back to the wıld

President Valdas Adamkaus gymnasium cooperating with Vytautas Magnus University also with Latvian, Finnish and Lithuanian partners, is implementing the international Erasmus + project "Back To The Wild" from 11/01/2021.

The goal of the project: to strengthen the connection between children and wildlife by integrating non-traditional methods based on the principles of outdoor learning and pedagogy. This will help to develop ecological thinking, which includes not only an understanding of recycling or responsible consumption, but also a global view of the ecosystem, will enrich the true diversity of education, and will encourage children to explore and get to know their surroundings.

Project goals are the following:

To strengthen children's connection with wild nature and develop global ecological thinking and emotional intelligence.
To strengthen empathy and social skills by applying the principles of outdoor pedagogy and experiential learning.
To prepare methodological materials for educators, in which the presented methods and tools would emphasize the importance of fauna and flora in our ecosystem, would help to develop global ecological thinking.
To prepare outdoor pedagogy lesson plans.
To create an interactive, virtual nature notebook as an educational tool that includes specific tasks with instructions and information for students.

Partners of the project:

President Valdas Adamkus gymnasium (Lithuania)
Rigas Lietuviesu vidsskola (Latvija)
Kemeru nacionala parka fonds (Latvija)
Learning In Nature Ltd (Suomija)

Project organizers:

Vytautas Magnus University (Lithuania)

Project duration: 11/01/2021 – 12/01/2023

back to the wıld

Development of methodological guidance on how to plan your outdoor classes is in progress, as part of Erasmus+ KA2 project
“Back to the Wild: Non-traditional Educational Methods in Primary Education“.

Since September project’s “Back to the Wild” project members from Latvia, Finland and Lithuania intensively have been working on the development of the methodological guidance how to plan outdoor activities. Here you can find some tips that project members want to share with:

If you are planning an outdoor session with your students, take a look at the list of the equipment a primary school teacher might need when teaching outdoors, which was proposed by Gaye Amus, an environmental educator, a permaculture designer and a founder of Learning In Nature Ltd,:

1) A backpack (depending on the activity this can range from 30 l to 50 l)

2) A raincover for the bag

3) A white cloth to demonstrate things or gather natural materials on

4) Rope for climbing or swinging

5) Tarp to protect from rain or wind (depending on the size of the group, a light one of 3x4 size can be ideal)

6) Magnifying glasses

7) Paper boards for pupils to write or take notes

8) String

9) Identification cards (animals, plants, trees, birds, mushrooms…)

10) Small pocket books about local fauna/flora

11) Extra gloves and extra socks

12) Outdoor Clothes

13) First aid kit

14) Ice pack for first aid happening on land. Warm pack for first aid from water. Preferably sustainable options, not one-time use.

15) Some tools like portable saw, knife, a pair of scissors or pliers

16) Bug Box viewer

17) Sieves for water environments (e.g. to catch a frog and leave it)

18) Portable water container

19) Biodegradable, environmentally-friendly soap

20) Sitting mat(s). Every pupil can bring their personal one or the school can have mats for pupils to borrow.

21) Small cloth bags for activities. The teacher can put cards in them or natural materials to use in outdoor learning. If preferred, a basket can also be used for this purpose although it might be easier to carry cloth bags in the backpack and keep both hands free.

22) A small garbage bag and if possible a litter picker. There are foldable and light ones available.

Project Implementation Activities

On 20-21 February 2023, the second meeting of the international Erasmus+ project "Back to the Wild: Non-Traditional Educational Methods in Primary Education" took place in Helsinki. On the first day of the meeting, project representatives from Vytautas Magnus University, Riga Lithuanian School, Kemeri National Park, Finnish educational institution "Learning in Nature" and President Valdas Adamkaus Gymnasium discussed the project stages that had already been implemented, agreed on further implementation deadlines and cooperation guidelines. Project dissemination and quality assurance activities were also included in the agenda of the meeting. The second day of the meeting was dedicated to "Nature Center Haltia", which is located near Helsinki. The nature center offers various outdoor aducational activities for the students.

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NEW EXPERIENCES OF NON-TRADITIONAL LESSONS OUTSIDE TOGETHER WITH PARTNERS FROM LATVIA AND FINLAND

Teacher training “Stepping Outside: Teachers’ Essentials” took place in President Valdas Adamkus gymnasium, Kaunas, Lithuania on 24-27 April 2023, as part of Erasmus+ KA2 project “Back To The Wild: Non-Traditional Educational Methods in Primary Education“ (Nr. 2021-1-LT01-KA220-SCH-000024683). Fourteen primary teachers form President Valdas Adamkus gymnasium and four primary teachers from Rigas Lietuviesu vidusskola, Latvia took part in a 3-day training led by Gaye Amus from Learning In Nature, Finland, as well as Jānis Sluke and Agnese Čamane from Kemeri National Park, Latvia.

The aim of the training was to acquaint teachers with the principals and ideas provided in the developed methodology and to prepare them to conduct non-traditional lessons in practice. Experts shared their expertise and organized training activities in outdoor conditions. Teachers learned how to integrate nature-based experiential activities into curriculum, found out about the main principles of outdoor pedagogy, its main didactic questions, the role of an outdoor educator, and many useful practical tips for giving outdoor lessons. A particular emphasis was put on reflation, which is a key element of outdoor education. Teachers also had the opportunity to observe how nature experts give outdoor classes to primary students, the way they manage the class outside, methods they apply and ways they behave in non-traditional outdoor areas. Project partners from Kemeri National Park also demonstrated their latest innovation "Mobile Nature Class" and shared their expertise in creating awareness of fauna and flora and giving outdoor classes. It helped participants broaden their horizons and thus prepare for more effective implementation of the principals of outdoor education.

“There is no such thing as bad weather – only wrong clothes” – that was the main statement that summarized the training. Teachers reflected they were inspired by nature experts and advocates and were definitely going to integrate outdoor education methods in their every teaching activity more actively, rain or shine.

Erasmus+ KA2 project “Back To The Wild: Non-Traditional Educational Methods in Primary Education“ (Nr. 2021-1-LT01-KA220-SCH-000024683)

Project coordinator – Vytautas Magnus University

Project Partners - Prezidento Valdo Adamkaus gimnazija (Lithuania),

Rigas Lietuviesu vidsskola (Latvia),

Kemeru nacionala parka fonds (Latvia),

Learning In Nature Ltd (Finland).