Denklingen - Playing, learning, doing handicrafts and singing are all the rage - just like in a normal day care center.
But to do this, the teachers are almost always outdoors with the boys and girls: The BRK forest kindergarten near Denklingen has now started operations under the direction of Jana Koch.
"We currently have five forest kindergartens in the Landsberg district," informs Anna Diem from the district office.
The first to open was the nature kindergarten in Dießen in 2004. This was followed by the forest kindergartens in Kaufering (2005) and Eresing (2007).
And this year the new facilities in Utting and Denklingen have been added.
The Bavarian Red Cross in the Landsberg district has been running day-care centers on behalf of the city and municipalities since 1990.
There are nine facilities for children between the ages of one and twelve, as Julia Rother from the BRK office lists.
These are located in Landsberg, Lengenfeld, Hofstetten, Thaining, Schwabhausen, Weil, Scheuring, Prittriching and in Denklingen, where the day care center in the middle of the village was sponsored in January 2020.
The new forest kindergarten at Ziegelstadel is an independent facility and not part of the regular day care center in Denklingen.
Jana Koch was won over as head.
Like her colleague Heike Bahr, she has ten years of experience in the forest kindergarten.
Nanny Nicole Herrmann completes the team.
The first few days there were five boys and girls, in the course of the first few weeks the group is to be increased to twelve children.
From 2022 there can be up to 18 boys and girls.
There are currently three places available in the forest group.
If you are interested, parents can contact Jana Koch on 0160/9771 9062.
Nothing can be seen of the gray and white container that was placed in the community forest in Denklingen near the corridor boundary.
It has been paneled with wood on the outside to match the surroundings.
In addition, a second door has been installed, which leads directly to the shelter on the west side, which was designed entirely with wood.
95 percent of the three specialists want to be outside with the children, as Jana Koch looks ahead.
Only in really bad weather, such as persistent frost, heavy rain, storms or thunderstorms, can you use the heated hut that has been set up for the needs of the children.
Jana Koch and her two teammates Heike Bahr and Nicole Herrmann are happy about the many possibilities of educational work in the forest: “The children can test their limits at their own pace, gain courage and gain self-confidence.
The children gain serenity and concentration through the wide space, the peace and the experience of nature in the annual cycle, ”says Koch.
On the first two days, the teachers went a little way into the forest with the boys and girls.
There is no need for toys, and no corridors are cut.
Rather, they built a teepee together, erected a bridge, served a soup with pine cones and in their imagination put a snoring sloth on a branch to sleep.
Under the front of the hut, the specialists hold the morning circle with the children after arrival;
before they can be picked up again at 1 or 2 p.m., everyone gathers for the closing group;
they sit on cut tree trunks.
The mascots are the fluffy bear Finn and the raven Rudi, for whom a small house has already been prepared in front of the hut.
The first impressions are absolutely “positive”, says a mother from Denklingen when she picks up her son after the second day.
Another woman standing by nods in agreement.
Danger spot
Parents can easily reach the forest kindergarten by bike.
You cycle just one kilometer from the center of Denklingen.
It is also possible to come by car - in case the weather is bad again.
However, there is a danger point on the way to the parking lot behind the hut.
This means the junction with the cycle path from Denklingen to Leeder.
Its route has a steep gradient south of the intersection with the path into the forest.
Only last Thursday morning, a cyclist who was brought to the hospital by ambulance by Red Cross helpers fell on this section.
However, this danger point should be defused.
One variant is to make fixtures or to put up signs on the hilltop in front of the downhill section.
That is the responsibility of the municipality, which has already bought the hut with the porch for the forest kindergarten and graveled up the area.