National Chilgok Forest Experience Center Operates Continuous "Forest" Education Program

"Forest, Forest, Growing Us"
Regular Forest Education for Infants
Realizing Integrated Education for Age 2

The National Chilgok Forest Experience Center, under the Korea Forest Welfare Institute (President Nam Taeheon) of the Korea Forest Service, announced on December 5 that the regular forest education program "Forest, Forest, Growing Us," targeting infants from one daycare center, was successfully completed with a total of 12 sessions from September to December.

This initiative was designed to support the sensory and ecological play-based development of infants in line with the integrated early childhood education policy (for age 2). The program was structured as a regular course (once a week for 12 weeks) to provide continuity in learning through play in a forest environment.

The program consisted of 12 detailed sessions, including "Nice to Meet You! Forest," "Let's Discover! Forest," and "The Seed Moves! Forest."

It was designed to help infants gradually adapt to the forest environment and expand their experiences with various ecological play activities.

In particular, activities such as "Family Invitation Day" expanded parental involvement and served as an opportunity to strengthen the foundation for cooperation among the Forest Experience Center, early childhood education institutions, and families.

At the National Chilgok Forest Experience Center, infants are participating in an activity where they touch fallen leaves with their hands, exploring the textures and sounds of the winter forest. Photo by Kim Ihwan

In addition, the Korean version of the Child Development Inventory (K-CDI) was administered to analyze the educational effectiveness of the program. Both pre- and post-assessments have been completed, and the results will be used to verify the program's effectiveness and to improve future operations.

The case study of this program will be shared through relevant portals and social media to support field application and expansion by forest education experts and early childhood education institutions.

The director of the National Chilgok Forest Experience Center stated, "Experiences of learning through play in nature from infancy are highly meaningful for holistic development and the cultivation of ecological sensitivity. We will continue to enhance accessibility and expertise in forest welfare and further expand forest education for infants and young children."