Despite having a bit of a break these last few months on the blog, readers have been great about coming back to posts and keeping us virtual company, so to speak. While January is typically the time you would do year in review roundups, I’m going to call better late than never on this one. If nothing else, just to see how much we’ve all grown. 
And as always, a huge thank you to those who read along, who take time to comment and write notes and letters, and of course, to those who support the mission of forest schools and outdoor education for children – this blog wouldn’t be possible with your support.
Here were the top posts of 2016!
7 Questions to Ask When Considering Forest Schools
When we first considered a forest school, we didn’t know much about them and there wasn’t all that much information out there. They’re a completely different take on primary education, and I would choose them all over again if I could. That being said, if you’re thinking about a forest school, here’s a quick list of things to know and keep in mind as you decide if it’s a good fit for you.
6 Reasons I’m Worried About Returning to U.S. Schools
Man, returning back to the US caused a lot of angst for us all. Not because we don’t love home, but we also loved our new home and grew quite attached to our way of life in Denmark. I had been away for three years and didn’t know all that much about US schools, save for what I would read in the papers and headlines have a way of bringing out the worst. As reported in our update, we’ve had a great experience in our public school here in DC, but in advance of the transition, there was a lot that was keeping me up at night, making me wonder if I could make the best decision. Turns out this list resonated with a lot of others too.
How I stopped Being an Outsider in My Child’s Danish School
One of the hardest things about moving to Denmark is that for a long time, you will feel like an outsider. More so than in many other places that we have lived. I was able to reflect on our three years there and figure out what helped me actually cross over to feeling part of the community, which I hoped could be helpful to this coming to Denmark either temporarily or permanently.
Q+A: How Do I Enroll My Child In a Danish Forest School?
This was a mother of a logistics post that took forever to write, but made me so happy as I got a ton of mail and notes about this one from a number of people saying it helped to demystify the process of getting in on the forest school game! For people who are from Denmark, they seem to know just fine how everything works, but a little process map doesn’t hurt if you’re coming into this from the outside and for the first time.
This one turned out to be a surprise for some people – we’re huge proponents of the forest school system but we still make room for technology. This article shared a bit of the parameters within which we allow that to happen and why I don’t feel guilty about it.
Q+A: Where Do They Go To The Bathroom?
You know toddlers love to talk about the bathroom but did you know adults do too? The number one question we always got about forest school is where they go to the bathroom so this post reveals all the secrets. Hint, there is also a part two and it involves a bucket.
By far one of the coolest playgrounds we’ve ever seen and I wish more cities would build places like these. If you’re visiting Copenhagen, this playground is a bit of a trek but a magical experience for kids and a great place to picnic.
Helsingor was a favorite day trip of ours year round and there are great ways to fill day winter, rainy days as well as the summer days full of sunshine. This was a list of some of our favorite spots that were in regular rotation.
Q+A: How Can We Get a Speech Therapist in our Danish School?
This was another big logistics post but one of the greatest opportunities for my daughter’s development in Denmark was that the school assigned her a speech therapist (despite not actually having a speech impediment). To this day, I think access to this therapy and safe space to practice language has a lot to do with her diligence in diction in both languages. A lot of people wrote in asking for help in navigating towards this resource so I actually went out to several therapists to ask their tips for securing speech therapy in the Danish system.
Because everyone loves a round-up – one of the most popular posts of last year was the one corralling the most popular posts of the year before! Happy reading!