Nature First combines the Scandinavian approach to creating a relationship with nature (known as friluftsliv) with efforts by Canadian and international educators to adapt this wisdom and apply it to everyday life experiences in the open air. The word friluftsliv literally refers to "free-air life" or outdoor life. A word saturated with values, the concept can permeate deeply and playfully into ones cultural being and personal psyche, thus influencing the way one perceives and interacts with nature on a daily basis.
For centuries, the North American approach has been one of domination and bringing nature under control, in many cases abusing our natural environment in the process. The friluftsliv way of being on "talking terms with nature," developing an "insider’s" relationship with nature, offers the rich potential of allowing us as cohabiters on the Earth to recreate, rejuvenate and restore the balance among all living things.
Nature First is the first English-language anthology to bring together the perspectives and experiences of North American, Norwegian, Swedish and other international outdoor writers, all friluftsliv thinkers and doers. Here, the thirty contributors’ use of history, sociology, psychology, philosophy and outdoor education writings blend to provide an understanding of how friluftsliv applies to everyday life.
The book presents an alternative to much of the personal growth/adventure-based literature that tends to dominate our current approach to the outdoor activity. Folklore, heritage, adventure travel, crafts, place-based education and the daily outings of families all have a role to play in promoting an understanding of both the ordinary and the mystical importance of this Nordic tradition. Dedicated to parents, travel guides, educators and generally to participants in the outdoors, Nature First provides a compellingly fresh approach to life in the out-of-doors.
Authors
- Bibliography, etc. Note
- Includes bibliographical references and index
- Control Number Identifier
- CaOOCEL
- Dewey Decimal Classification Number
- 304.2
- Dewey Decimal Edition Number
- 22
- General Note
- Originally published: Toronto [Ont.] : Natural Heritage Books, c2007 Issued as part of the desLibris books collection
- ISBN
- 9781554882403 9781897045213
- LCCN
- GV191.6
- LCCN Item number
- N375 2007eb
- Modifying agency
- CaBNVSL
- Original cataloging agency
- CaBNVSL
- Physical Description | Extent
- 1 electronic text (xiv, 321 p.)
- Published in
- Canada
- Publisher or Distributor Number
- CaOOCEL
- Rights
- Access restricted to authorized users and institutions
- System Control Number
- (CaBNVSL)thg00603244 (OCoLC)288134555 (CaOOCEL)410810
- System Details Note
- Mode of access: World Wide Web
- Transcribing agency
- CaBNVSL
Table of Contents
- Table of Contents 4
- Acknowledgements 8
- Preface: Is a Tree Transplanted to Another Continent the Same Tree? Some Reflections on Friluftsliv in an International Context 9
- INTRODUCTION 16
- A Canadian Meets Friluftsliv 18
- Feet on Two Continents: Spanning the Atlantic with Friluftsliv? 23
- PART I: SCANDINAVIAN 36
- 1. Norwegian Friluftsliv: A Lifelong Communal Process 38
- 2. Friluftsliv as Slow Experiences in a Post-modern "Experience" Society 52
- 3. Deserving the Peak:When Norwegian Friluftsliv Meets the World 62
- 4. Defining Friluftsliv 71
- 5. What is Friluftsliv Good For? Norwegian Friluftsliv in a Historical Perspective 77
- 6. Norwegians and Friluftsliv: Are We Unique? 90
- 7. The Ash-Lad: Classical Figure of Norwegian Ecophilosophy 98
- 8. The Right of Public Access: The Landscape Perspective of Friluftsliv 105
- 9. The Value and Necessity of Tumbling and Fumbling 115
- 10. How Modern Friluftsliv Started: Fridtjof Nansen, Instigator and Model 119
- 11. Nature Guidance and Guidance in Friluftsliv 129
- 12. Friluftsliv with Preschool Children 136
- 13. The "Oslomarka" Greenbelt: Protection and Use in Friluftsliv 145
- PART II: CANADIAN 154
- 14. An Effort to Capture an Elusive Friluftsliv 156
- 15. Dwelling Where I Teach: Connections with Friluftsliv 167
- 16. Duct Tape and Rabbit Wire: Getting by in the Big Land 177
- 17. Embracing Friluftsliv's Joys: Teaching the Canadian North Through the Canadian Wilderness Travel Experience 183
- 18. The Role of Craft-Making in Friluftsliv 194
- 19. Friluftsliv Transplanted: The Norwegian Immigrant Experience in Alberta 202
- PART III: INTERNATIONAL 210
- 20. The Czech Outdoor Experience: Turistika and Connections to Friluftsliv 212
- 21. Friluftsliv and America 224
- 22. From Tomte Wisdom to Friluftsliv: Scandinavian Perspectives of Nature 236
- 23. Experience of Place: Lessons on Teaching Cultural Attachment to Place 250
- 24. Landfullness in Adventure-Based Programming: Promoting Reconnection to the Land 261
- 25. Why Outdoor Learning Should Get Real 272
- Notes 291
- Bibliography 315
- Index 318
- A 318
- B 318
- C 318
- D 319
- E 319
- F 319
- G 319
- H 319
- I 320
- J 320
- K 320
- L 320
- M 320
- N 320
- O 321
- P 321
- R 321
- S 321
- T 322
- U 322
- V 322
- About the Contributors 323
- Visuals 331
- About the Editors 335
