Description
The importance of outdoor time in nature for increased wellbeing of children and the development of their envi-ronmental responsibility have been proven by numerous research. But today, in many countries including the Czech Republic we witness profound change of children‘s lifestyles: they spent many hours of screen-time every day opposed to just few minutes outdoors. Our goal is to take action against this trend. We will provide parents, teachers and other educators with information, skills, educational activities to enable them to learn and play with children in nature. The project will not only prepare a special webpage for parents and a programme for schools, but will also aim at influencing policymakers and broader educational community through a study and a conference to create better possibilities for increased outdoor time for children on a national scale. Project part-ner, Skogbrukets Kursinstitutt, will help to develop sample outdoor activities and lessons for school children.
Summary of project results
In the past two decades, contact children with nature significantly decreases. It is very likely that it has negative implications on their physical and mental health as well as on their academic performance. The aim of the project was to draw attention to it and through education among parents and teachers, and with high quality teaching material incentives for staying outdoors to highlight this fact and reverse this trend. In this project we were in communication with parents, teachers and professionals. Using Website JDETEVEN.CZ we motivated parents to children spending time outdoors. As part of the program activities JDETEVEN we have built a large community of families that are interested in the topic supporting children be outside. Parents are actively using games, activities and ideas from the web portal. The website achieved the greatest success together with the release of online worksheets Diary Into the Wilderness. Thanks to the free worksheets for each month of the year, the number of costumers of newsletter JDETEVEN at the end of the project reached the 2600th. Under the program Forest at School, we issued two Annual action plans for elementary schools that motivate teachers to teach children outside. Both plans were met with enthusiasm of teachers. Feedback from their testing in schools showed that the plans meet the teachers, because they provide great ideas for activities outdoors and at the same time can easily adjust their own teaching. Plans are created in accordance with the compulsory education curriculum and the teachers really appreciate it. From processed evaluation report, we know that both methodologies has a positive impact at children. Besides the consultations we held a series of workshops to help teachers in the orientation program. The regular networking with key players in this topic were held through all the time of the project. We organized a conference for professionals with presenting the ideas about the improvement of this topic. On the basis of studying 130 pieces of scientific literature, we wrote a book Children outside: Endangered species? It is the first comprehensive publication in Czech. It release was met with positive reception among professional and ordinary public. Readers appreciate the fact that despite the scientific focus is both readable. Report on this book on social networks so far been seen by 9,000 users and shared nearly 100 people. From the website it previously downloaded 1,000 web users.
Summary of bilateral results
Norwegian partner is one of the "matadors" of the program Forest in School. Norway was at the begining of establishing of the program. Therefore, we decided that we could work together more closely. We began to exchange email information about the possibilities of consultation and cooperation. We discussed the possibility of teaching students outdoors and also about possible barriers. Our partner gave us interesting advice, inspiration and insights into the program. We used these insights and inspiration in communication with Czech teachers. On the basis of our communication was a conversation in which we asked about the situation outside of teaching in Norwegian schools. This interview has been translated into Czech and again provided to the teachers involved in the program. With partner we met in person at the international meeting of the network LEAF, where we consulted the work of methodological materials for schools. During the project, we consider filing supplementary grant and we found information on other cooperation possibilities. From our partner we received funding for the planting of trees and shrubs for elementary school in Stříbrná Skalice.