Back To Nature Erasmus Project

Project Title

Back To Nature

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 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: ICT – new technologies – digital competences; Health and wellbeing; Teaching and learning of foreign languages

Project Summary

Back To Nature is both pupil- and teacher-oriented project based on implementation of natural elements in everyday life. The project will be implemented by four school organizations conducting primary or secondary education of students of about same age.

Based on their tradition, participants will develop basic skills and key competences everyone should possess in order to continuously improve their knowledge (according to Erasmus + TASK). They will develop foreign language and digital competence, social and civic competence and cultural awareness and expression. These competences are important for the personal fulfillment and development, for the working life, for studying and learning new things.

Sense of initiative and entrepreneurship will be developed by setting up a school garden and growing herbs (chamomile, mint, marigold, primrose etc.) in it for production of traditional skincare products on natural basis (marigold hand cream and nourishing hand cream). Using and improving their language and ICT skills, participants will present themselves, their school, village/town and country to their peers, create the project logo, conduct surveys, publish project results and activities on the project website and TwinSpace, create an advertising campaign and publish brochures and booklets with recipes and information on medicinal plants and herbs.

Participating schools have different geographical and cultural background. The main goal of the project is to give students a chance to find out that different nations can work together, communicate and have a great respect for each other, to give them a sense of being a part of a multicultural society, destroy prejudices and encourage acceptance of diversity in the immediate and wider European community.

Pupils conducting project activities are mostly aged 12 to 15 and of different profiles. Pupils facing both educational difficulties and economic obstacles will actively be involved into conducting various project activities. The most active students and those who show the greatest development of targeted skills will
participate in the activities of exchange of groups of students.

The project objectives are various, from exploring the ways of every-day nourishment and care of our grandparents, to production of our own nature- and health-friendly products and creation of marketing campaign for the products. Furthermore, to getting acquainted with our European peers, exchanging ideas with them and improving their language and communication skills through everyday interaction during the projects’ visits, to encouraging and accomplishing cooperation with local organizations, getting basic education on medicinal herbs and gardening and improving students’ digital competencies through the use of various Web 2.0 tools.

Participating teachers and school staff are creative and highly-motivated teachers, who want to improve their language skills, acquire new and specialised knowledge in the field of methodology and expand their capacity in the area of ICT skills.

Project activities can be classified into several categories: acquisition and improvement of language and ICT skills, gardening activities and production activities.

By using various techniques and methods of work during the implementation of project activities, students’ interests will be encouraged, with a high level of autonomy and active participation resulting in the expression of creative abilities of students.

During a series of 12 activities, all participants will experience different approaches and teaching methods, forms of work, and various teaching aids, to enable a better implementation of the project. Students will develop learning skills (problem solving, critical thinking, teamwork, analysis and structuring of information), communication skills, presentation ideas and acquire the long-term knowledge, skills and competences applicable in everyday life.

In addition to presentations, posters and other students’ work to be applied in the teaching and non-teaching purposes, after the project completion several project results will be available for use on local, national and international level. Pupils will develop and produce a collection of nature-friendly skincare products which can be produced in the future for promotional purposes. Students will make educational videos on gardening and continue working in the school garden growing plants and herbs which will be used in future school activities. Project results of the greatest influence are the project website, brochures and booklets whose application is expected in the years after project completion due to easy online access.

The most important influence is the influence on the individual, on each student personally. If we can change habits of one student by knowledge implemented through this project and ensure its transfer we have launched a range of changes and achieved the purpose of the project.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 105942 Eur

Project Coordinator

Primary School Belica & Country: HR

Project Partners

• ESCOLA PIA OLOT
• OOU “Kuzman Josifoski-Pitu”
• Istituto Comprensivo Vincenzo Tortoreto