Innovative education in outdoor kindergartens Erasmus Project

Project Title

Innovative education in outdoor kindergartens

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 : Strategic Partnerships for school education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Quality Improvement Institutions and/or methods (incl. school development); International cooperation, international relations, development cooperation; Reaching the policy level/dialogue with decision makers

Project Summary

The aim of the international project “Innovative education in outdoor kindergartens” was to share experience, innovations and to enhance quality in the field of preschool education in a continuous direct contact with nature.

Outdoor ECEC is quite a new movement in this part of the EU. It comes as a reaction to missing children’s contact with nature. The project improved quality of outdoor kindergartens, shared and developed teacher competencies and extend opportunities for outdoor education. Project partners shared needs and possibilities of outdoor education to be anchored in legislation and quality standards systems in outdoor education in the European context.

There were three partner organizations supporting preschool outdoor education from 3 EU countries (Slovakia, Lithuania, Czech Republic). The project coordinator (Asociace lesnich MS) is an umbrella organization of Czech outdoor kindergartens with 140 members (forest kindergartens and clubs). Lithuanian (VSI Lauko darzelis) and Slovak (Komunitné vzdelávanie “Kalimba”) partner organizations operate their own forest kindergartens, actively support forest kindergartens´ networking and new legislative for outdoor preschool education. During the period of project realization Czech forest kindergarten were implemented into Czech educational system and Kalimba together with other Slovak forest kindergartens set up Association of Forest Clubs for Children in Slovakia.

Project included 5 training activities (incl. 2 for wide public as well), 3 project meetings, all together for 56 participants. Part of the project were regular online conferences, communication in Whatsapp aplication group and project diary. Education activities were supported also by the lectures and seminars from the best foreign experts and mentors from non-partnering countries, where outdoor education has a long proven tradition.

The training and education events brought new innovative methods for practical use for all participants: Council – open circle communication method, Quality Standards for forest kindergarden including wide practical examples in the Czech Republic, sustainable leadership, Summer and Autumn schools of outdoor education aimed mainly (but not only) on pre-mathematic and pre-reading abilities. The project had a positive impact on pedagogues and leader of forest kindergardens in all 3 countries. Partners shared innovative methodology and implemented it in their countries as a whole or at least they had started the processes. In addition to the planned program, a great deal of space was devoted to sharing experience in other thematic areas of pre-school education in direct contact with nature (especially the benefits of networking within umbrella organizations, advocacy, the overall European educational situation for sustainable development at pre-school level).

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 44080 Eur

Project Coordinator

Asociace lesnich materskych skol, z.s. & Country: CZ

Project Partners

• VsI Lauko darzelis
• KOMUNITNE VZDELAVANIE “KALIMBA”