Rikke Rosengren

Early childhood educator, author, lecturer,
management consultant and publisher

About Rikke Rosengren

Rikke Rosengren (born 1974) is a Danish kindergarten teacher and Waldorf educator (educated in Australia) of children between 1–7 years. She has been the manager and owner of the kindergarten “Børneøen Bonsai” in Denmark for the past 25 years. This is still her primary focus and the basis of 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.

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.

Lectures and topics of interest

  • Management development, well-being and resilience
  • Startups new nurseries and kindergarten
  • Communication
  • Child observation and parents’ conversation
  • Conflict management
  • Creating a holistic workspace
  • Helping staff groups find new methods, motivation, and joy in collaboration
  • Nature and mindfulness
  • Early childhood development of children aged 1–7 yrs. old
  • Cooperation with parents
  • Stimulation of the sensory system
  • Nature’s impact on the development of children
  • The importance of risky play and resilience
  • Play, imagination and creativity
  • The child and sleep
  • The child and the magic of music
  • The child and healing stories
  • How digital media influences the emotions and the development of the child
  • Creating relationships between child and adult

Rikke teaches and gives seminars on all these topics and provides both live and online seminars in Denmark and abroad.

See Bonsai Institute for further information or contact Rikke here.

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).

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).

International lectures and conferences

2015

  • Visit to China – lecture on forest and nature education

2018
• Santa Monica College, California, USA
• CalTech, California, USA

2019
Columbia Teachers College, New York, USA

2020
• ECSTEM 2020, Pasadena, California, USA
• JASWECE, Nordic Inspiration, Book Launch Event for Child of nature, Tokyo, Japan

2021

  • Online webinars on Nordic forest and nature education for Japanese teachers and educators in collaboration with Nordic Inspiration, Japan

    2023

    • On-site International courses on Nordic forest and nature education for Japanese and English speaking teachers and educators, Charlottenlund, Denmark

    2024

    • On-site International courses on Nordic forest and nature education for Japanese and English speaking teachers and educators, Charlottenlund, Denmark
    • Online webinars on Nordic forest and nature education for American students at the Little School and Early Childhood, Lincoln School, Providence Boston, USA

    2025

    • On-site International courses on Nordic forest and nature education for Japanese and English speaking teachers and educators, Charlottenlund, Denmark
    • Nordic conference Exploring resilience, Jærna, Sweden
    • Lecture at Tokai University, School of Early childhood education, Tokyo, Japan

    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 ongoing – Guest teacher in Waldorf early childhood education at the Waldorf Teacher Training College in Charlottenlund, Denmark

    2012 Teacher training courses in childcare, motor skills and child development

    2014 Foundation of Blue Pearl Books

    2014 Author of a vegetarian cookbook, translated by Floris books in 2015 – Pumpkin Soup and Cherry Bread

    2015 Editor of a song book – Barnets sangperler

    2016 Editor of a fairytale book – Barnets eventyrperler

    2018 Publication of the Danish translation of Rest, play and grow by Deborah MacNamara

    2018 Author of a book about children and nature education, Child of Nature (Danish version: Barnet i naturen)

    2016-2019 Diploma in management

    2019 ongoing – Start-up and implementation of the leadership training Bæredygtig og bevidst ledelse in collaboration with Marjatta and Margrethe Gade

    2019 Foundation of Bonsai Institute, center for Nature and early childhood education for educators, teachers and parents

    2020 Publication of Marias lille æsel by Gunhild Sehlin

    2021 Publication of Ren Barnemad by Line Bak Rothstein et. al

    2021 – 2024 Guest teacher at the Advanced training in Rudolf Steiner education for kindergarten teachers and educators in collaboration with Marjatta, Århus

    2022

    • Publication of the Danish translation of A-Z stories by Susan Perrow
    • Publication of Bjørneeventyr by Bente Klerke
    • Publication of 3rd edition of Barnets sangperler edited by Rikke Rosengren

    2023

    • Publication of the translation of Growing up healthy in a world of digital media, edited by Michaela Gloeckler
    • Keynote lecture at FOBU annual conference, Århus, Denmark

    2024

    • Publication of the Danish translation of The Children´s Forest by Dawn Casey, Helen d’Ascoli and Anna Richardson
    • Ledership training day in support of DPU´s World Care project, Tokai University
    • European Center, Vedbæk, Denmark
    • Teacher training day in collaboration with Grønne Spire, Charlottenlund, Denmark
    • Redesign and implementation of the Advanced training in Rudolf Steiner education for kindergarten teachers and educators in collaboration with Marjatta, Århus and Copenhagen
    • Leadership training course with Petra-Sophie Kemp, Core energy, Copenhagen

    2025 Publication the Danish translation of Nourished by Deborah MacNamara

    Send me a message

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    Rikke Rosengren

    Børneøen Bonsai
    Jægersborg Allé 2A
    2920 Charlottenlund
    Denmark

    Phone:
    +45 3930 1920

    Email:
    rikke@bonsainet.dk

    Directions