We are organizing a research symposium called Ihan villinä! (Going Out Wild!) at the ULOS-UT-OUT event on Tuesday, June 9, 2026. Come and present your research on this topic and hear about others’ research! We hope to see presentations from a wide range of fields. Presentations will be held outdoors and indoors.

In keeping with the spirit of the ULOS-UT-OUT event, by outdoor education research we mean research that in one way or another relates to teaching and learning that takes place outdoors, “under the open sky.” Outdoor education applies to all age groups, from early childhood education to old age. We also welcome research that promotes understanding and use of the outdoor learning environment and increases knowledge about the importance of outdoor teaching and learning for well-being and learning, for example. The research presented may be empirical or theoretical. We hope to receive presentations from a wide range of fields and perspectives.

Research symposium program Tue, June 9, 2026

Tuesday, June 9, 2026

9:00 a.m. Registration
9:30–9:50 a.m. Opening speeches for the research symposium
10:00–11:30 a.m. Presentations outdoors and indoors

Theme 1: Luontoyhteyden elinikäinen vahvistaminen (outdoor) FI

• Jenni Perttu: Kuvataidekasvatuksen menetelmien kehittäminen lasten luontosuhteen vahvistamiseksi 
• Arja Kaasinen, Ulla Myllyniemi, Jarkko Lampiselkä & Päivi Kinnunen: Ulkona opettamiseen liittyvät pedagogiset opinnäytetyöt suomalaisissa yliopistoissa 
• Timo Lepistö & Mari Korpela: Luonnosta työhön 
• Essi Aarnio-Linnanvuori: Kansalaistutkijasta ympäristökansalaiseksi: Partiolaisten kokemuksia kansalaistieteestä rannalla 

Theme 2: Benefits of outdoor education in various educational settings (indoor) EN

• Merike Kesler, Arja Kaasinen, Anttoni Kervinen, University of Helsinki: Thoughts of Finnish Pre-Service Teachers at Different Educational Levels on Outdoor Teaching and Learning 
• Harald Høgseth & Vibeke Gilje Sanne: Hvordan kan en tradisjonsbåt og et lokalsamfunn åpne opp for elevens læring og danning?  
• Karen Barfod, Mads Bølling, Michelle Stahlhut & Ulrich Dettweiler: How much outdoors is enough? A missing question in Education Outside the Classroom research 
• Szymon Godawa: From Self-Regulation to Eco-Regulation: Outdoor Education and Forest-Based Therapy as a Supportive Environment for Children on the Autism Spectrum 

11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Park lunch
12:30-13:00 Opening speeches for the ULOS-UT-OUT event
13:00-13:45 Keynote: Kirsipauliina Kallio, University of Tampere
14:00–15:30 Presentations:

Theme 3: From elements to holistic views (outdoor) EN

• Maria Svens: Risk och resiliens: säkerhetsfrågor ur erfarna finländska utomhuspedagogers perspektiv  
• Arja Kaasinen & Essi Aarnio-Linnanvuori: Elements of biodiversity education: How do experts in biodiversity and education define them? 
• Ayumu Ochi: Teachers’ Views on Climate Emotions in Finnish Nature Schools 

Theme 4: The benefits of outdoors in environmental and sustainability education (indoor) EN

• Anssi Huoponen, University of Eastern Finland; Annika Manni, Umeå University; Moritz Albrecht, University of Eastern Finland; Maija Halonen, University of Eastern Finland; Linda Lundmark, Umeå University: Self-sufficiency education in increasing youth climate change adaptation skills 
• Annika Manni, Umeå University, Sweden: Possibilities for sustainable encounters at different types of preschool playgrounds 
• Birgitte Theilmann & Hanne Værum Sørensen: Under the Open Sky: Water-Based Pedagogy in Nordic Nature Kindergartens 
• Anders Szczepanski: The Landscape as a Sourse of Knowledge – in the Context of Outdoor Education and Didactics (remotely) 

Theme 5: Näkökulmia kestävään ulkona opettamiseen (indoor) FI

• Niina Mykrä: Hankkeet ulkona oppimista edistämässä 
• Aleksi Paavilainen: Viihtymisestä välittämiseen: Ekofeministinen huolenpidon etiikka Luontopäiväkodissa 
• Maria Sulonen: Kriittinen biodiversiteettikasvatus osana kestävyysmurrosta  

15:30-17:00 Long Table Discussion – An interactive panel discussion: Teaching in times of crisis now and in the future. (EN)

The ULOS-UT-OUT event continues after the Ihan Villinä research symposium on June 9–11.

-> Check out the full program for the ULOS-UT-OUT event!

Registration and participation fees:

Decisions on the acceptance of abstracts will be made in January 2026.

• Ihan Villinä research symposium, €130/1 day
  • Ticket type: research symposium -> Registration link
• Research symposium and entire ULOS-UT-OUT event, 3 days, €245
  • Ticket type: participation fee for 3 days -> Registration link
• Research symposium and entire ULOS-UT-OUT event for presenters €150
  • Ticket type: reduced participation fee for program organizers 3 days -> You will find the registration link in the acceptance letter.

More information about registering for the event

If enough high-quality scientific presentations are submitted to the symposium, we will promote a peer-reviewed conference publication specializing in the theme of outdoor teaching and learning.

The research symposium is organized in collaboration with the University of Tampere, the University of Helsinki, and ULOS-UT-OUT.

Abstracts:

Further information:

ULOS-UT-OUT event organizers: info@ulosutout.fi
Arja Kaasinen, University of Helsinki: arja.kaasinen@helsinki.fi
Merike Kesler, University of Helsinki: merike.kesler@helsinki.fi
Essi Aarnio-Linnanvuori, University of Tampere: essi.aarnio-linnanvuori@tuni.fi