A Natureza vai à Escola

The absence of free play in nature is notable in educational establishments in Portugal, which has consequences for the development of children's motor, cognitive, emotional, and social skills; and causes a significant increase in mental disorders, such as anxiety, depression, hyperactivity, attention deficit and thoughts of suicide in the transition from adolescence to adulthood; as well as the growing trend towards overweight, obesity, diabetes, heart and respiratory diseases. This disconnection from nature and deprivation of free play is related to excessive protection, due to a lack of knowledge about the importance and benefits associated with free play in nature and healthy risks. With this project, it was possible to transmit to the educational community information about safety measures and risk assessment used by safe, appropriate, and experienced outdoor teaching and free play approaches, practiced for decades in other countries, both at European and global levels, as well as demystifying the fears and insecurities associated with free play in nature, and the lack of knowledge about its benefits.

With this project, we promote equal opportunities for free play and learning in nature and/or outdoors with natural elements for all children, especially those with fewer opportunities; and we reach education professionals from social institutions who educate and care for children from families with fewer opportunities, contributing to Inclusion and Diversity in education. The Estoi Community Center (ECC) innovated its teaching approach and the experience of its staff in outdoor learning and free play approaches, contributing to the Development of High-Quality Early Childhood Education. There was a reconnection of the ECC team and the acquisition of confidence and motivation in the development of outdoor learning activities. In the children benefiting from the project, respect for others and nature was developed. Among the parents, it was possible to observe a change in awareness of the importance and benefits of free play in nature. The development of the entire project with environmental awareness triggered awareness in this sense within the educational community in its daily actions and activities outside the project.

During the project, 8 Training Courses were developed in outdoor learning approaches, free play, and sociocracy (5 in-person: 4 in Portugal and 1 in Turkey; and 3 online); 3 Transnational Meetings for organization, follow-up/monitoring, presentation of results, analysis, and evaluation of the project; and 5 Dissemination Events (4 in person in Portugal and 1 online) to publicize and propagate the project, and present the results obtained, namely the video and methodological guide “How to connect School to Nature”. The video was created to raise awareness of the topic and motivation to implement the approach, and the guide as a tool to assist in the practice and application of the integrative approach developed during the project and implemented during the 2022/2023 curricular year, in daycare and preschool “O Caracol” at the Estoi Community Center. Throughout the project, a Quality Assurance, Monitoring, and Project Evaluation Plan was developed, through online and in-person questionnaires to participants in all project activities; and Management and Coordination of the project was maintained to ensure its success.

The project outputs were the creation of an integrative approach that recognizes the child as a whole and is based on the child's holistic development in connection with the natural world; and the creation of the video and methodological guide “How to Connect School to Nature” - testimonials of the project itself, tools for propagating the approach and sources of information to demystify blockages and erroneous perceptions regarding free play in nature, as well as to understand its importance and benefits within the educational community. There was a constructive impact on the team and parents of the children at “O Caracol”. Clarifying the benefits of this approach and the evidence throughout the year of implementation made the importance of free play in nature clear to them, making them believers, confident, and interested in its continuation. A network of contacts was created to apply the approach and carry out other projects. Including students from the Basic Education course at the University of Algarve in the dissemination events amplified the results, creating a network of young adults interested in acquiring knowledge about the approach, through internships and training.