Small Scientists Across Europe is a project combining kindergarten education programmes, reflections on the implementation of these programmes and innovative methods for acquiring scientific knowledge in order to develop thinking in a structured way. This project brought together seven European schools of preschool level from six different countries, including a school specialising in the education of pupils with disabilities, linking more than 75 teachers, 1000 pupils and their families.It allowed students to broaden their scientific knowledge on four main themes: Earth, Air, Water and Fire and to be confronted with problem situations in order to acquire the skills necessary to understand phenomena through an investigative approach.By allowing children to appropriate a motivating starting question (simple but making sense so that children appropriate the problem and want to solve it), this approach allows them to experiment themselves with simple and available equipment, to confront others in action, to observe what they are looking for, to discuss with their peers, to bring out solutions and to share discoveries. This approach allows for in-depth and not superficial learning through the understanding of the real-world phenomena to which they have been exposed and the active construction of knowledge. This project also made it possible to develop language in all its dimensions and communication.Each theme to be studied was divided into several experiments taking into account the material, effects and possible transformations. The young child in each structure was confronted not only with experiments conducted in his or her environment, but also those carried out by the partners (twenty-one different experiments on each theme, three in each school and of three difficulty levels). The experience of the partner countries allows the confrontation of events, structures and thinking that are different from those of the country of origin. Experiences are documented in manuals for children to create personalized materials, including real and functional experiences.In addition to the production of four scientific books (one on each theme) for students, teachers and academic inspection (to ensure wider dissemination), students produced literary works (twenty eight stories on the four different themes) and played online activities based on their own drawings or productions. Thanks to the scientific context integrated into the children's daily environment and the selected activities that are an integral part of the national education programmes, our children's skills in research, critical thinking and creativity have been developed. They experimented with different materials, learned through play, cooperation and collaboration with other children, respecting rules and responsibilities, had the opportunity to explore, observe, analyse and solve problems, feel the joy of creativity.Our project has strengthened the digital and technical key competences of staff and children, as well as the key competences in cultural and intercultural awareness. Teachers in partner pre-schools are now more confident and more willing to adopt and use new technologies in their classrooms. A dedicated project website is a living and regularly updated source of information that will continue after the two years of the project (part of the budget has been set aside to maintain the site). Throughout the project's life cycle, the documents have been registered in Twinspace on the eTwinning platform, all teachers have registered and been able to discover the platform and get involved in projects.All planned project meetings were successfully implemented and took place in a fruitful and productive atmosphere. At these meetings, objectives, targets and activities were clearly defined. An agreed timetable clarified all objectives and set specific deadlines, and these meetings were an excellent opportunity to exchange good practices in science education. Communication between participating educational staff strengthened networks and provided feedback on ideas that could be used in the project.The evaluations put in place show a real interest on the part of children and teachers in this type of discovery, the practice of experiments in class and the desire to ensure that this teaching continues in future years. The parents of the students appreciated this different approach, the team's investment in this project, its success and the communication around it.

The project rose from the needs to meet the requirements of the modern world via developing and implementing innovative educational practices related to experience-based pedagogical approach educating children aged 3-12. The project outcomes target at strengthening professional profile of already working educators and students - future teachers by developing pedagogical guidelines on experiential education, open educational tools-real life cases, offering training for improvement of professional and communicative skills, improving curricula of pre-school, primary and teacher training institutions.The consortium of project partners consisted of 9 institutions: 3 non-academic universities from Lithuania, the Netherlands, Latvia, 4 academic universities from Turkey, Greece, Portugal and Romania (all institutions provide teacher training for pre-school and primary education), a primary school (providing pre-primary and primary education) from Lithuania and a kindergarten (providing pre-school education) from Lithuania. All partners have associated partners kindergartens and primary schools, they function in big clusters together with other educational institutions, social partners, non-profit or profit organization of informal education.Tangible project results are: 1. Research survey report about experiential education in LT, RO, NL, GR, PT, TR, LV; 2. Handbook of pedagogical guidelines for educators and parents about experiential teaching/learning of children aged 3-12; 3. Case studies for practical usage; 4. Curriculum update. Intangible project results are: 1. Improved professional skills of teachers in pre-school and primary education; 2. Increased cross-cultural awareness and communication abilities; 3. Better language skills.Every project institution functioned in a cluster together with pre-school and/or primary education institutions which are the sites of students practical training. The project results are disseminated among those social partners. To make the results easy accessible intellectual outputs will be translated into national languages.

CONTEXTWe are 5 European schools united by the goal of sharing our experiences in terms of eco-projects and activities meant to improve the awareness and level of engagement of our pupils and their parents, to make them understand the importance of social and ecological responsibility and to set the basis for the future healthy attitudes of students towards the environment. We have identified the common need to help pupils realise that what we do today will have consequences on tomorrow. The five partner schools come from different areas and bear their own cultural marks and mentalities in relation with civic and ecological responsibility. However, each of us has good practices to promote and thus we can join our efforts to create a common framework of best practices that will be multiplied in our areas, thus impacting not only the current generations of pupils but also the ones which are yet to come.OBJECTIVESThe main goal of the project is to permit the exchange of good practices among partners in terms of eco projects and teaching activities related to environmental topics, so that at the end of the project, we create a database of these. Specific object:O1 – raise awareness about the energy resources and clever consumption of these resources O2 – become aware of importance of water for human beings and how we can consume it wiselyO3 – realise the effects of irresponsible food consumption on the health and the environment and foster responsible behavioursO4 – create a culture for care about the environment and foster principles of recycling among pupils and their familiesO5 – improve the attitudes of the beneficiaries towards the environment and awaken social responsibilityO6 – permit the intercultural exchange and improve intercultural awareness of teachers, pupils and parentsNUMBER AND PROFILE OF PARTICIPANTSThe five transnational training events will involve the participation of 16 teachers from each school distributed 4/mobility. These teachers are mainly primary teachers, but also English teachers, who will contribute to the language lessons developed throughout the project. Thus, a total of 60 teachers will be participants and primary beneficiaries. Secondary beneficiaries are the pupils in the partner schools, mainly pupils aged 6-8, which means around 400 pupils. These are involved in the local activities, cultural activities, campaigns and direct beneficiaries of lessons and activities observed by their teachers during the training events. ACTIVITIESC1 – Clever consumption of energy (RO)C2 – Clever water consumption (LT)C3 – Clever food consumption (TR)C4 – Clever management of waste (IT)C5 – Clever lifestyle and attitude to the environment (PL)METHODOLOGYBefore and after each LTTA we will connect on eTwinning. Before LTTAs, the purpose is to establish mobility details, while after the LTTAs our aim is to share the results of the activities that participants apply with their pupils as a result of participation. This will act as a monit. activity too, so as to check the level of attainment of objectives step by step.RESULTS Concrete results: environment-related lesson plans and teaching materials to teach literacy and numeracy, science and PE, project ideas and project database, local campaign on each sub-topic that will be multiplied in each host school after the transnational training events, videos, pupils’ products (artwork, objects made from recycled materials, dissemination platforms such as eTwinning and school websites, social media platforms, campaign materials, interviews and questionnaires.Intangible results: the improved awareness of the beneficiaries about pressing environmental problems, improved attitudes and changed behaviours, improved intercultural awareness and understanding of the similarities and differences among us, improved methodologies of teachers.IMPACTThe schools involved will develop at various levels:1. the human resources – teachers who participate directly will be more motivated and will contribute to the creation of lessons and materials. This will give them a sense of belonging to a professional network and a sense of self-worth. Therefore, they will be more active in the school activities.- pupils will become more aware of the right behaviours they should adopt in order to protect the environ. They will take on an active role in the campaigns, which is intended to stir their civic engagement from early ages.2. relationship with parents – it will become closer as parents will also be involved in the project activities. As such, they are expected to get more involved in the school life in the future.3. image at local level – schools will become more visible in their local communities as important factors in educating children for the future, beyond the mere subject teaching frame. 4. School policy – schools will integrate environ. topics in their curriculum more, so as to continue using the results of the project beyond its lifespan

"<< Objectives >>The project seeks to improve the educational achievements of preschoolers by improving STEAM and experiential education approach. The objectives of the Project are:1. to strengthen preschool teachers' methodological skills and to expand the space of learning outside the classroom;2. to encourage every child's decision-making skills and active participation of children with special needs in STEM activities; 3. to increase multicultural awareness and the European dimension in partner schools.<< Implementation >>The project will be realized within 6 stages, each of them ensuring the achievement of the project goal and objectives.1. Overall and distributed project management;2. Preparation. Kick-off meeting;3. Implementation. Making STEAM maps;4. Implementation. STEAM to EVERY child/ testing STEAM maps;5. Implementation. Testing A Practical Handbook / Final products (Maps and a Handbook;6. Dissemination and continuity.<< Results >>The results of the project:1. A set of tools for preschool teachers - 4 online maps ""STEAM on foot"". The tools will be available on the project website and on eTwinning.2. A Practical Handbook of STEAM maps itineraries (activities) created together with children of participating schools. 10% increased decision-making skills of the children (target group of the project).3. Increased multicultural awareness (10%) of teachers and pupils of the partners' schools."

MOTIVATIONSince reading an essay entitled biophilia, the idea of the project arose: that people are naturally attracted against their natural world. However, numerous parents in the 21st century will challenge this hypothesis, when they witness their children show a strong preference for sitting in front of a television in a sofa over playing outdoors. It is estimated that the typical European child spends 4 to 7 minutes every day in unorganized outdoor play, and more than 7 hours per day in front of a computer.The project includes two key activities in its core; on one side, it will take children outside and on the other side it will teach them specific responsibility toward nature and the world beyond.Based on all these reasons and goals, as Europe's primary school teachers, we have come together and created this study to implement a comprehensive curriculum to connect our children with nature, to make them excited in the outdoors, to create and implement easy and realistic entertaining practices within the school systems.We've established 50 specific outdoor plays (10 for each LTTA), as primary school teachers would come together in 5 LTTAs and organize workshops with their techniques, strategies, resources and formulation to create such plays appropriate for schools. They will introduce and apply these plays in their schools upon returning home from the mobility and they will integrate them into their curriculum of our schools.OBJECTIVESO1. To share experiences and practices related to teaching of outdoor games between primarylevel teachers from various European countriesO2. To promote the production of outdoor playing teaching resources appropriate for schoolsO3. To develop the environmental awareness among children O4. To provide children with individual and social commitment and responsibilityO5. To enhance the role and position of the school inside the local communitiesO6. To popularize an active citizenship and social/civic responsibilityThe project events and activities will allow the children to play outdoors and show the children individual responsibilities for nature and hence the environment. Therefore, they are going to be more aware of preserving nature.PARTICIPANTSThe project firstly addresses kids/children aged between 4-11 as main beneficiaries via their teachers who will study and work out the practical activities in the LTTAs, which will then be implemented locally. Teachers will be the second beneficiaries and they will be the main actors for running the activities at first hand as instructors. 5 teachers from each partner school will take part in each LTTA. 50 teachers will benefit as direct participants and minimum 150 teachers as indirect ones. Altogether, the dissemination events will affect around 500 teachers. 150 aged between 4-11 are actively and directly involved in the activitiesACTIVITIES AND METHODOLOGYWe've established 50 specific outdoor plays (10 for each LTTA), as primary school teachers would come together in 5 LTTAs and organize workshops with their techniques, strategies, resources and formulation to create such plays appropriate for schools. They will introduce and apply these plays in their schools upon returning home from the mobility and they will integrate them into their curriculum.RESULTS AND IMPACTThe outdoor plays created and uploaded to the virtual platforms during project events and will be used by all partners after completion - this will increase the schools 'resource base. New courses for pupils may be created further on, such as using the materials produced in the project.The project also involves the growth of the human resources, which is both useful in the short and long term. Project builds partnerships between teachers and their colleagues in Europe and offers them the ability to create potential ideas for future project. All participating teachers improve their knowledge of other systems of education and can use the best practices in their own regional contexts.There will be increased cooperation among teachers within the same school and this would increase the intensity of intra-institutional ties. It will establish an optimistic atmosphere and greater collaboration and will help all of the school's actors.Once outdoor activities are used, the lessons will become more appealing to pupils. That means children will feel more inspired to study. They will also grow a sense of responsibility and continue to take a more active role within their culture, supporting themselves, the identity of the school and the society itself. In coming years, students and their instructors will plan environmental education programs. They may also arrange after-school activities for pupils and allow the involved citizenship normal activity at school level.