About Rikke Rosengren
Rikke Rosengren (born 1974) is a Danish kindergarten teacher and Waldorf educator of children (educated in Australia). She has been the manager and owner of the kindergarten ”Bonsai” in Denmark for the past 18 years. This is still her primary focus and the basis for her daily work.
Online education
Rikke has developed an online course about forest education: Forest and Nature Based Early Childhood Education. Inspiration from Scandinavia. It consists of 9 modules presented in 3,5 hours. Learn more and sign up here
As a supplement or if you prefer reading you may dig into her latest book: Child of Nature, which can be found as a paper book as well as an eBook.
Rikke gives lectures on the following educational issues
• The development of the child aged 1-7
• Cooperation with parents
• Stimulation of the sensory system
• Nature’s impact on the development of children
• The importance of risky play
• Play, imagination and creativity
• How media influences the emotions of the child
• Educational framework
• Creating relations between child and adult
• Management of educational environments
In terms of development and leadership Rikke focuses on how to create visions for the future and how to create a quality that is founded on common values, that are so concrete that they can be adapted in the everyday life and maintained over a longer period of time.
Rikke is the author/editor of several books: a book in English about nature and food; Pumpkin Soup and Cherry Bread (www.florisbooks.co.uk), a storytelling book in Danish (Barnets Eventyrperler) and a song book in Danish (Barnets Sangperler).
In autumn 2018 the newest book from Rikke regarding childrens’ relationship with nature – Child of Nature - was published. It is also published in Danish: Barnet i naturen.
Rikke is a member of The Danish Center for Educational Environments.
Rikke is now travelling to a lot of places around the world to give lectures about nature education and forest education.
The history of Bonsai
Bonsai is a private initiative started by Rikke Rosengren, when her first child was going to nursery. She decided to start up a little nursery group with an educational focus on rhythm and nature. That turned out to be a great success, and the waiting list grew rapidly; there was a great need for that specific kind of institution for children. Gradually the need for a kindergarten appeared, and Rikke and her husband established a nature kindergarten in the forest outside of Copenhagen and arranged for a bus to bring the children from the city to the forest every day. They chose the name ”Bonsai” – in Japanese it means ”little tree”.
During the past 18 years the teachers of Bonsai have developed an understanding of the need for natural stimulation of the senses for the little child. They have created methods of bringing nature inside and hereby creating educational environments through focusing on the ways in which nature influences the development of the child. The main goal is to create a health enhancing education:
How can we create a free space for children to develop according to their potential and hereby become healthy and strong human beings? By creating rhythm and limited frames in both nursery and kindergarten so that the children in a playful manner can develop themselves both physically, artistically and spiritually and learn how to be at peace with themselves.
Enrolled in Bonsais nursery and kindergarten groups are 120 children in total. The 3 nursery departments have 42 nursery children (ages 1-3) and 4 kindergarten groups with a total of 76 kindergarten children (ages 3-6).
Bio
1994-1997 Early childhood education, Parsifal college, Sydney Australia
1997-1999 Working with childhood education in Japan
1999-2000 Maternity leave with my first child
2000 - Initiative for developing the nursery group “Bonsai” for 16 children in Copenhagen
2001-2002 Maternity leave with my second child
2002 Started an early childhood forest school north of Copenhagen for 32 children, Bonsai
2004 Expanded the forest school to 4 kindergarten groups
2008 Opened two nursery groups in the same house as the forest school
2009-2011 Leadership, Management and Art Education at Marjatta College
2011 - Guest teacher at Marjatta College
2011 - Guest teacher in Waldorf education at the Waldorf Teacher Training College in Charlottenlund, Denmark
2012 Held courses in childcare, motor skills and child development
2014 Author of a vegetarian cookbook, translated by Floris books in 2015 - Pumpkin Soup and Cherry Bread
2015 Author of a Songbook – Barnets sangperler
2015 Visit to China to teach forest education
2016 Author of a storytelling book – Barnets eventyrperler
2018 Editor of the Danish translation of Rest, play and grow by Deborah MacNamara
2018 Visit to Los Angeles to teach at Santa Monica College on forest education
2018 Author of a book about children and nature, Child of Nature (Danish version: Barnet i naturen)
2016-2019 Diploma in management
Rikke teaches and gives seminars on all of these topics and provides both live and web seminars.
See Bonsai Institute for further information or contact Rikke here
Speak Activity
2018
• October, Santa Monica College, California, USA
• October, CalTech, California, USA
2019
• April 2019, Columbia Teachers College, New York, USA
2020
• February 2020, ECSTEM 2020, Pasadena, California, USA
• April 2020, JASWECE, Nordic Inspiration, Book Launch Event, Tokyo, Japan