"Outdoor kindergartens Children engage in outdoor play every day. The boundaries and rules of child safety in the field must be consistent with the freedom to develop and physical security complemented by emotional and spiritual. When children are given more opportunities to explore security is also growing. Boundaries and rules, daily or weekly rhythm, emotionally stable adult, space wrong and freedom to experience, learn, support ideas are some of the components of child safety outside. It is in the outdoors, in the natural environment, that they learn to face the challenges and overcome them, to choose, to develop and to grow up by taking responsibility for the risk. Creating a safe environment for children must be a priority of every caregiver – a parent and an early childhood educator. A safe environment for a child is one that provides freedom from harm and offers a sense of security in which child can play, develop, and learn. As young children play and explore, minor injuries and accidents naturally occur. Since young children are at a stage where their physical, cognitive and emotional skills are still developing, injuries are bound to happen. These accidents can however be prevented. The first step towards providing for safety is to ensure that the preschool follows strict safety guidelines. Project objective - improve the quality of preschool education with sharing the best children safety methods and outdoor learning practice in the different cultures preschool environment.The project tasks:1) raise the competence of employees (teacher and administrative staff) through participation in international trainings about children safety;2) share the knowledge and best practise among other preschool partner countries (Germany and Slovenia) achieving to ensure the children safety outdoor.3) to strengthen children safety guidelines based on outdoor pedagogy and best examples of partners countries.The priorities of SCHOOL EDUCATION: Supporting efforts to increase access to affordable and high quality early childhood education and care (ECEC) and HORIZONTAL : Supporting individuals in acquiring and developing basic skills and key competences meet the main project aim - improve the quality of preschool education with sharing the best children safety methods and outdoor learning practice in the different cultures preschool environment. The project is going to improve the quality through connection of both - outdoor pedagogy and the children safety. This integrated approach would help to increase the quality of preschool education level.Also the project ""Children Safety"" fits the National priorities of Lithuania - project Enhancing equity in school sector and increasing number of institutions participating in the program from pre-primary sector.Participants:12 participants (teachers/administrative staff) from VSI Lauko darzelis (Lithuania);12 participants (teachers/administrative staff) from Modra pikica (Slovenia);12 participants (teachers/administrative staff) from Waldkindergarten Flensburg e.V. (Germany);Project team will apply methodology in this project: Initiation, Planning, Execution, Control, Completion, Continuity.Qualitative expected project results:- exchanged best experiences about children safety in outdoor kindergartens,- better quality of preschool education based on outdoor learning in safe environment- greater understanding and responsiveness to social, ethnic, linguistic and cultural diversity,- increased teachers' self-confidence in the field of children safety;- better understanding about different culture education methods in children groups,- increased accessibility to quality preschool outdoor education,- strong strategic partnership with partner organisations,- better English language skills- more positive attitude towards the European project and the EU values."

"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)."

"Project ""Outdoor learning - the way to understand each other better"" tried to answer the most important question: How to improve the quality of preschool education integrating outdoor learning on purpose to facilitate the integration process in the multicultural classrooms? The project improved the quality through connection of both - outdoor pedagogy and multicultural integration. Children conflicts, misunderstandings, sneer - often problem in multicultural environment among children in preschools. Because of this reason the quality of education is decreasing . Researchers from UK and USA have proved that children when they are outdoor are less aggressive, more creative and positive, so outdoor education form could be nice improvement of integration process in multicultural children groups. This integrated approach helped to increase the quality of preschool education level in multicultural environment. Project objective - improve the quality of preschool education with sharing new methods and best practice of outdoor learning integration into multicultural environment. Implemented project tasks: 1) shared the knowledge and raised the competence of employees (teacher and administrative staff) in outdoor education; 2) shared the knowledge and raised the competence of employees (teacher and administrative staff) in multicultural integration; 3) adapted outdoor pedagogy methods in multicultural preschool education environment. The project was addressed to: - 416 preschool students (children) - the main target group - 56 preschool/school teachers and administrative staff - 670 parents and other relatives. - 328 relevant stakeholders - 3 preschool organizations (like institutional partners of project) Staff who participated In Learning/teaching/training activities (C1, C2, C3): 1 teacher, 1 person of administrative staff from Lithuania (2 participants for each activity); 1 teacher, 1 person of administrative staff from Turkey (2 participants for each activity); 1 teacher, 1 person of administrative staff from United Kingdom (2 participants for each activity); Description of Learning/teaching/training activities - C1, C2, C3 (each activity duration - 5 days +2 days traveling.): C1) Implemented program: Practical applicability of outdoor learning education method in multicultural preschool environment. Program included: Introduction of VSI Lauko darzelis, interactive multicultural event- ""Outdoor games - the way to understand each other"", training presenting of education quality based on outdoor education philosophy, outdoor learning integration to the public education sector, multicultural integration issues (expert), Interactive event (long hike in the regional park of Pavilniai), Job shadowing and open discussion, International partners sharing the best experience and practice. C2) Implemented program: Practical applicability of outdoor learning education method in rural, Cornish preschool environment. Program included: Introduction of Little explorers outdoor preschool, community and meeting team presentation, Tour of the setting and spend a bit of time with the staff and children and seeing how this work, Interactive multicultural event with local community, Training - presenting of outdoor education philosophy from the U.K. and how that looks internationally, Hands on Outdoor curriculum ideas, activities, workshops so that project participants can take away ideas and start making changes, in order to deliver outstanding curriculum outdoors. Evidencing learning and outcomes, recording children's learning progress and creating next steps. Provide Project participants with our "" Toolkit - Developing Outdoor provision- a beginners guide, Interactive event. C3) Implemented program: Learning and education methods in multicultural preschool environment Program included: introduction of Mehmet Selahattin Çolak Primary School, community and meeting team presentation, Multicultural festival, Presenting the in-door and out-door activities, Job shadowing and open discussion, Visiting an independent preschool with native and immigrant/refugee students, Presenting the education policy for immigrant/refugee children. What has been done so far and What are the future plans? How to treat and approach the children who came from war zones and How to ease their integration? For both topics experts were invited. Reached project results: - better quality of preschool education based on outdoor learning in the multicultural classes, - greater understanding and responsiveness to social, ethnic, linguistic and cultural diversity, - innovative approaches for more attractive preschool education - outdoor education in multicultural classes, - better understanding about multicultural integration process in children groups, - exchanged best experiences about outdoor learning and multicultural integration, - increased accessibility to quality preschool outdoor education"

Forest Kindergarten (FKG) is an educational institution in which children are encouraged to learn outdoors all year round, in a safe and stimulating natural environment. The concept, although supported by science behind it, is relatively new in some countries. Therefore, the educational system does not yet see the need for development of educational tools and methodologies applicable in an outdoor environment. These deficiencies, unfortunately, may be reflected in the worsened quality of children's school readiness. Priority of this project is therefore to address and improve professional development of outdoors educators working with preschool aged children. Project involves FKG teachers - employees of 4 partners (Slovakia, Spain, Lithuania and Romania) and one associated partner (private kindergarten included in the state school system in Slovakia). Besides sharing best practice among partners, the core of the project rests in educational blocks covering 5 main areas of children competences (cognitive, emotional, social, learning and psychomotor competences). The educational activities are aimed to provide participants with profound theoretical and practical knowledge of the topic and give them specific tools to be used when supporting development of given competences in an outdoor education. The project also contains activities to promote the exchange of experience and good practice. The expected results of the project can be characterised in several points:1. Results and outcomes directly connected with increased quality education and indirectly with children (better quality of outdoor preschool education, innovative approaches for more attractive preschool education programmes, better preparation and on fluent consecutiveness to basic education and prevention of later learning difficulties, better understanding of interconnections between formal and non-formal education).2. Results and outcomes connected with pedagogues (professional development, increased motivation and satisfaction in daily pedagogues` work, international experience, reflexion and inspiration from education methodology).3. Results and outcomes connected to participating organizations (exchanged experiences regarding preschool education in direct contact with nature, new experience in international cooperation, strategic planning of professional development for staff in line with individual needs and organisation's objectives, a more dynamic, committed and professional environment inside the organisation: ready to integrate good practices into daily activities). As for the expected impact, the project plans to reach following groups:- Direct impact on the participants - teachers (trainings have improved quality of knowledge of teachers in outdoor education of preschool aged children, experiential learning, workshops and job shadowing allowed teachers to gain skills in using specific methods and tools in outdoor education of preschool aged children, discussions and sharing of best practices expanded the range of options usable in FKG).- Direct impact on participating organizations and their employees (international project will reinforce cooperation with partners from other countries, strengthen leadership, management and soft skills of participants, cooperation between different european regions will enhance understanding and responsiveness to social, ethnic, linguistic and cultural diversity, educational materials can be used within the organisations to train and educate their employees who did not participate in the project).- Indirect impact on preschool aged children (last but not least through improved quality of knowledge and skills of teachers, preschool children will be impacted indirectly, which will consequently improve quality of their school readiness). Thanks to this project, teachers will strengthen the profile of their outdoor teaching profession through an active understanding and implementation of knowledge, skills and attitudes in experiential learning. Also, the main tangible output in this project is the textbook (educational material) with specific recommendations for each area of development, useful in FKG and also in (non-forest) kindergartens as a complementary methodological material for teaching in nature. The textbook will be a joint output for all partner organizations. This material will be disseminated across several channels, will be accessible to wide public, sent to Universities with preschool education programs, shared between educational providers and used in any outdoor education, including homeschooling. Desirably, the project will help to open, mediate and reinforce international cooperation among FKG from different countries and the initiative behind it will rise more questions about the needs of teachers in outdoor education of preschool aged children and there will be open discussion on an European level on how to (legally) frame this group and support its needs.

"Analysing the conditions of childhood today we can see that children are over-commited and over-protected as ""Bubble wrap generation"" as defined by Malone. They are ""closed"" within the school and domestic walls, with few opportunities to gain experience in nature with the risk of experiencing the condition which Richard Louv called ""Nature deficit order"". They need to make concrete, manual and sensorial ""vital"" experience to reconnect to nature and to be able to feel well at the physical and psychological level. For these reasons we feel the need to re-think our school where outdoor education can be established more strongly as educational paradigm. The partnership schools are characterized by a strong focus on educational experience in nature and share the desire to develop further the professionalism, teaching methods and the organization itself and consequently the quality of their educational work and the well-being of children. All participating kindergartens need to continue experimenting as open air schools with continuous reflections and joint training opportunities for innovative methods by creating spacec of comparisons, reflections and training wthin the partnership. The main objective is to improve and increase professional, personal and cultural skills by offering an important support to teachers and to their educational work. Another objective is to favor an innovative teaching process, helping teachers to develop/innovate methods in order to be able to respond in an even more competent way to the needs of childhood today. The partnership is composed of five kindergartens from Italy, Lithuania, Slovenia, Spain and Finland. The project includes six short-term joint staff training meetings with the study of some issues related to outdoor education. In a parallel way each kindergarten will start experimenting with innovative activities and methods which will be documented and shared on the eTwinning platform. At the end of the project a final report will be produced by each school that documents the transformations and changes taken place within the school and a manual that illustrates concrete daily actions to create a more sustainable school. Starting from the main objective it will create positive effects (a) on the development and quality of each kindergarten (a ""re-thought"", changed and improved school), (b) on the educational local context(in some territories of our partnership there is still the strong need to sensiblize the importance of nature for the development of children and to be or become like a ""lighthouse"" in order to stimulate experimenting of this pedagogical approach also in other contexts and educational centres) and (c) on the well-being of all members of the educating community (including families)."