Norwegian Parkour

On my second school trip to the incredible coast, the students’ backpacks were again tossed on the picnic table. Some students started climbing the rocks and others built a fire (a common theme…). Once they had time to eat hamburgers and hotdogs, their teacher asked them, “Who’s going to take Kathrina out exploring?”.

Three students volunteered to take me out on a hike. I thought we were going to walk across the grassy field, but they had other ideas.

“We’re going to do parkour.” The student informed me, with a wink and a nod.

“Hmm. Ok. This ought to be interesting.” I thought.

I followed two boys as they strode confidently in front of me and two girls walked alongside me. It didn’t take long before we were scaling rocks of significant height. Perhaps they could sense the worry in my face, so one boy climbed ahead and then gave directions for the ‘easiest’ route while the second boy directed my path like an air traffic controller.

Leading the way for the climbing team.

Last year’s Roving Scholar ventured out with these same students. Together they found an underwater mine roller, and they were eager to show it to me. We found the rusty treasure and then continued on our adventure to check out new territory. Up and over, down and around we went with the goal of reaching the 4th outcropping in the harbor.

Looking to our hiking destination.

At one point the first boy seemed like he was literally attempting to scale the side of a rocky cliff. Hesitant to say anything, for fear of hovering, I simply said that I wouldn’t be able to climb that way. He immediately searched for a different route, and we were able to climb to the top.

Students climbed to the top of the rock formation.

At the peak, I asked the students by what time we needed to return. One student thought that we needed to return by 1:30 and another thought 2:30. Basically, there was no timeline. The school day ended at 2:30, and one of the girls noted the rising tide, so they determined that we should head back to the picnic spot.

Climbing up the rocks was the easy part. It was coming back down that I was worried about… However, this dynamic duo made sure that their climbing party was safe. Again, we navigated down the rocks, with one boy in front to test out the drop and the second boy verifying that it was safe.

Students determining the ‘safest’ route.

At one point, they led us to a rather steep drop. As I was trying to calculate how to jump safely, one of the students reached out his arms and said, “Don’t worry, I’ll catch you if you fall.”

I felt so much like a student rather than a teacher at that moment.

We waited for everyone to catch up and then moved on. All in all, we were out exploring for nearly two hours and the student team worked together and kept everyone safe.

Back in the US, I used to take my sixth graders on three-day outdoor adventures. However, everything was highly controlled, planned, and monitored. The students at Breivikbotn are regularly given the opportunity to explore without time schedules, rules, and teachers hovering over them. It showed in their confidence and collaboration. There was no teacher telling them to help each other or work together, they just did. There was no one telling them which games to play, they just created their own. There was no teacher stressing safety, they already knew.

I recognize that this learning experience would be difficult to replicate in the US due to the extensive time that Norwegian students spent outside exploring both inside and outside of school hours. However, it again highlights the unique learning opportunities that are afforded students in small rural schools in Norway. They are so extremely fortunate!

Students exploring the terrain near Breivikbotn, Norway.