«Innendørs blir fantasien innestengt»: Om nærnaturens betydning i barns hverdagsliv

Abstract

The goal of this study is to gain more knowledge about children's uses and experiences when playing and spending time in nearby nature, without adult presence. The study is based on fieldwork among 26 children aged 12-13 years, and includes qualitative analyses of written school essays and group interviews outdoors. Despite the fact that play in nearby nature areas seem to take place rarely, the study shows that the children have great experiences in the nearby nature in different ways. Children make nature to their own place and nature play provides a specter of qualities including happiness, joy, excitement, exploration and social interplay. The paper concludes that the children's engagement with nature without adults’ presence, have distinctive qualities related to freedom to roam and play without repeating intervention from adults.