There's No Such Thing As Bad Weather: A Scandinavian Mom's Secrets for Raising Healthy, Resilient, and Confident Kids (from Friluftsliv to Hygge)

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There is something pathological in American parents that makes us vulnerable to these manifestos on how people in some other place (Japan, France, Denmark, Sweden, etc.) live, parent, and educate. I have a few theories on why that might be, but that's not under the purview of this review. I say, ‘in this day and age’, but I’m reminded of an excellent article I read about German humour (to Brits a famous unicorn’s feather – but this article made it all crystal clear!), and how their tendency to put long words together and their grammar precludes improvised and instant plays on words the Brits have historically, so one of their only options in humour is to throw out THE single most obnoxious potential outcome of any situation which is so horrifically incongruous the only thing to do is laugh at it! I thought it was a good article anyway, and although it more than likely includes confirmation bias, anecdotally, I have found it to be true and agreed upon with three male German friends (two of whom also agreed with the analysis) but very different with one female. Any Forest School experience follows a Risk–Benefit process managed jointly by the practitioner and learner that is tailored to the developmental stage of the learner.

Although in general references to clothing are quite rare in the materials we’ve been working on, a small number of accounts from the archives use clothing to describe the unexpected nature of the weather, whether it be mild weather during winter, or very cold wet weather in summer. Here are a couple of examples: An unplanned, uncontrolled event which has led to injury to people, damage to equipment or the environment or some other loss.But suffice to say I become a teacher in 2000 and was determined to teach nursery or preschool rather than primary and so as soon as I had a job as a nursery teacher I began my Masters in Early Education so Icould have a betterunderstanding of how the youngchildren I was going to be teaching operated and how I could best teach them. I ended up stopping at a DASE (this means I didn't do a dissertation) and this extra qualification certainly gave me the confidence to defend my practice and the rights of the youngchildren I teach to an ageappropriate curriculum. I have to think carefully about how to answer that one, I don’t want to put people off. There are definitely some things that I really miss and wish that my kids would be able to experience in Sweden. For now, we’re staying in the U.S., but I could definitely see myself spending more time in Scandinavia in the future just to make sure my kids are still rooted in that culture. That said, I don’t miss the weather. So, now we move to onlinelearning for our nursery children and for manyparents this is ananxious time,especially if they have otherolder children at home and are trying to juggle work forthemselves too. But as Ilistened to many questionsfrom anxiousparents I realised what an impact NOT being in the nursery this year has had on their perceptions oflearning for a preschooler.

What wasalso sospecial was that so many ofthe staff Imet through thefirstproject werestillworking there and it was wonderful to reconnect with them over the few days. Thechildren were a delight to be around, confident andcompetent in theirenvironment, climbing trees, sliding down steepbanks, playing in shallow water in the forest and just very content andhappy. In 2008 it was one of the things I noticed the most - how happy thechildren were playing outdoors with very little resources and not a lot ofadultsinterference. Froebel saw autonomy as a key part of a young child and their experience inkindergarten and that is what Iobserved the most in 2008 and again in 2023 - children wereconfident to try thingsfor themselves but the adults areskilled enough to know when tostep in to assist or extendlearning opportunities. We want our daughters to learn how to climb trees, because if you know how to climb, you don't fall. We want them to feel safe with it, because it's when you're scared that you fall."

Recently, I turned 60... and even more recently, I turned 62. That was a bastard, I don't even remember the 61. Whether or not we have dedicated summer and winter wardrobes, most of us adjust our clothing seasonally, and in accordance with the weather (particularly temperature and rainfall) we expect on a daily basis. Our morning decision of what to wear is of course also influenced by our planned activities, whether we’ll be spending the majority of our time outside, or in climate-controlled buildings. The best way to raise an eco-conscious child is to be an eco-conscious parent. Live by the principle of the three Rs--reduce, reuses, recycle--and involve your child in the process. Talk about how personal choices can impact the environment and look for opportunities to make a difference--for example, by volunteering for cleanup days at a nearby park, using public transit or riding your bike instead of taking the car, and shopping for organic, locally grown food." What a misery. This one isn’t about weather, but this person could ruin the sunniest of days with their grumpiness. 8. Du siehst aus wie ein begossener Pudel – You look like a watered poodle

June – drank tea at Mrs Pigots… walked on the green put on my great coat being very cold indeed, N by EIf There’s No Such Thing as Bad Weather doesn’t make you want to move to Scandinavia, it will at least make you pledge to bring more Scandinavian habits into your life. With abundant warmth and humor, and important research, Linda Akeson McGurk makes the case for getting your family out into nature, no matter the season, and shares invaluable tips for enjoying the benefits of outdoor play, even in the land of mall-walking, video games and relentless academic pressure.” Born and raised in Sweden with an ingrained appreciation for the outdoors, McGurk feels out of step with American culture when she tries to reproduce that childhood for her children in Indiana. Amusing interactions, such as one with a concerned motorist who passes her pushing her daughter in a stroller and walking her dog in midwinter, pepper the story….McGurk’s work will be encouraging to like-minded parents who feel American culture excessively emphasizes risk avoidance.” This isn’t an idiom, I know, but it is to do with the weather, and when the temperatures plummet it’s a good phrase to be familiar with. This statement is a weird flex you’ll find German-speaking people bringing to a conversation, even when you’re so cold you can’t feel your feet. Want to learn more?

Since so many people just seemed to be moving from one climate-controlled indoor environment to another, there was no need to dress for the elements, and I found that people often dressed as if they didn’t expect to go outside at all, not even putting on a coat in the dead of winter. In one of my columns for a Swedish newspaper, I wrote that, due to the way American society was designed, most people could probably get by with walking less than a thousand feet per day. Now I was starting to think that this was an overly generous estimate.

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I was so fortunate to have the opportunity to work in our partner kindergarten in Norway over the Easter break, it was the perfect chanceto spend time in the kindergarten without having to get cover for my own class while I was away. 4 of us in total took part in this job shadowing experience, 2 of us from N. Ireland and 2 from Croatia and as we all lived together for the 2 weeks it allowed for lots of discussions each afternoon and evening. Free education - especially when preschool is included - is an incredibly powerful tool for controlling a population. If this book is true, Sweden is a country of environmentalist, outdoorsy vegetarians because of their schooling. They did away with teaching math and reading in preschool and just teach environmentalism! But they are vegetarians because they believe it is better for the environment, not because they enjoy it or believe it is better for their own personal health. And they bike because it is better for the environment, not because they enjoy it or want the exercise. I support environmentalism to the extent that environmentalism supports healthy humans, but the idea that anyone ought to sacrifice their own health or happiness because someone told them that X is "good for the environment" is insane.