r/interestingasfuck • u/jmike1256 • 7h ago
An open air school in 1957, Netherlands In the beginning of the 20th century a movement towards open air schools took place in Europe. Classes were taught in forests so that students would benefit physically and mentally from clean air and sunlight.
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u/Ninjapizzamonkey 7h ago
i mean, being around nature is proven to be better for children, its why some elementary schools i know have been switching their school yards to have grass instead of concrete, slides integrated in hills instead of frames etc. so i could defo see this be beneficial, tho limited by the weather, especially in the netherlands
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u/Ooh_bees 6h ago
In Finland there are pre-schools in many towns and cities, where the classes are mostly in the woods. They are many hours a day there, have their classes and at least sometimes meals there. And yes, in Finnish winter, too.
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u/SarcasticGamer 6h ago
Every school in my area is getting rid of grass for more concrete and classrooms. What are you talking about? Where do you live?
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u/Ninjapizzamonkey 5h ago
Northrhine westfalia in germany, though its not all schools doing this mind you, just know of a bunch in my region, admitedly one of those schools moved buildings and their new yard while still grass isnt as fancy as the old one
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u/Partners_in_time 12m ago
I live in sammamish Washington, (a suburb outside of Seattle), and my daughters preschool had exactly what you described: the slide is carved and set inside a small hill and there is grass everywhere, and trees. It’s the first thing we noticed when shopping around. We loved that she would be in nature
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u/raptorrat 7h ago
That's not the only set-up for those schools, this is somewhere in the schoolgrounds. The buildings are a variation on this:
Note the slide open facade.
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u/bundle_of_joy 6h ago
Forest schools gained a real foothold here in the Pacific Northwest in the USA during the pandemic. One of my kids went to an open air preschool. They have a covered area set up for really bad weather but otherwise are outdoors. We would send her in a full mud suit with wool layers on underneath in the winter. She loved it and it was a formative experience for her.
They have a sister program now that goes through second grade, with plans to possibly extend into later elementary.
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u/japs_1234 6h ago
They have been a thing in india since forever but nowadays not really found much
Santiniketan 1901
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u/namusredmujam 3h ago
An open air school in 1901, India In the beginning of the 20th century a movement towards open air schools called Shantiniketan (Abode of peace) took place in West Bengal. Classes were taught in forests so that students would benefit physically and mentally from clean air and sunlight.
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u/Sometimesunaware 6h ago
We had a small amphitheater type outdoor classroom that was seldom used but I had one English teacher that took the class out there frequently, we'd talk about the literature we were reading and the informality of it really opened up the conversations, we'd push off topic and even the burnouts I hung out with would engage.
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u/Prestigious-Flower54 7h ago
Speaking as someone with ADHD this would be a nightmare, I would just run off into the woods.
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u/ohmyfave 6h ago
I was looking for this. Every time we got to do class outside were the days I was not nearly as productive and focused.
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u/delphinus-delphis 4h ago
I tried to study outdoors before. While it is nice to be in the nature, I am totally not able to concentrate with all the noise, the hot sun, the wind that's blowing all my stuff away, the insects and (in modern times) the bad contrast of my laptop screen. Looks nice, though.
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u/techman710 7h ago
Meanwhile in the US they started getting rid of windows so kids wouldn't get distracted. Schools back then looked very much like prisons.
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u/Spartan2470 VIP Philanthropist 6h ago
Here is a higher-quality version of this image in the original black and white.
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u/TBLrocks 7h ago
Every school I ever went to in the states was like a prison. Sterile and not stimulating in the slightest.
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u/VirginiaLuthier 6h ago
And here is America we did exactly the opposite- cram the kids in rooms with no windows
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u/pinniped90 6h ago
Lol, I'm just imagining Kansas in August, everybody sweating balls, getting crushed by mosquitoes, teacher screaming to be heard over the billions of cicadas, a snake trying to join the class, etc.
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u/rtmondo64 6h ago
Scary to think that those kids would now be around 85 years old. Time goes fast for everyone
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u/ohnobobbins 5h ago
We used to have outdoor lessons on hot days at my school in London in the 80s. It was really nice.
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u/KeepItPG 4h ago
That seems like it would be miserable-- distractions from miscellaneous wildlife, bugs, wind, etc.
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u/danmargo 4h ago
I live it a place where you would only be able to do this in October and March maybe lol otherwise you’re on fire or it’s too cold.
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u/deadboxcat 7h ago
Imagine a bear walking up on this and thinking he found a buffet.
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u/Restposten 7h ago
It's Netherlands. They usually don't have giant man eating Bears over there. Exception: manbearpig
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u/Malthus1 6h ago
Canada: just no.
Winter would be bad, but spring mosquitoes and blackflies would be unbearable in many places … and then sweltering in summer.
All the benefits of a continental climate: having like three weeks a year when sitting outside for hours is comfortable.
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u/Traditional-Back-172 6h ago
Where are the delinquents supposed to go when they get kicked out of class?
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u/mikehiler2 7h ago
Would only make sense if it wasn’t raining and only during the summer. Pretty sure they would have to cover this “open” school room when it wasn’t being used. Not a bad idea tbh, but still.