At its September meeting, the market council in Neukirchen b. Hl. Blut discussed the project proposal for the construction of a forest kindergarten on the property at Waldschlößlstraße 10 (connecting road Mais – Höllhöhe/“Heisl Max”). The facility, called Hohenbogenfüchse, is scheduled to open in April 2025.
Mayor Markus Müller first explained the current situation: Neukirchen does not have a municipal or church kindergarten, but rather an association-run kindergarten. This extraordinary situation is being mastered by the St. Nicholas Association, which also handles the administration on a voluntary basis. The facility has space for 100 children in the crèche and kindergarten.
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While the kindergarten management manages to meet most of the requirements, special requests that go far beyond this cannot be fulfilled. The needs analysis carried out a year ago resulted in very positive feedback with a high level of satisfaction, but there were also increasing suggestions from parents who wanted a forest, Montessori or Waldorf kindergarten. The district and municipality are now supporting the Binder family’s request to ensure the provision of additional daycare places in a new forest kindergarten called Hohenbogenfüchse.
“We do not want to displace the local kindergarten, but rather have a good working relationship with the St. Nikolaus daycare center,” Florian Binder made clear after personal discussions with the kindergarten management, because the forest kindergarten (WKG) is based on a different pedagogy.
Playing in nature
He interpreted the opening slogan “Children belong outside, not in rooms”. In an increasingly digitalized world, little ones are simply given a tablet at home to keep them quiet. These screens accompany them throughout their lives – unlike the generations of that time, who played in nature and survived without a cell phone.
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Binder questioned the term “forest kindergarten,” which is also called a “kindergarten without doors and walls.” The time spent primarily outdoors in various places. Toys are mainly made of materials that nature provides.
Even if Neukirchen b. Hl. Blut is breaking new ground, the phenomenon is not new. The first forest kindergartens were established in Scandinavia in the 1950s, before the first German forest kindergarten was opened in 1968. The history is now also big in the district. The building regulations are within reasonable limits.
Binder also outlined the requirements of a forest conservation area for the benefit of the child (no danger): The forest area or the outdoor area should offer different attractions and play opportunities for children, e.g. through hills, mixed forest and meadows, etc. A shelter on site is necessary, as well as emergency accommodation in the event of a dangerous situation in the forest (e.g. snow break, storm). A minimum staff ratio of 1:10 is also planned to ensure safe quality.
Start of operations April 2025
Finally, Florian Binder summed up the facts: The expected start of operations is April 1, 2025 (with a small group to get used to it). The WKG Hohenbogenfüchse has space for 20 children between the ages of three and six. When the facility is fully occupied, three educational caregivers (with additional training as forest educators) are available. The operator is Binder Betreuung gGmbH, a non-profit organization.
The emergency shelter or refuge with integrated toilet and covered terrace is built in classic wooden construction.
To ensure that the traffic bringing and picking up children does not cause disruption to Waldschlößlstrasse or pose a danger to the children, a suitable turning and parking area will be created on the property away from the street. Coordination with the building authority, youth, forestry and nature conservation authorities has already taken place, for which Binder thanked the mayor. This means that all the starting conditions are in place. The market council will look at the issue again as soon as the planning application is submitted.
The market council gave the green light to the expansion of an attic in Vordermais, the addition of a warehouse to the existing workshop on Hochstrasse, the construction of a new outbuilding with garage and storage space on Steinbergl, the demolition of an outbuilding with an attic extension and the construction of a new double garage on Pater-Fortunat-Strasse, the Tektur application to demolish a barn and build a new shed for equipment with an integrated workshop in Rittsteig and for the realized extension to Haus Schönblick on Hohenbogen.
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