The educational culture in Denmark, Esbjerg

In Denmark the educational system proposes that the role of education and the
educational community should provide situations through which children feel
the need to act. The Common Sense Pedagogy by Célestin Freinet (1996)
recognize the child as the center of education, that learns through thoughts and
practice, leading to an Active Education, where learning derives from a
stimulating environment. The Nature and the Playing are some of the main
concepts in the Denmark education.

In the outdoor students can express themselves freely, make discoveries, put
their common sense of cooperation into practice and reflect on their
individual and collective activities.

The importance of playing in the social, emotional and cognitive
development of the child is undeniable. It is important to emphasize that
play is not just a form of fun and pleasure for the child, but it is a privileged
way to express their feelings and learn. Through play, the child explores and
reflects about the reality and culture in which it is inserted.
Playing is a safe way for children to stage their fears, their anguish and their
aggression, and to try to work out and resolve their internal conflicts. Another
important aspect of play is the development of reasoning, attention,
imagination and creativity, as the games bring new language. Playing have
an equally important role in the socialization of the child, enabling him to
learn to share, cooperate, communicate and relate, developing the notion of
respect for himself and for the other, as well as his self-image and selfesteem.

If we can complement the playing with the Nature, the children will be
stimulated to the curiosiy. They want to investigate and to know the interior
of things. In the sand the children are like architects. They can be excellent
chefs in the preparation of delicious cookies and food beautifully decorated
with leaves and flowers. With the fire they have fascination, respect and fear
at the same time. In front of a fire, the children are enchanted with the dance
of the flames, with the crack of the woods and when throwing things in the
flames. The magic of Nature is that without structured form and definite
function, they allow infinite possibilities.

Observing the processes of life, death, construction and deconstruction is an
elemental for integral development and personal empowerment. We
become fragile when we do not know the world, when we have never seen
someone dealing with a situation, when we do not know the processes.

By Marta Morgado. Finding the right path to the education (2019)