On the 10th August I arrived in Copenhagan at 12:30pm. Most of the afternoon was spent travelling to Aarhus, and checking over the locations of the various projects that were planned for visits. I arrived in Aarhus at approximately 6:00pm, and after a stroll and some food, tried to get some sleep for my busy day ahead!

On Tuesday 11th August, at 8:30am I arrived at Børnehaven Ajstrup Gl. Skole (child’s garden) which was a kindergarten for Danish children aged 3 to 6 years. The meeting place was in Aarhus, where parents dropped off their children. Some children played, and some had breakfast. The parents were welcome to have coffee and have a chat, and the staff were so  friendly. It was a welcoming social space. This provision makes space for 120 children in total. Three buses were scheduled to arrive at 8:00am, 9:00am and10:00am to take the children and the staff to Ajstrup – 17km away.

Children playing in the garden (Courtesy Ajstrup website)

After my short visit to the meeting place and upon sitting on the bus, I felt overwhelmed at how fantastic this provision felt already – but it doesn’t end there! Upon arriving at Ajstrup, we were greeted by Christian who gave us a history of the provision, and he showed us around the outdoor area. There were chickens, rabbits, and horses. The children helped clean and care for the animals. The children were surrounded by nature, and had the day to be in their own space, do their own thing and play in their own way. The children were happy, ran around freely, and could access whatever part of the outdoors they wished to; a large sand area with a tap nearby for mixing, a garden with berries and herbs, wooden houses and huts, trees to climb, rocks to sit on, wooden structures to explore and play with. These are just some examples of the endless open ended play opportunities at Ajstrup.

Lunchtime was a fantastic social occasion. I was able to eat with the children and the staff. The children decided when it was time to eat, and could do anytime from 11:30am until 1:00pm. The staff carefully monitored this so they knew which children needed to eat. Lunchtime was freely in a variety of open spaces and children came naturally together with friends and the staff, ate, chat  and then ran off to play again!

Children in the sandpits (photo courtesy Ajstrup website)

Afternoon observations included a boy digging in mud with a spade, barefooted covered in mud, but totally engrossed in his play. Two girls were transporting soil in wellington boots, near to to a puddle of water on a piece of plastic. They made a pile of soil, paddled in the puddle and stepped in the soil pile to make muddy feet! They laughed and giggled, stepped in the puddle to wash it off, and started the game again!

The buses arrived to take the children back to the meeting place at 2:30pm and 3:30pm. I got the bus back to Aarhus at 3:30pm, and felt drained by the amount of informaton I had taken in, yet excited and inspired by what I had seen and explored.

I watched my slide show of around 150 photographs in the evening,  and again was overwhelmed by the positive experiences, independence, and confidence that the children were given by play opportunities outdoors with nature.

My day at  Børnehaven Ajstrup Gl. Skole was amazing. My thanks to the staff and the children, who made me feel so welcome.