First let’s take a look at the Norwegian curriculum, following it step by step and focusing on outdoor activities and traditions.

At level 4 the curriculum is focused on overall competence aims are basic motorial skills like: Walking, jumping and balancing. In this phace they will learn how they can safely interact with their environment. Already you can see that nature is part of the environment of the children and that the schools will teach them skills concerning how they should coop with this. I was actually quit impressed to see that these young children are already given good education about ethics in nature. For me this feels like scouting, the way I experienced it, is integrated into the school system. As a child scouting always meant a lot to me and my learning. I always thought that it would be good for everybody to be a part of scouting. So for me it is really nice to see that something that can be compared to my education in scouting back home is integrated in the schoolsystem in Norway.

At level 7 they start with explaining friluftsliv. They are starting to talk about outdoor traditions, orientation using maps and camping activities. In the Netherlands the children would have learned about the differences between the season’s and which changes this brings. And if they were lucky they will have done a trip to a farm where they can learn about the new environment and experience sleeping somewhere else. I think this will be closest thing to camping, with school, that the children in the Netherlands will have had at this age.

In the Dutch curriculum there is an learning outcome that says that children have to be respectful towards nature and that they should have learned about different plants and animals and their behavior in their environment. even though it says these nice things in the curriculum I don’t have the feeling that it’s really been thought to the kids. When I go to primary schools in the Netherlands I always see their program and it’s never flexible. There is no place in their program to go out a day or visit the forest. even though it says so in our curriculum I don’t have the feeling that the little but beautiful nature the Netherlands got left has a place in our education program. At least I didn’t experienced it.

At level 10 the Norwegian curriculum is starting to focus on the individual friluftsliv future. They start to learn how plan and execute outdoor trips, how to safe one and other, first aid techniques and what they can and can’t do by law. In scouting I did learn all these things but not in school. But then off course the laws are very different concerning enjoying the outdoors. This is something that can be understood because there is not that much space in the Netherlands to enjoy ‘Friluftsliv’. The Netherlands inhabits 16 million people with 1259 people living in each square km. Norway inhabits 5 million people with 39 people living in each square km.
Because Vg1, Vg2 and Vg3 are so close together I will talk about these three years together.

In the Netherlands the students would get the change do a trip of choice (visit London, Berlin, sailing or outdoor activities in the Ardennes). And the school will probably give the students a change to go climbing or canoeing. So it’s very different with the curriculum in Norway. By now the Norwegian students will be able to practice outdoor life in different natural environments based on local traditions, use nature for recreation, training and outdoor life. In their last year they will even be able to plan, carry out and asses trips in the countryside with map and compass as aids, and elaborate on other ways of getting one’s bearing.
So basically the Norwegian student will be able to go out and enjoy nature in a respectful manner.

Concluding notes:
– The curriculum in the Netherlands does not or negligible mention nature life or friluftsliv.
– The Dutch people don’t get in touch with their natural environment on a daily/weekly bases because of bigger population, less space and small amounts of nature
– The curriculum in Norway is still in touch with their strong roots in their natural environment.
– The Norwegian people in general will encounter nature on a daily bases.