Increasing quality and equity of ECEC services is a priority for all EU countries and can make a strong contribution, through enabling and empowering all children to realise their potential. Urban Horticulture has proved to be a powerful tool for education, socialisation and inclusion and for improving the sense of belonging to the community. GARDENStoGROW aims to provide ECEC teachers with an innovative teaching methodology, tools and materials for fostering inclusive attitudes and key competences acquisition from a very early stage of child development (0-6) through horticulture. This is made possible thanks to a balanced, transnational and complementary cooperation between: pre-primary and primary schools, children’s/science museums/STEM centres, HEIs and local educational authorities. The idea is that museums’ gardens, with an active support and inputs from schools, other partners and local stakeholders, can become permanent and living “learning places” for local schools, pupils, children and families, where they can meet and learn from each other. The project lasts 30 months and is composed of 11 partners, ECEC schools, children’s museums/STEM Centers, HEIs from Italy, the UK, Spain and Bulgaria, working together for the development of 4 IOs: - IO1 GARDENStoGROW Inventory: a comparative analysis of inclusive gardening practices and activities from Italy, the UK, Spain and Bulgaria, to identify skills and competences needed by teachers and ECEC professionals for inclusive and affordable gardening and ways of cooperation between schools and society; - IO2 GARDENStoGROW Methodology Guidelines: a definition of common guidelines relating to garden design structure, inclusive pedagogical practices and the model and structure of the international training course; - IO3 GARDENStoGROW Educational Materials & Training course: the core of the project, the development of materials and trainings, to foster the adoption of innovative and inclusive ECEC practices based on urban and social horticulture, through 2 training events, a pilot blended course and the creation of the gardens in each country; - IO4 Learning, Affordable, Inclusive and Open Gardens for Innovative ECEC practices: a set of recommendations to encourage the adoption of the most innovative and inclusive ECEC practices based on urban and social horticulture and on the active cooperation among the world of schools and society. IOs are disseminated through 4 multiplier events, 2 national and 2 transnational, while the whole project is built on management and implementation strategies, including communication, dissemination and evaluation, with 4 transnational meetings. GARDENStoGROW applies a participatory approach and collaborative reflection methodology to involve 1,800 participants in the activities and results: ECEC teachers and school leaders, teacher trainers and educators, personnel of children’s/Science Museums/STEM Centers and other ECEC teacher training providers; HEIs researchers and students, civil society organisations, pupils and families. Participants (mainly school teachers, teacher trainers, educators and experts) will be involved in 2 joint training staff events, while a pilot blended international course based on the project will be open also to other teachers, inside and outside the partnership. Besides the Intellectual Outputs, the project results include: a project website and social pages, an international network of Open, Affordable, Learning and Inclusive Gardens including pilot gardens and further gardens created according to the project guidelines, recommendations for recognition of competences acquired through participation in the pilot course based on the EQF, Guidelines for identification and involvement of disadvantaged schools in the pilot gardens. On a longer term, the project will impact on the quality of the ECEC sector by: - offering teachers and pupils aged 0-6 the opportunity to enrich their curriculum and competences based on a non formal and hands-on approach and an innovative tool for social inclusion or marginalised pupils; - improving the capacities of schools of operating in partnerships with key local actors, including children’s and science museums, STEM centres, foundations and research centres/universities; - evaluating in a long term perspective the efficacy and role of extra-curricular hands-on workshops based urban and social horticulture; - reinforcing cooperation between practice, research and policy. Thanks to GARDENStoGROW pupils and families, including those at risk of marginalisation, will benefit for better ECEC services, innovative pedagogical activities with motivated teachers. They will find in the pilot gardens a place for socialisation and inclusion and more opportunities for learning and experiencing direct contact with nature.
Increasing quality and equity of ECEC services is a priority for all EU countries and can make a strong contribution, through enabling and empowering all children to realise their potential. Urban Horticulture has proved to be a powerful tool for education, socialisation and inclusion and for improving the sense of belonging to the community. GARDENStoGROW provides ECEC teachers with an innovative teaching methodology, tools and materials to foster inclusive attitudes and key competences acquisition from a very early stage of child development (3-6) through horticulture. This is made possible thanks to a balanced, transnational and complementary cooperation with pre-primary and primary schools, children’s and science museums, STEM centres, universities and local educational authorities. Educational gardens, with an active support and inputs from school teachers and local stakeholders, can become permanent and living learning places for schools, pupils, children and families, where they can meet and learn from each other. During the entire project duration (30 months) 11 different partners – 4 schools, 2 children’s museums, 1 STEM Center, 2 universities, 1 foundation and 1 research centre from Italy, the UK, Spain and Bulgaria – produced 4 IOs: • IO1 GARDENStoGROW Inventory: a framework of inclusive practices and activities carried out in gardens by ECEC schools in 4 European countries: Italy, the UK, Spain and Bulgaria, identifying skills and competences needed by teachers and ECEC professionals to successfully carry out them (surveys, inventory of educational gardens and creative sessions with teachers); • IO2 GARDENStoGROW Methodology Guidelines: technical guidelines for educational gardens, with step-by-step construction and additional technical information, completed by evaluation grids on how to monitor inclusiveness during an educational activity and a set of observation categories to set the basis for an inclusive child-adult relationship; • IO3 GARDENStoGROW Educational Materials & Training course: an online course named GARDENStoLEARN, in a dedicated platform – Explora Education – with 3 different modules on how to establish and sustain an educational garden, how to design, develop and manage educational gardens, theory on inclusion, hands-on workshops for early childhood and community, completed by an international training course with the participating organisations, several national events and the creation of pilot gardens in each country; • IO4 Learning, Affordable, Inclusive and Open Gardens for Innovative ECEC practices: a pilot gardens catalogue, tips on inclusive education and a set of recommendations, exploring the multiple benefits of educational gardens, providing evidence and seeking links with global, European and national policy priorities. The project implemented 7 transnational meetings, 2 learning and teaching activities and several evaluation and communication activities. GARDENStoGROW involved more then 1,800 participants in the activities and results: ECEC teachers and school leaders, teacher trainers and educators, personnel of children’s/Science Museums/STEM Centers and other ECEC teacher training providers; HEIs researchers and students, civil society organisations, pupils and families. Besides the Intellectual Outputs, the project produced: a project website, communication on social media and partners’ websites, a growing community with the involved stakeholders, several recommendations and teaching documents useful for teachers and educators willing to create inclusive educational gardens and hands on workshops. On a longer term, the project will impact on the quality of the ECEC sector by: • offering teachers and pupils aged 3-6 the opportunity to enrich their curriculum and competences based on a non formal and hands-on approach and an innovative tool for social inclusion or marginalised pupils, through educational content provided in open format in the learning platform Explora Education; • improving the capacities of schools of operating in partnerships with key local actors, including children’s and science museums, STEM centres, foundations and research centres/universities; • evaluating in a long term perspective the efficacy and role of extra-curricular hands-on workshops based urban and social horticulture; • reinforcing cooperation between practice, research and policy. Thanks to GARDENStoGROW pupils and families, including those at risk of marginalisation, will benefit for better ECEC services, innovative pedagogical activities with motivated teachers. They will find in the pilot gardens a place for socialisation and inclusion and more opportunities for learning and experiencing direct contact with nature.