STEAMIN’ FOR THE CLIMATE Erasmus Project

Project Title

STEAMIN’ FOR THE CLIMATE

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : School Exchange Partnerships

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Energy and resources; Environment and climate change; Natural sciences

Project Summary

Climate change & pollution are ‘hot’ topics. Sustainability, CO2-emissions, biodiversity, plastic soup, … worldwide we see worried politicians seeking solutions and agreements. We see concerned students on the streets shouting for help and action to save our planet. We don’t want it to sound like a cliché but the children in our schools are also the ones who have a part to play in resolving these issues. If we don’t want them to become worried students on the streets or even desperate solution-seeking politicians we have to enable some of their behaviour changes for consumption habits and lifestyles through education, training and activities.
In our project ‘STEAMIN’ FOR THE CLIMATE’ we want to increase the level of achievement and interest in science, technology, engineering, arts and maths in order to use it to make children aware of the current alarming situation of our planet. We want them to discover STEM based tools to measure the current situation and compare it with the results they measure after changing their habits and lifestyle.
Four out of our six partners know each other well. They have worked together in one or more previous Erasmus Projects where STEAM was also the main topic. These schools are specialised in implementing STEAM as part of their education and want to use and share their knowledge and experience to combine STEAM with environmental and climate issues. The fifth partner was recommended to us by a headmaster with which we had a succesfull partnership years ago. The coordinator met the sixth partner from Macedonia in a special Erasmusmeeting in Bonn where the best practices of each country could present their project. Her enthusiasm and experience made her one of our team.
Our four focus areas for the project will be:
1) Renewable and saving energy
2) reducing CO2 emissions
3) decreasing the use of plastic
4) biodiversity
For each area a virtual package will be made. We call them ‘STEAMBOATS’. Every Steamboat contains attractive, stimulative and interactive lessons with information and issues, innovative STEM-based tools and a link to the Arts. For every area we will create three levels in this Steamboat: one for Kindergarten, one for grade 1-3 and one for grade 4-6 so that every child in school is involved. The 4 Steamboats are made by teachers of all partner schools because we also want to foster the collaboration of teachers of the different countries. At the beginning of the project, teachers can apply to work with one of the four areas. Every area is also linked to a short term staff training event. (1. Palermo, 2. Brugge, 3. Kavadarci and 4. Cesena ). By organising these theme-based short term staff training events we want to strengthen the profiles of the teachers. During the meeting they will have special chosen workshops and visits linked to the area. During the meeting there will also be time to create the Steamboat together. This package contains STEAM-based lessons to make children aware of the problem and to make them think of solutions. When they return to their schools they will present the Steamboat to their own colleagues who all will be starting to work with these activities. After working with the Steamboat, results are shared with the partner schools. All Steamboat Activities and results will be published on our project-Twinspace.(https://twinspace.etwinning.net/110519/home)
After the work with two Steamboats and two staff-training-events we plan a children’s meeting. Another childrens’ meeting is planned at the end of the second year. In these meetings the children will present their work and results of the past year, they will also attend Steam-based workshops and make up and sign a Charter. They will bring home the charter and present it to the other children of the school.
This charter deserves a good visible place in the schools so that it keeps reminding the pupils of the inquiries, discoveries and promises they made during these two years so that they can keep contributing in saving our planet.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 154700 Eur

Project Coordinator

Vrije Basisschool – Sint-Lodewijkscollege Afd Immaculata & Country: BE

Project Partners

• CIRCOLO DIDATTICO CESENA 2
• Grundschule München an der Oberföhringer Straße
• Ysgol Glan Morfa
• OOU Goce Delcev
• ICS Michelangelo Buonarroti