Greening of daycare yards with biodiverse materials affords well-being, play and environmental relationships

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health Article Greening of Daycare Yards with Biodiverse Materials Affords Well-Being, Play and Environmental Relationships Riikka Puhakka 1,* , Outi Rantala 2, Marja I. Roslund 1, Juho Rajaniemi 3, Olli H. Laitinen 4, Aki Sinkkonen 1and the ADELE Research Group † 1Ecosystems and Environment Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Niemenkatu 73, FIN-15140 Lahti, Finland 2Multidimensional Tourism Institute, University of Lapland, Viirinkankaantie 1, FIN-96300 Rovaniemi, Finland 3Faculty of Built Environment, Tampere University, Korkeakoulunkatu 5, FIN-33014 Tampere, Finland 4Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Arvo Ylpön katu 34, FIN-33520 Tampere, Finland *Correspondence: [email protected] † The ADELE research group: Mira Grönroos, Nan Hui, Olli H. Laitinen, Raul Kalvo, Noora Nurminen, Sami Oikarinen, Anirudra Parajuli, Riikka Puhakka, Marja I. Roslund, Laura Soininen, Heli K. Vari, Guoyong Yan, Juho Rajaniemi, Heikki Hyöty, Aki Sinkkonen. Received: 27 June 2019; Accepted: 13 August 2019; Published: 16 August 2019   Abstract: Nature contacts are recognized as positively contributing to humans’ health and well-being. Although there have been projects to green daycare or schoolyards, yard greening and microbial biodiversity have never been studied simultaneously. We asked whether simultaneously increasing biodiversity exposure and greening urban daycare yards affects 3–5 years-old children’s physical activity and play, their environmental relationships, and their perceived well-being. For transforming six daycare yards in Finland, we used a forest floor with high biodiversity, sod, peat blocks, and planters for vegetable and flower growing. We used qualitative interview and survey-based data collected from the daycare personnel and parents to analyze how green yards encourage children’s engagement with their everyday life-worlds. We identified the functional possibilities provided by the yards and the dynamic aspects related to the greening. Green, biodiverse yards were considered safe, and inspired children’s play, diversified their activities, and increased physical activity. The greenery offered embodied experiences of nature and provided the children with multi-sensory exploration and diverse learning situations. The dynamic and emotional ways of engaging with the natural environment increased their well-being. The activities related to caring for the yards and exploring them promoted the development of environmental relationships. The results can be used for designing health-enhancing yards Keywords: affordance; children; well-being; physical activity; environmental relationship; green space; biodiversity 1. Introduction In urbanized societies, children’s opportunities to connect with nature in everyday life have diminished as the number of natural areas has decreased, and the level of children’s independent mobility has declined [ 1 , 2 ]. While acknowledging the inextricable links between human health and the health of natural systems [ 3 ], contact with nature is recognized as positively contributing to children’s and adults’ psychological, physiological and social well-being and health [ 4 – 6 ]. For instance, Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019,16, 2948; doi:10.3390/ijerph16162948 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019,16, 2948 2 of 16 interacting with nature increases self-esteem and mood and has positive effects on emotions and behavior. Natural areas are restorative and contribute to attentional recovery and the reduction of mental fatigue [ 7 – 9 ]. Exposure to nature has positive effects on both adults’ and children’s concentration, academic performance, and the ability to perform mentally challenging tasks [ 10 – 12 ]. In terms of physiological benefits, studies conducted among adults and children show that contacts with nature alleviate the negative effects of various stressors in urban environments [ 12 , 13 ], and natural settings activate people to move [ 14 ]. Physical activity benefits not only mental and physical health, but also general child development, because movement stimulates brain development [15]. Furthermore, exposure to greenness in early childhood is associated with benefits to the immune system and health [ 16 ]. Contact with diverse environmental microbiota affects the human commensal microbiota and drives effective functioning of the immune system that persists into adulthood. Decreased biodiversity, due to high hygiene levels and modern urban lifestyles, may result in imbalanced human microbiota and a higher risk of immune-mediated diseases, such as allergies, asthma and Type 1 diabetes [ 17 , 18 ]. Recent evidence also suggests that gut microbiota might play a potential role in mental health through neurotransmission pathways [19]. In urbanized societies, school or daycare grounds can be one of the primary opportunities for children’s contact with nature and highly important for their social, emotional, physical and cognitive development [ 20 , 21 ]. The umbrella term ‘greening’ is used to include a range of changes, including naturalization, habitat restoration, tree planting, food gardening, and similar efforts to bring nature back to urban space [22]. The benefits of green school or daycare yards include increased play opportunities and more creative, unorganized ‘free’ play [ 23 – 26 ], which is more inclusive for children of different sexes, ages and competences than play in barren settings [ 22 , 27 – 29 ]. Green yards have been found to enhance relationships with the natural world and heighten environmental concern [ 24 , 30 ]. Green yards have enhanced children’s attentiveness [ 31 – 33 ], increased learning opportunities, and improved children’s student performance [ 34 , 35 ]. Furthermore, green yards have promoted children’s physical activity [ 29 , 36 , 37 ] and motor development [ 38 ], and enhanced physical and mental health [ 31 , 39 ]. Green yards have been associated with reduced physiological stress levels, higher self-reported psychological well-being [ 40 ] and restorativeness [ 41 ], as well as with healthier body shape and longer night sleep [ 42 ]. Despite intensive research, yard greening and microbial biodiversity have never been studied simultaneously although having hands in the soil and playing with biodiverse materials presumably increases children’s contact with diverse environmental microbiota, diversifies their skin microbiota and may benefit health [43–45]. In this study, we examined whether simultaneously increasing biodiversity exposure and greening daycare yards is perceived to affect 3–5 years-old children’s physical activity and play, their environmental relationships, and their well-being in the urban environment in Finland. We applied the concept of ‘affordance’ [ 46 ] to analyze how green yards encourage children’s engagement with their everyday life-worlds and enhance well-being in daycare centers. We were also interested in how direct engagement with green yards may provide experiences that support the development of a dynamic relationship between children and their surroundings. 2. Materials and Methods 2.1. Theoretical Framework James J. Gibson’s [ 46 ] concept of affordance has been applied in diverse ways in studies of children’s outdoor play in natural environments [ 27 , 47 – 50 ]. Basically, the concept points to the material possibilities and restrictions emerging from the environment, which are perceived as functionally meaningful units—for instance, as surfaces to be climbed or objects to be lifted [ 46 , 48 ]. In the ontology and epistemology of the concept of affordance, the immediate interaction between the environment and the perceiver is central: Affordances exist in relation to the perceiver, but cannot be constructed Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019,16, 2948 3 of 16 subjectively by the perceiver [ 46 ]. Furthermore, theoretical tension has existed between those who see affordances as available resources and those who see them as relational [ 51 ]. Recent studies on children’s outdoor play have highlighted that it is important not to concentrate more on the characteristics of an environment than on those of children [47]. In the relational tradition of applying the concept of affordance, children are seen as active and influential participants in their own life-worlds, and the relationships between children and their surroundings are formed in the processes of everyday living and curious play [ 47 , 52 ]. This approach resembles the phenomenological approaches to play, which do not see the surrounding environment as a separate object but as something children take with them into their own experiences [ 53 ]. Relational and phenomenological approaches see the richness of the concept of affordance as relating to the role of pre-reflexive bodily sensing and the development of skills [ 54 ], which are highlighted in children’s relationships with their life-worlds [ 47 , 52 ]. According to Ingold [ 55 ] (p. 168), “Gibson assumed that the world which the perceiver moves around in and explores is relatively fixed and permanent, somehow prepared with all its affordances ready and waiting to be taken up”. From the relational and phenomenological standpoints, in contrast, the world emerges with its properties alongside the emergence of the perceiver in person, against the background of involved activity [ 55 ] (p. 168). Children investigate their surrounding nature by intertwining with the environment and creating simultaneously novel affordances that invite them to curiosity and wonder [47]. In this paper, we apply a relational approach to affordances in order to pay attention to how the greening of daycare yards with biodiverse materials is perceived to affect children’s physical activity and play, their well-being and environmental relationships—and to understand better teachers’, child nurses’ and children’s role in this process. 2.2. Study Setting We analyzed how green yards with diverse vegetation and high microbial load encourages children’ engagement with their everyday life-worlds and enhance well-being in daycare centers that are located in urban areas in southern Finland. The yards were transformed by replacing areas covered by mineral soil materials, such as gravel, with forest floor (around 100 m 2 per yard, provider Piiraisen Kuntta Oy, Kajaani, Finland), sod (around 200 m 2 per yard, provider Mesiän Siirtonurmi, Hämeenkoski, Finland), peat blocks (provider Kekkilä Oy, Vantaa, Finland), and planters for vegetable and flower growing (Figure 1). Due to the transferability of the materials, it took only one night to green the yards. The materials were easy to find and relatively inexpensive. The personnel introduced the green materials into the children’s various activities with the help of tips from an environmental educator (including a written description of 13 nature-based activities, several crafting ideas, and links for further information). The children also used the yard freely when they spent time outdoors every day (0.5–2 h in the morning and in the afternoon). Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16, x FOR PEER REVIEW 3 of 16 Recent studies on children’s outdoor play have highlighted that it is important not to concentrate more on the characteristics of an environment than on those of children [47]. In the relational tradition of applying the concept of affordance, children are seen as active and influential participants in their own life-worlds, and the relationships between children and their surroundings are formed in the processes of everyday living and curious play [47,52]. This approach resembles the phenomenological approaches to play, which do not see the surrounding environment as a separate object but as something children take with them into their own experiences [53]. Relational and phenomenological approaches see the richness of the concept of affordance as relating to the role of pre-reflexive bodily sensing and the development of skills [54], which are highlighted in children’s relationships with their life-worlds [47,52]. According to Ingold [55] (p. 168), “Gibson assumed that the world which the perceiver moves around in and explores is relatively fixed and permanent, somehow prepared with all its affordances ready and waiting to be taken up”. From the relational and phenomenological standpoints, in contrast, the world emerges with its properties alongside the emergence of the perceiver in person, against the background of involved activity [55] (p. 168). Children investigate their surrounding nature by intertwining with the environment and creating simultaneously novel affordances that invite them to curiosity and wonder [47]. In this paper, we apply a relational approach to affordances in order to pay attention to how the greening of daycare yards with biodiverse materials is perceived to affect children’s physical activity and play, their well-being and environmental relationships—and to understand better teachers’, child nurses’ and children’s role in this process. 2.2. Study Setting We analyzed how green yards with diverse vegetation and high microbial load encourages children’ engagement with their everyday life-worlds and enhance well-being in daycare centers that are located in urban areas in southern Finland. The yards were transformed by replacing areas covered by mineral soil materials, such as gravel, with forest floor (around 100 m2 per yard, provider Piiraisen Kuntta Oy, Kajaani, Finland), sod (around 200 m2 per yard, provider Mesiän Siirtonurmi, Hämeenkoski, Finland), peat blocks (provider Kekkilä Oy, Vantaa, Finland), and planters for vegetable and flower growing (Figure 1). Due to the transferability of the materials, it took only one night to green the yards. The materials were easy to find and relatively inexpensive. The personnel introduced the green materials into the children’s various activities with the help of tips from an environmental educator (including a written description of 13 nature-based activities, several crafting ideas, and links for further information). The children also used the yard freely when they spent time outdoors every day (0.5–2 h in the morning and in the afternoon). (a) (b) Figure 1. (a) Before the intervention, the daycare yards were mostly covered by mineral soil materials; (b) After the intervention, the daycare yards were covered by forest floor mat and sod. Photos: Aki Sinkkonen (a) and Mira Grönroos (b). The forest floor mat was transplanted as vegetated 10 m2 pieces of soil surface (Ø 10 cm). The vegetation consisted mainly of edible dwarf shrubs, such as crowberry (Empetrum nigrum), blueberry (Vaccinium myrtillus), lingonberry (Vaccinium uliginosum), and heather (Calluna vulgaris), an abundant Figure 1. ( a ) Before the intervention, the daycare yards were mostly covered by mineral soil materials; ( b ) After the intervention, the daycare yards were covered by forest floor mat and sod. Photos: Aki Sinkkonen (a) and Mira Grönroos (b). Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019,16, 2948 4 of 16 The forest floor mat was transplanted as vegetated 10 m 2 pieces of soil surface (Ø 10 cm). The vegetation consisted mainly of edible dwarf shrubs, such as crowberry (Empetrum nigrum), blueberry (Vaccinium myrtillus), lingonberry (Vaccinium uliginosum), and heather (Calluna vulgaris), an abundant moss layer (major taxa comprising Pleurozium schreberi,Hylocomium splendens,Dicranum sp., Shpangnum sp.), and wooden plant parts, such as Scotch pine (Pinus sylvestris) cones and sticks. These species were naturally growing on the forest floor, and they belong to the most widespread species in boreal vegetation zone. The sod consisted of fescues (Festuca sp.) and meadow grasses (Poa sp.). The bacterial load of the forest floor was a magnitude higher than that of the mineral soil materials (Figure 2; molecular biological analytical methods in [ 56 – 58 ]). The composition of the bacterial community of the transformed and non-transformed yards was different (Figure 3; Table 1; statistical analyses, i.e., non-metric multidimensional scaling, PERMANOVA, and t-tests described in [ 44 , 59 , 60 ]). Importantly, the abundance of phyla Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes in the modified and non-modified yards was different; changes in the abundance of these taxa have previously been associated with immune system modulation or disorders [18,61,62]. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16, x FOR PEER REVIEW 4 of 16 moss layer (major taxa comprising Pleurozium schreberi, Hylocomium splendens, Dicranum sp., Shpangnum sp.), and wooden plant parts, such as Scotch pine (Pinus sylvestris) cones and sticks. These species were naturally growing on the forest floor, and they belong to the most widespread species in boreal vegetation zone. The sod consisted of fescues (Festuca sp.) and meadow grasses (Poa sp.). The bacterial load of the forest floor was a magnitude higher than that of the mineral soil materials (Figure 2; molecular biological analytical methods in [56–58]). The composition of the bacterial community of the transformed and non-transformed yards was different (Figure 3; Table 1; statistical analyses, i.e., non-metric multidimensional scaling, PERMANOVA, and t-tests described in [44,59,60]). Importantly, the abundance of phyla Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes in the modified and non-modified yards was different; changes in the abundance of these taxa have previously been associated with immune system modulation or disorders [18,61,62]. Figure 2. Bacterial numbers in the forest floor, unused playground sands, and samples from daycare yards taken before transforming the yards. 16S copies = copies of bacterial 16 S rRNA sequences per 0.250 g sample; gdw = gram dry weight. Figure 3. Non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) at the OTU level showed that bacterial communities differed after the daycare yards were transformed with green materials. Triangle = mineral soil, Circle = sod, and Square = forest floor. OTU = operational taxonomic unit with a 97% identity, an operational definition used to classify groups of closely related individuals. OTU is often used as a synonym of bacterial species. Figure 2. Bacterial numbers in the forest floor, unused playground sands, and samples from daycare yards taken before transforming the yards. 16S copies =copies of bacterial 16 S rRNA sequences per 0.250 g sample; gdw =gram dry weight. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16, x FOR PEER REVIEW 4 of 16 moss layer (major taxa comprising Pleurozium schreberi, Hylocomium splendens, Dicranum sp., Shpangnum sp.), and wooden plant parts, such as Scotch pine (Pinus sylvestris) cones and sticks. These species were naturally growing on the forest floor, and they belong to the most widespread species in boreal vegetation zone. The sod consisted of fescues (Festuca sp.) and meadow grasses (Poa sp.). The bacterial load of the forest floor was a magnitude higher than that of the mineral soil materials (Figure 2; molecular biological analytical methods in [56–58]). The composition of the bacterial community of the transformed and non-transformed yards was different (Figure 3; Table 1; statistical analyses, i.e., non-metric multidimensional scaling, PERMANOVA, and t-tests described in [44,59,60]). Importantly, the abundance of phyla Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes in the modified and non-modified yards was different; changes in the abundance of these taxa have previously been associated with immune system modulation or disorders [18,61,62]. Figure 2. Bacterial numbers in the forest floor, unused playground sands, and samples from daycare yards taken before transforming the yards. 16S copies = copies of bacterial 16 S rRNA sequences per 0.250 g sample; gdw = gram dry weight. Figure 3. Non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) at the OTU level showed that bacterial communities differed after the daycare yards were transformed with green materials. Triangle = mineral soil, Circle = sod, and Square = forest floor. OTU = operational taxonomic unit with a 97% identity, an operational definition used to classify groups of closely related individuals. OTU is often used as a synonym of bacterial species. Figure 3. Non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) at the OTU level showed that bacterial communities differed after the daycare yards were transformed with green materials. Triangle = mineral soil, Circle =sod, and Square =forest floor. OTU =operational taxonomic unit with a 97% identity, an operational definition used to classify groups of closely related individuals. OTU is often used as a synonym of bacterial species. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019,16, 2948 5 of 16 Table 1. Permutational Multivariate Analysis of Variance showed that the intervention changed the community composition of bacteria in the daycare yard at the OTU level and that the bacterial communities in the material types differed (mineral soil, sod, forest floor). Df Sums of Sqs Mean Sqs F. Model R2pValue intervention 1 1.73470000 1.73468 7.74250000 0.30811 0.001 material type 1 0.9829 0.98286 4.3868000 0.17457 0.001 residuals 13 2.912600000000 0.22405 0.51732 total 15 5.6302000 1.00000 OTU: operational taxonomic unit with a 97% identity; Df: degrees of freedom; Sqs: sum of squares. The study was conducted in three big cities (with 100,000–300,000 inhabitants) located in the most densely populated and urbanized area of Finland. In May 2016, we added greenery to four daycare yards in Lahti and Tampere, and in May 2017 to two daycare yards in Espoo. These yards were located in the city center or suburbs characterized by apartment buildings and high population density. One month after greening the yards, the participating 3–5 years-old children gave blood and/or microbial samples for analysis of blood leukocytes and skin and stool bacterial communities (data not included in this article). The guardians of all participants gave their informed consent for inclusion before the study. The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki, and the protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Pirkanmaa Hospital District, Finland (R16040). 2.3. Data Data collected in six daycare centers included surveys completed by personnel (teachers and child nurses) and children’s parents, and interviews of personnel (Table 2). One month after greening the yards in 2016 and 2017, 13 employees from the different daycare groups (including all participating groups) completed a survey. It included both structured and open-ended questions related to the children’s activities in the modified yards, their enthusiasm and contact with greenery, and the changes that took place in the daycare center (e.g., ‘Describe your guided activities with the green materials’, ‘How excited the children in your group were about these activities?’, ‘Describe children’s excitement in more detail (e.g., which has interested them and which has not?)’, ‘Describe children’s free play and activities with the green materials (e.g., what different-aged children have done?)’, ‘Did the green materials change children’s play in the daycare center?’). All questions concerned the whole daycare group (12–24 children), not only the children who took part in the collection of blood and/or microbial samples. Table 2. Number of the survey respondents and interviewees in the study. Survey Interview Daycare personnel 13 12 Parents 49 0 Altogether 49 (of 60) parents of the children who participated in the data collection completed a survey that included open-ended questions related to the green yards (i.e., ‘Has your child told about the green materials at home? Has the child told about play or guided activities related to the green materials? What has s/he told, and how has s/he reacted to the green materials?’ and ‘Other feedback and ideas to develop green yards’). Furthermore, twelve daycare employees from eight groups participated in individual or group interviews, which lasted from ten to thirty minutes. In thematic interviews, the teachers and child nurses were asked to describe the possible changes that took place after greening the yards—in children’s play and other activities in the yard (quantitative and qualitative changes), in children’s and employees’ interest in and knowledge of nature, in their perceived well-being, in their attitudes towards Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019,16, 2948 6 of 16 outdoor activities, and in general practices and atmosphere in the daycare center. The interviews were tape-recorded and transcribed verbatim. 2.4. Analysis Survey and interview data were first analyzed using qualitative content analysis to identify different functional possibilities afforded by the green yards. We understood affordances as resources that are available to the perceivers [ 50 ]. Thus, we classified the affordances that the children perceived under six themes that were emerging from the data through analysis and coding. Second, we examined how the functional possibilities supported the development of a dynamic relationship between the children and their surroundings. At this phase, we pointed out different dynamic aspects originating from the sketched themes of functional affordances. The dynamic aspects included embodied experiences (e.g., jumping, lying on the ground), use of imagination (diverse imaginary plays), role of sensuality (e.g., odours, fresh air, touching the ground), diverse learning situations (pedagogical targets and information about nature), emotional involvement (daring, managing situations, excitement, caring, and collectivity), exploration (e.g., examining bugs and plants), and involvement (practical involvement, being dirty and wet). Third, based on the six themes we summarized the dynamic aspects under three perspectives: (1) Changes in the embodied experiences related to the yards; (2) involvement enhanced by the greening; and (3) exploration supported by the greening. These aspects enabled us to analyze the children’s contact with nature as a relational interaction, children and nature as interacting agents, and the human-nature relationship as a dynamic and emotional relation rather than an object-subject relation [ 53 ]. Furthermore, we were especially interested in observing ‘nature happiness’—how dynamic and emotional ways of engaging with nature, or more precisely natural elements in this study, impacted on the children’s well-being [53]. 3. Results We first briefly introduce the functional possibilities provided by the green, biodiverse daycare yards. Then we expand our analysis to the dynamic aspects related to the greening by introducing in detail the three summarized perspectives: Embodied experiences, involvement and exploration. These perspectives are illustrated by the interview quotations of the daycare personnel (teachers or child nurses). 3.1. Functional Affordances During the one-month study period, a third of the participating groups organized guided, teacher-led activities in the green yards on 4–5 days a week while a few only on 0–2 days a week. Moreover, all participating groups spent free time in the yard twice a day just as they normally do. Almost all daycare employees responded that the children were very excited or excited about the green yards and spent a lot of time in contact with the forest floor mat, sod, peat blocks, and planters. In general, the children were motivated to go outdoors, had spontaneous contact with the green infrastructure, and easily found pleasant activities in the yard. Hence, green materials enabled various functional affordances. We categorized the possibilities mentioned in the surveys or interviews under six themes: Physical activity, multi-sensory experiences, diverse play, art and crafts, nature exploration, and pre-academic skills (Table 3). Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019,16, 2948 7 of 16 Table 3. Functional affordances enabled by green daycare yards. Environmental Qualities that Support Affordance Affordance Physical activity Sod, forest floor mat afforded rolling creeping, crawling doing somersaults, cartwheels, other physical movements running, jumping playing ball games/other active games climbing, swinging 1 Peat blocks afforded jumping down/over walking on carrying, throwing Multi-sensory experiences Sod, forest floor mat, peat blocks, planters afforded touching, plucking smelling sensory exercises Sod, forest floor mat, peat blocks afforded lying, sitting Planters, forest floor mat afforded tasting Forest floor mat afforded making sounds (sticks, cones), listening Diverse play Sod, forest floor mat afforded playing with toys (e.g., animals, cars) pretend play (e.g., playing house, playing animals) playing Kim’s game (memory game) Peat blocks afforded building (e.g., walls, forts, huts) Art and crafts Forest floor mat, sod, planters afforded doing art and crafts Nature exploration Forest floor mat, sod, planters afforded searching for bugs, worms, snails, etc. examining (using a magnifying glass) observing, wondering identifying species learning concepts related to nature Planters afforded planting, taking care of plants Pre-academic skills Forest floor mat, peat blocks afforded learning pre-math skills learning pre-reading skills 1soft ground. 3.2. Embodied Experiences Based on the data, the forest floor mat, sod, peat blocks, and planters afforded embodied experiences of green space for children. To begin with, the natural materials increased and diversified the children’s physical activity in the daycare yards. The sod and forest floor mat enabled activities, such as rolling, creeping, crawling, doing somersaults and cartwheels, or doing other physical movements, which were not favored activities in the former yard covered mainly by gravel and asphalt (Table 3). The peat blocks afforded jumping down or over, walking on, and carrying or throwing them. One teacher believed that the forest floor mat benefitted small children’s motor development because they had to raise their legs high when they walked on it. Furthermore, when the gravel under the climbing frames or swings was replaced with vegetation, some children were encouraged to climb or swing more. This illustrates the dynamic relationship between the perceiver of the affordances and the perceived environment: How the world emerges alongside the emergence of the perceiver in person [55] (p. 168). Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019,16, 2948 8 of 16 “Our bigger kids started on the sod, they just ran and rolled on it. It was just so lovely when they ran up and rolled down it and just lay splayed out on the slope. There used to be such terrible, dry sand there and it was dusty, the so-called lawn area. Now it’s inviting, and we’ve had blankets and books on the sod, and they’ve kind of had ‘excursions’ there. And of course, all games of tag and other games that the children have invented.” (Daycare center 5) The greenery also increased opportunities for resting and relaxing in the yard—lying or sitting on the soft ground and looking at the sky or listening to different sounds. The green yard enabled social activities organized by daycare employees, such as reading stories or having a picnic. Children engaged in sensory-based play, especially in teacher-led activities. They were in contact with natural materials not only through the sense of touch, but also through smelling them and tasting grown vegetables or forest plants, such as blueberries. Moveable, loose materials, such as sticks and cones, were used to make sounds. Some teachers organized sensory exercises for the children, such as searching for different shades of green in the yard. Furthermore, the greenery afforded fresh air; when areas covered with mineral soil materials were replaced with the forest floor mat and sod, most employees felt that the amount of dust in the yard decreased. Overall, the employees and parents felt that the modified yards were pleasant as they looked and smelled good. The greening of the yards had positive impacts on both the children’s and adults’ mood, energy, and motivation in the daycare centers. Some daycare employees noticed that when the children spent active, inspiring time outdoors, they had a good appetite at lunchtime, and slept more deeply during their naps. This was considered to further benefit the children’s well-being and learning ability. “Now it’s become very difficult to finish playing. They would rather continue, and those who need to take a nap, they’ve had a nice, long time outdoors and nice games so they fall asleep more easily, and it affects their energy in the afternoon. Some children have very long days here. They come in the morning and stay until five o’clock; they seem to be somehow energetic and lively in the yard. This is new for us. The contrast to the previous yard is so great that the effects can be seen here very quickly.” (Daycare center 6) The embodied engagement with the forest floor mat, sod, peat blocks, and planters afforded children to dare to test their skills and capacities in new forms. The greening of the yards also enabled them to engage with the “natural” rhythms originating from their own bodies—for instance, tiredness, managing strengths and hungriness. The dynamic relationship that develops through this engagement can help in perceiving one’s own body in new ways through both practical and emotional involvement, and increase self-esteem, for instance. 3.3. Involvement The green materials inspired the children’s play and enabled them to use their imagination in the yards. The children used the forest floor mat and sod as a playground for toys, but their play without toys also increased as they spontaneously engaged more in creative play and imaginative role-playing (Table 3). They built walls, forts and huts from the peat blocks, and collected loose parts, such as sticks and cones from the forest floor mat for their games (e.g., cooking food). Guided by the daycare personnel, they used plants, sticks, cones and twigs to do arts and crafts. The teachers and child nurses could feed the children’s imagination by giving them ideas for play and bringing cones and other loose parts from the forest to the yard. When the children got used to playing with natural materials, they invented new ways in which to use them, which further expanded their opportunities for creative play and enhancing well-being. “The children also invent themselves; when they have stimulus for their eyes, children invent it [activity] without your help. And it should be like this; some part should be like this. But you need to have stimulus. It’s not enough to have a brown yard and a climbing frame. So, it [green yard] added somehow; they definitely had good games. They pretended that they had a campfire, they got the stones Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019,16, 2948 9 of 16 and pretended that they were on a trip. And their imagination was in use there, and when children use their brains, natural tiredness arises, and it did them good, a lot of good. Then rest comes naturally, and you have a good appetite and we’re in the positive cycle. So they could use their imagination, and we encouraged them. We didn’t prohibit them, we just advised them not to rip anything.” (Daycare center 1) The children also got involved with the green yards by looking after the plants and vegetation. They planted vegetables and flowers in the planters and watered and took care of them with the help of the adults; in some daycare centers, children also participated in hosing the forest floor mat and sod. The practical involvement with natural materials while caring for them—having one’s hands in soil, getting dirty and wet—enables children to get involved in feelings related to care, especially caring for their surrounding environment [63]. Furthermore, being in contact with nature and caring for it develops practical relationships in the form of becoming skilled in dressing to suit outdoor conditions. One daycare employee described how the parents seemed surprised that they had to equip their children with waterproof clothing even when it was not raining—because of the dew in the greenery. These kinds of small details related to everyday interactions with nature are highlighted in intensive involvement, but are important in enabling the development of everyday relationships with nature. One child told the nurse that the plants would grow now because they were wet. This illustrates how caring became a process of engaging and understanding through involvement in taking care of the yard. “They [children] go to water them [plantings], yes. Sometimes even too eager, if it’s raining. But it clearly becomes significant when the children participate in it and have done it themselves rather than if it had just been put there. [ . . . ] When they have put it there themselves, it’s also important for them, and they go to see how they have grown and things like that. So it’s absolutely their project.” (Daycare center 6) The children’s emotional involvement with the green yards was illustrated by their enthusiasm to take care of the plantings. Some daycare employees also thought that the green yard increased the sense of community in the daycare center, as it was something new, pleasant and inspiring that they could all enjoy, and taking care of the yard was partly their responsibility. Some employees were willing to use their own time to water the plants; they were keen to take care of their work environment and make it more pleasant for everyone. 3.4. Exploration The green yards afforded the children exploration and diverse learning situations by providing opportunities for various activities and things to observe. Teachers used natural materials in environmental education, and the yards also enabled the children’s self-guided exploration and exploratory play. The children obtained information about nature when, for instance, they examined green materials with magnifying glasses, searched for bugs or worms, or identified different species on the forest floor mat with the adults’ help (Table 3). Children did this not only to learn; they also spontaneously did things like lie on the ground and observed the greenery. Planting vegetables or flowers and taking care of them enabled children to observe plant growth and raised various questions. 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