School’s Out: Lessons from a Forest Kindergarten 2013
Distributed by Bullfrog Films, PO Box 149, Oley, PA 19547; 800-543-FROG (3764)
Produced by Rona Richter
Directed by Lisa Molomot
DVD, color, 36 min.
Sr. High - General Adult
Education, Child Development, Ecology, Psychology, Europe
Date Entered: 03/31/2014
Reviewed by Sara Parme, Digital Services Librarian, Daniel A. Reed Library, SUNY FredoniaSchool’s Out: Lessons from a Forest Kindergarten challenges the expectations we have of children and the traditional American school system. The film documents a forest kindergarten in Langnau am Albis, Switzerland, a two year public school program for 4-7 year olds. Children spend their day at free play in the forest, rain or shine, where the teacher “usually know[s] where they are playing.” Activities could include cooking, building, using tools, whittling, and fire tending. The forest kindergarten is juxtaposed with a kindergarten in Edgewood, Connecticut, with its full days of highly supervised, strict schedules with a lot of transitions.
Parents, medical professionals, and teachers are briefly interviewed, presenting some fascinating data (no student from the forest kindergarten has been diagnosed with a hyperactivity disorder). But the film is primarily observational with no voice over or direct interaction with the kids. This allows viewers to observe the resilience of the students at play; naturally solving conflicts, participating in teamwork, and using tools with no prompting or guidance from an adult. Appropriate for child development and education classes and collections.
Awards
- Best Educational Film Cinema Verde Environmental Film Festival
- Best Short Film Colorado Environmental Film Festival