One of the most common questions that I get by far and away is how people can come to Denmark to observe forest schools in action. Sometimes it is curious parents, but often, the questions come from other educators around the world – I think at this point I’ve gotten notes from the US, from Japan, from Italy, from all around Eastern Europe, from Australia…truly, I know people globally seem to be drawn to the notion of how these schools that are based in the outdoors really run in real life.
I get the questions often enough that soon I’d like to get a Q+A post (Update – post is done!) on the few typical ideas that I send people to, but the shorter version of the story is that often times, it’s not easy. Forest school educators are often busy, and feel strongly that their first priority and full attention must be devoted to the children (rightfully so), so they can be notoriously hard to get a hold of for coordinating visits. Which I know is always frustrating to those genuinely wanting to know more about what this all looks like and how to bring these concepts home to the countries that so badly could use an injection of fresh air in their early education systems.
Enter our friends from the NaturePlay film (remember the screening party?). As they’re quite connected from making of the movie, and well versed in the Nordic model, if you’re wanting to see the schools up close and personally (as well as log professional development hours as an educator), they are running four-day study tours in July 2018 in the Roskilde area outside of Copenhagen . *** Exciting Update! The NOME team is running customized study tours to Denmark and now Sweden as well – reach out to them with interest directly ****
Full disclosure, I have never been on such a study tour so I can’t vouch for the experience personally (i.e. this is not a review), but I wanted to spread the word on the information since it is such a popular question that people write in to the blog. It is often so hard to get a response from the schools themselves, that it’s wonderful to have a coordinated opportunity to see the schools in action.
The NaturePlay team is remarkably dedicated to outdoor learning as a form of pedagogy, and have always been warm and welcoming to me, so I have no doubt they will do the same for those on the tour.
Any interest in the program can be directed to NaturePlay directly – and all this talk of summer has reminded me that it’s time to start planning ours!
I’m hoping yesterday’s post on the Mon Island Chalk Cliffs (Mons Klint) got you inspired to take a little day trip! If Mon itself is on your list, here are a few things that we’ve learned about visiting during our time in Denmark.
When you arrive at the cliffs area, you’ll find parking by the Geo Center and then have a couple of ways to play the time that you spend in that area. Here are a few things to keep in mind if you’ll be visiting the cliffs at Mon, especially with little ones in tow.
Use the bathroom
Of all the situations to navigate, this is perhaps the most tricky and here’s why. It’s over 600 stairs down to the beach, through a series of zig zagged staircases, and then of course, you’re on an open stretch of beach that is actually quite narrow depending on the tide, and quite visible to other visitors; and then it’s another 600 stairs up. So bathrooms for toddlers and for changing little ones aren’t exactly plentiful or accessible. If you go in the summer on a nice day, crowds prevent some of the more nature-based options, leaving you a bit stuck if there is an unexpected situation. Make every effort to go before you head down or be prepared to get creative.
Ration your energy
Since we’ve gone a couple of times, we have done variations where we do the nature center first, and then cliffs, and then vice versa, and sometimes, just the cliffs. I haven’t found one way to be better than others. Instead, I have found that what to sequence first depends a bit on the mood and energy of my littles. When they fell asleep in the car once and needed time to wake up, we did the center first and then enjoyed the cliffs once the heat cooled off a bit. But we’ve also done it the other way around – short answer, it depends. The Nature Center isn’t open that late, but just see how things play out. Just keep in mind that the trek down and trek up can be tiring, and not just for the kids but also for you, especially if you are doing any extensive infant carrying or letting a smaller one hitch a ride on your back.
Visit the Nature Center/GeoCenter
While it’s not open year-round, if you are in season definitely make time for the Mons Klint GeoCenter and make more time that you think you need. It’s really an enjoyable visit and by the time you add in the activities like the erosion areas, or the little movie, or the panning for fossils, plus say a lunch of snack, it can really take up some time. It’s well done and the shop is also great for kids to pick out a little treat (like these dinosaur-themed binoculars!).
Pack the ergo
If you have little ones in tow, this wouldn’t really be a stroller friendly thing, with the stairs and all. That being said, little legs might not do all the stairs up and stairs down, so this is a good trip for the ergo. We always kept ours in the back of the car by default, but I was always glad I wore it down to the cliffs as one of the two littles inevitably needed to hitch a ride back up.
Pack a lunch
There are some lovely picnic areas in the woods before you head down to the cliffs. There is also a little cafe in the Geo Center/Nature Center but unlike most museum cafes, this one didn’t impress quite as much (though it’s fine for a snack and water – if you arrive on busy summer days, they might run out of lunch dishes as well). This is a good time to make like a Dane and bring your own madpakke suited to your own tastes. An ice cream at the cafe once you return up though is a welcome treat.
Bring water
Similar to above, if you visit during summer days, don’t forget a little extra water. Those stairs, especially if you are carrying kids, can really do a number on you. Plus, you’ll need any extra water to rinse off any chalk before getting it all over your car.
Be prepared for chalk!
Speaking of which, as you might suspect, chalk cliffs are full of chalk. The white, dusty, cling to you kind. It’s actually pretty cool – but it will get on your shoes, clothes, etc so don’t wear anything too precious or too dark-colored down there. Similarly, it’s natural chalk but behaves just like any other chalk so if you bring down a little bit of dark construction paper in your backpack, the kids can color a bit (although mine were happy just to draw on the huge rocks down there).
Have a few ziplock bags
If you’ve read here before, you know that I treat ziplock bags as a solution to nearly all my travel woes. But in this case, the bags make it easy to collect a few pieces of rock chalk to take back, or store any potentially found fossils (which you are allowed to scavenge for still down at the bottom of the cliffs).
Pack a windbreaker
You’ll be surprised at how windy it can get down at the bottom of the cliffs, especially if you are not visiting during summer time. Layers are key as the weather and temperature can change quickly, and if it is in any way off-season, a wind breaker or wind blocking coat (and a hat) will feel like lifesavers.
Be friendly on the trail
There are lots of feet headed up and down on those stairs. People pass each other by, stop for breaks, take a seat…We found that if we were friendly, we met all sorts of people, Danish and otherwise, who were traveling through to see the cliffs. Lots of children as well so don’t be shy about a bit of occasional small talk. It’s a welcome diversion from all the stairs and makes the climb go by quicker.
Drive around the island
Unless people are staying on Mon Island, many will come to see the cliffs and leave immediately afterwards. But the island itself is really quite calm and beautiful. As mentioned yesterday, with any luck, your kids will be exhausted after the walks and explorations, so I found that while they wound down or dozed off, I really enjoyed a little drive on the island. Mon is full of traditional houses and open fields – parts of it reminded me of the wide open spaces of North Dakota and I guess to some extent, it felt a bit like home. Don’t forget to take some of that in.
Springtime seems to be slow to arrive this year in Washington and yet, I’m getting the itch for some sunshine laden day trips. I almost have to think a bit what’s in the area, especially as this time last year, I was on a day trip frenzy. We were soaking up what we could of Denmark with the kids before our departure. And rising to the top of the list, even after all this time and multiple visits, were the chalky cliffs of Mon. (pronounce: Muuuuun).
Mon is such a good day trip from Copenhagen because it’s got a perfect mix of things : not too far, kid friendly, super cool scenery, great nature center…
Speaking of which, if you can time your visit with the Nature Center (or geo center), it’s absolutely worth the trip. It opens for the year right around this time in March (check the schedule for details). You can still absolutely visit in the winter time (we have! bundle up!) but then it really is just for the brisk walk along the cliffs. Once the weather turns a bit milder, the Geo Center (nature center) has tons of interactive exhibits for children to learn about the rocks and formations and the history behind that chalky precipice that keeps falling into the ocean. From what I recall, most of the exhibits and language are in Danish but that didn’t stop us from learning a ton and guides are happy to translate as needed.
Part of the whole fun of course is taking the stairs all the way (and I mean all the way, there are over 600 of them I think) down to the ocean to get a closer look at the cliffs and collect plenty of chalk rock (and look for fossils!). Take it from me, this keeps kids entertained for hours. The only things that will drive them off this beach are high winds and hunger, and you’re likely to witness both.
Equally as beautiful though are the forest walkways and the wooded path down, before you actually get to the beach. It’s amazing how twisted and craggy all the trees get from the sheer force of the wind – and if you visit in the wintertime, you won’t have any questions as to why.
In the summertime though, the wooded areas provide a bit of shade and a bit of cool breeze – particularly welcome once you start taking the over 600 stairs all the way up!
I’ll be back tomorrow with some specific tips on visiting the cliff areas with kids, based on what we learned over our few visits. But in the meantime, I’ll leave you with a few last pics of our drives around the island. If you play your cards right, the nature center plus hike down and up to the cliffs will leave your little ones completely exhausted. Which means that sometimes, the best part of a day trip is the quiet exploratory drive home!
While we were in the fjords, I learned that “cruising” gives you lots of pockets of time to read some of those books that you’ve been saving around for the pockets of time you don’t normally get. One of those that I finally got to was The Year of Living Danishly by Helen Russell. While she wrote most before she actually had children, there are definitely some good bits about what it’s like to have, raise and educate children here in Denmark. And also, her observation about being a toddler here? Spot on.
While we were in the fjords, I learned that “cruising” gives you lots of pockets of time to read some of those books that you’ve been saving around for the pockets of time you don’t normally get. One of those that I finally got to was 
by Helen Russell. While she wrote most before she actually had children, there are definitely some good bits about what it’s like to have, raise and educate children here in Denmark. And also, her observation about being a toddler here? Spot on.