Modeling Child–Nature Interaction in a Nature Preschool: A Proof of Concept

Citation

Kahn Jr, P. H., Weiss, T., & Harrington, K. (2018). Modeling child–nature interaction in a nature preschool: A proof of concept. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 835. doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00835

Link to file

Researchers have come up with a fresh way to think about how children interact with nature, and it starts with something called “interaction patterns.” Instead of trying to describe every possible thing a kid might do outside (which would be endless), they look at the essential features of those interactions. Think of it as a set of blueprints: each blueprint describes a type of nature experience, but it can play out in countless different ways depending on the kid, the setting, and the purpose. A child might experience “being in solitude in nature” by sitting alone under a backyard tree, or by finding a quiet spot in a forest. Same pattern, different version.

To build this model, the researchers drew from three areas of psychology — constructivist, ecological, and evolutionary — and backed it up with real observations from a nature preschool, where they tracked kids’ activities over time.

Using what they call a “nature language,” researchers identified seven key interaction patterns at the preschool:

Using your body vigorously in nature (running, climbing, jumping)
Striking wood on wood (banging sticks)
Constructing shelter (building forts, dens, or hideouts)
Being in solitude in nature (finding quiet, alone time outdoors)
Lying on earth (stretching out on grass, dirt, or sand)
Cohabiting with a wild animal (observing and being comfortable around wildlife)
Being outside in weather (feeling rain, wind, snow, or sun)

These seven patterns were then combined with 13 others identified in earlier research, giving a total of 20 keystone interaction patterns that start to fill out the bigger picture.

The researchers see this model as both a product (a tool for understanding child-nature interactions) and a process (a way to keep building on that understanding). Right now, it can help educators, parents, and designers think more clearly about what kinds of nature experiences matter most for kids. And with more work, it could help shape everything from playground design to environmental education to public health programs.

Abstract

This article provides a proof of concept for an approach to modeling child–nature interaction based on the idea of interaction patterns: characterizations of essential features of interaction between humans and nature, specified abstractly enough such that countless different instantiations of each one can occur – in more domestic or wild forms – given different types of nature, people, and purposes. The model draws from constructivist psychology, ecological psychology, and evolutionary psychology, and is grounded in observational data collected through a time-sampling methodology at a nature preschool. Through using a nature language that emphasizes ontogenetic and phylogenetic significance, seven keystone interaction patterns are described for this nature preschool: using one’s body vigorously in nature, striking wood on wood, constructing shelter, being in solitude in nature, lying on earth, cohabiting with a wild animal, and being outside in weather. These 7 interactions patterns are then brought together with 13 other patterns published elsewhere to provide a total of 20 keystone interaction patterns that begin to fill out the model, and to show its promise. Discussion focuses on what the model aims to be in terms of both product and process, on what work the model can currently do, and how to further develop the model.