Friluftsliv and Wild Pedagogies: Building Pedagogies for Early Childhood Education in a Time of Environmental Uncertainty.

Abstract

This article seeks to put two pedagogical orientations, one influenced by friluftsliv and the other wild pedagogies, into dialogue. The theoretical section focuses on three key components: childhood, knowledge, and nature. Next, we frame friluftsliv and wild pedagogies and connect them to contemporary early childhood education contexts. Here, we offer a short summary of wild pedagogies' six touchstones: Nature as Co-Teacher; Complexity, the Unknown, and Spontaneity; Locating the Wild; Time and Practice; Socio-Cultural Change; and Building Alliances and the Human Community. In this section, we focus on the connections with, and challenges to, friluftsliv practices in a pedagogical setting. Then, we examine the possibilities for developing new pedagogies for both wild pedagogies and friluftsliv. The paper offers no definitive conclusion, rather returning to a reflection on the three key components. Keywords: friluftsliv, wild pedagogies, childhood, knowledge, nature