About project
„It´s good for them, it´s good for you – Social & Emotional Learning through bringing nature back to schools“ – SEL for schools
The Social Emotional Learning project aims to encourage and support emotional learning in young children through transforming their school grounds for the benefit of birds and themselves.
By implementing the program you will develop childrens’ emotional competences, nature knowledge and attitudes towards nature, at the same time, while using the outdoor environment. In the program, we will encourage you to also transform the playgrounds according to the needs of the birds and the children, creating a good environment for everybody, making a parallel between what the birds need to be good (water, plants, food, quiet areas) and what the children need to feel well (nature, play, movement, quiet areas).
The idea is to transform the playgrounds (re-naturalize them) in order to create an ecosystem – in the playgrounds – that bears in mind and respects the needs of children and birds at the same time, so the topic of birds can be worked on and linked to emotional education in parallel way.
How the birds are today – as how I am….What they need to be healthy, to be happy – what do I need to feel well, to be calm and happy…. What I can do to help the birds be better – what I can do to feel better – and make others feel better….What can I change to feel better in a playground.
If the sun gives me its warmth and light, I am more cheerful if I can play with the ground, in a green area, I relax, if I have time to be in nature or in a more natural environment the anguish is reduced and I feel happier.
The project is proposed for the early years or lower grades of primary school, and children aged 3 – 6 years old. The package of materials that you can find on these pages includes:
- Results of the Research Study that focused on measurement of children knowledge, level of social and emotional competences and attitudes towards nature before and after the SEL program implementation
- Educational guide for teachers to SEL program, supporting emotional intelligence (EQ) and social & emotional competences of early years and lower primary level (SEL) while using the outdoor environment and nature.
- Teacher training program, including 3 online modules, supporting teachers knowledge and competence of implemeting SEL in practice, with the use of the outdoor environment and nature
- Ideas for 65 activities, that you can use with children, as a part of SEL program
- Best practice and feedback shared by schools from 4 countries, that took part in the research and tested the SEL program during project implementation, in the spring 2022.
The project was implemented from September 2020 until August 2023 in Spain, Malta, UK and Slovakia, with kind support of ERASMUS+ program.
Project is linked to TAKE ME OUT project: https://takemeoutproject.eu/