that children who have experienced their immediate environment, nature, appreciate it differently. They later reflect differently on their interaction with nature and are also open to environmental protection issues.

Does this mean that experiencing nature is more important than environmental protection lessons?

It takes both - the experience prepares the ground on which knowledge about environmental protection can grow. If the pupils know what a forest smells like and what can be found in it, the knowledge that plastic packaging cannot rot there will affect them differently than if they only know the forest from hearsay.

For the teachers, the excursion into nature means extra work: they have to learn new teaching methods, inform parents and give up their breaks between lessons. How has the project been received by the adults involved?

We had expected around 250 classes to take part in the first year - in the end, around 1000 registered. That makes us very happy. The feedback from teachers and parents has also been almost exclusively positive. Incidentally, those who are not so comfortable with the new experience can also approach it slowly and book a date in one of the participating nature parks, where a programme is offered so that the teacher does not have to plan everything alone.