How can a preschool become a space where sustainability is learned through direct experience with nature?
This was the starting point of a training week with two teachers from Romania—a school director and a classroom teacher—both eager to innovate their educational practice and bring more experiential learning into early childhood education.
The course focused on Eco-Schools and Outdoor Education, beginning with a theoretical overview of the European Union’s role in promoting education and sustainability, as well as the structure and potential of the Eco-Schools programme, with special attention to the Early Years framework.
We then explored the principles of Outdoor Education, including its benefits, its connection to Experiential Learning, and its differences from Environmental and Adventure Education.
The real transformation, however, came when theory turned into practice.
Outdoor activities allowed participants to fully engage in hands-on learning. Through the creation of a nature-based dreamcatcher and the sensory experience “Feeling Nature”, they rediscovered the importance of the senses in how we perceive the world, process information, and make decisions. This became a moment of genuine reflection, opening a dialogue on intuition and the deep connection between human beings and the natural environment.
In the following sessions, the teachers designed learning activities based on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), reimagined as “17 missions for Little Heroes of the Planet”. Through storytelling, play, and creativity, global sustainability concepts were made accessible for preschool children.
A key moment of the training was the Super Eco-Hero workshop, where participants experienced practical recycling games, sensory challenges, and outdoor exploration activities that can be directly transferred into classroom practice. The project also promotes the creation of a school mascot to strengthen the link between children, families, and sustainability.
The programme concluded with a creative reflection activity inspired by What a Wonderful World, followed by painting natural stones with symbolic quotes—leaving each participant with a tangible memory of the experience.
Beyond content knowledge, the week strengthened key competencies in outdoor learning design, sustainability education, experiential methodologies, and family engagement.
This experience confirmed a simple but powerful idea: sustainability education becomes meaningful only when it is lived. And before guiding children to care for the planet, educators must first experience what it means to truly belong to it.
Author: Roberta Muratore – JUMP Trainer
