The Scandinavian and European approaches to teaching in forest schools is pedagogically diverse (Buchan 2015; Norðdahl & Jóhannesson 2015). For example, some countries follow prescriptive forest school practices that include specific and tailored teacher training, whereas others have few formalised pedagogical practices (Leather 2018; Waite & Goodenough 2018). In Australia, there is a tradition of learning in the outdoors and forest schools have been influential in the development of Australian nature kindergartens, often known as bush kinders (Christiansen et al. 2018). This type of early years’ outdoor learning gained momentum, predominantly stemming from one pilot bush kinder that began in 2011 in a major metropolitan city. Since then, bush kinder programs have rapidly increased in their number and popularity. As bush kinders in Australia continue to proliferate, our research into bush kinders has found that there are a range of pedagogical approaches that guides teachers’ practice with nature pedagogy. Important to this in Australia is the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) document (DEEWR, 2009) which provides a broad perspective on the benefits that learning in the outdoors has for children.

Bush kinder approaches and structures are emergent, depending on factors such as context, staffing and policy development. As this study illustrates, guidance provided to educators and bush kinder teaching approaches are not necessarily a focus in initial teacher education courses. Professional learning specifically for bush kinders is only just developing suggesting that experienced teachers are reliant on their own knowledge and experience of teaching in the outdoors (Campbell & Speldewinde 2018). This is important because the bush kinder context is one that presents a range of challenges that differ from the traditional classroom environment. Limited teacher education in this area provides early childhood professionals with a predicament as they determine their pedagogical approach without the backing of empirical research. There is growing but limited scholarship that often speaks to contexts that differ significantly from those that the individual teacher experience. This creates the dilemma of what is appropriate pedagogically for bush kinders.  Our fieldwork led us to consider the research question: How does STEM teaching and learning occur in nature-based settings such as a bush kinder?

The fieldwork observations associated with this research project drew our attention to the different pedagogical approaches used by the teachers we observed.  The ethnographic research method drawn on for this study (Speldewinde, 2022a), is one that allows for an emergent research design, drawing on the work from Stan and Humberstone (2011). We were able to focus our investigation of the field sites to the way educators were approaching teaching STEM in the bush kinder context (Speldewinde, 2022) and the types of pedagogical approaches educators were applying. This presentation examines those different pedagogical approaches in bush kinders using an ethnographic lens of how pedagogy translates into STEM teaching and learning practice in this early years learning context. Ethnography was valuable here because it enabled us to observe bush kinder teacher behaviour as it occurred (Speldewinde, 2022a). This is important as bush kinder pedagogies are currently evolving with more and more sites proliferating. Ethnography also allowed us to consider the potential and opportunities for bush kinder teaching as we were not limited to one ongoing event, but rather many events occurring simultaneously. As this was the case, we employed a number of ethnographic methods to gather data, which included listening, watching, and participating. ‘Being with people as they conducted their everyday duties’ both regularly and fleetingly (Forsey 2010, p. 569) lent itself to us considering ethnography as an appropriate methodology.

The study used ethnography, which is suited to research in bush kinder settings, as the field site is open and requires the researcher to be mobile (Speldewinde, 2022a). The researcher cannot be limited to only video recording or interviewing as there are a range of events and activities occurring simultaneously across an open space where children are free to move about. Ethnography is a methodology that uses ‘a particular set of methods (a toolkit)’ which includes interviewing and video recording as well as participating and listening (Madden, 2017). Our methodological toolkit we used in the study included a range of research methods including participant observation of teachers and children, listening to conversations between teachers, between children and between children and teacher. At times, we were drawn into these conversations as participant observers (Speldewinde, 2022a). We also were able to conduct semi-structured interviews, informal discussions, and capture images using photographic and video capture of play and teaching moments. The range of data allowed us to interrogate the teacher pedagogy. We regularly visited the site over three distinct periods of fieldwork, firstly in 2015 then again in 2017 and 2020. These weekly visits took place over a two-to-three hour duration for three different five-week blocks in both 2015 and 2017. In 2020, we returned to interview the educators and discuss how bush kinder pedagogy had developed further. These data collection visits allowed us to engage with the teachers and understand what was happening over time. It gave us a broader understanding of events, rather than a one-off snapshot of the site and teachers. The fieldwork associated with this research project took place at four bush kinder sites in south-eastern Australia. The sites were selected due to their close proximity to each other. Chatlock bush kinder, was characterised by its limited area for play. Wickelsham bush kinder, was an open rectangular paddock with a strand of cypress trees. Sunrise bush kinder was larger and had a mix of grassed areas, large trees suitable for climbing, exploring and hiding. Whitesands often took place at a beach site. STEM teaching and learning data is analysed using Forbes et al. (2021) consideration of STEM teaching and learning in primary school settings and Weidel-Lubinski’s (2019) work on science in early childhood. The teachers’ pedagogy is analysed using Edwards’ (2017, p.4) Pedagogical Play Framework and view of play-based learning.

We observed early childhood educators being successful in their STEM teaching and learning endeavours in the bush kinder. Each educator took a very different approach to children’s learning and teaching. Even though each approach was beneficial for children’s learning and teaching, we were left to ponder whether there should be a specific pedagogical approach to STEM teaching and learning in a bush kinder? Although we do not consider this is necessary at this point in time, we do acknowledge that it would be beneficial for teachers to better understand the contextual limitations and possibilities afforded when teaching in and about nature with preschool children. Our research observations indicate that there is no right way to adopt a pedagogical approach when it comes to STEM teaching in bush kinders. What is important is for teachers to be cognisant of their practice. They need to adjust their practice from their everyday, regular kindergarten pedagogy to a different pedagogy more suited to the outdoor context and to focus on applying a clear process when supporting children’s STEM learning in bush kinders. Teachers also need to understand the affordances that outdoor nature spaces provide for early years learning while being aware that children’s learning can be dependent upon what a teacher is aiming to achieve through being in an outdoor bush kinder context. Going forward, the opportunity exists for further research particularly as bush and nature kindergartens are proliferating. The variations between sites and teachers offers the prospects for further insights into pedagogical approaches to STEM teaching and learning. Because of this relatively new context in Australia, the impact on children’s affinity with nature and their own learning across a range of learning disciplines such as science, mathematics, art and literacy all have the potential to be further explored.

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