Today’s kindergarten concept is rapidly changing. There is a tendency toward transferring the educational activities to the outdoors. That’s why some new, alternative approaches such as Nature Kindergartens and Forest Kindergartens have started to gain popularity recently. In this Project, we would like to promote a new, alternative kindergarten approach. Eco Farm Kindergartens (EFK) is a unique, highly innovative project based on enhancing the skills of kindergarten teachers and children to carry out more effective eco farming activities. Seven countries are involved in this project (Estonia, Italy, Lithuania, Norway, Portugal, Romania and Turkey) with a total of 925 children aged 2-7 and 85 teachers and teacher assistants with different experience, knowledge, beliefs, but common educational ideals. The EFK partners will participate in a variety of organizations to enhance their own and children’s skills in more effective ecological farming activities which will enable kindergarten teachers, assistants, leaders, parents and other educators to engage in a holistic and sustainable Farming Education with the children they are working. For this program, our main OBJECTIVES will be as follows: • TO OBTAIN PRACTICAL AND APPLICABLE SKILLS for our teachers and children on farming activities • TO EQUIP OUR CHILDREN WITH AGRICULTURAL TASKS, to observe the cycle of life firsthand • TO NURTURE OUR CHILDREN’S LOVE FOR ANIMALS especially FARM ANIMALS to build connection, empathy and stewardship • TO RAISE OUR CHILDREN’S ECOLOGICAL AWARENESS through different tasks on 4 elements and pollination to help them to shape sustainable future. • TO ENGAGE OUR CHILDREN IN ENGLISH CLASSES with the theme on ‘Farm Life’ • TO IMPROVE OUR EDUCATIONAL PRACTICES via collaboration with other colleagues from different Eco Farm Kindergartens. In order to achieve these objectives, we have chosen 4 main topics for which we will develop 4 workshops: 1. Four Elements (Earth, Sun, Water and Air) in the Nature 2. Flowers and Flower-visiting Insects 3. Our Happy Farm Animals 4. Learn, Grow, Harvest and Eat These 4 workshops will be led by Seven Little Farmers who live in each partner kindergartens, made by teachers and children from recycled materials in each country. These characters will be the representatives for each kindergarten participating in this project. Throughout the project (about 24 months), the kindergarten teachers will be guiding children in various farming tasks such as: -Making a simple greenhouse, Bee hotel, Competition kite -Growing veggies and fruits in the garden -Catering at least one farm animal in the garden - Planting a tree/ flowers -Producing a dairy product -Cooking their own harvested crops -Visits to various places -Welcoming visitors from different occupations -Celebrating important days related to farming, food, animal, ecology and animals -Organizing events (Harvesting Day, Planting a Tree Day, Mother’s Day, etc.) at the kindergarten During the implementation of the project, the following methodological tools will be used: -Pre and post surveys with children and questionnaires with teachers, families, experts, local authorities -Booklets, brochures, leaflets, posters, etc. -A Project website, a photo album -Project pages on social networking sites (eTwinning, Facebook, YouTube) The project will have a significant impact on kindergarten children and teachers, families and local communities. Some of the expected impacts are as follows: -The improvement of the skills and competences of kindergarten teachers and children on Farming activities. -The development of agricultural skills of children through planting and harvesting their own crops. -The increasing awareness of the importance of organic food and healthy eating at an Early Childhood. -The nurtured love and sympathy of children through catering animals. -The enhancement of children’s cooking and food preparation skills using necessary gadgets -The increasing knowledge of children, teachers and parents about different places (farm, dairy farm, botanical garden, agricultural center, green market, etc.) and different jobs (farmer, bee-keeper, vet, nutritionist, florist, etc.) and their duties. -The increasing satisfaction of parents with the education of their children by taking active roles in some activities throughout the project. -Having more teachers, children and parents feeling themselves as part of the European Community. -Having more teachers, educators, parents, local people become familiar with some aspects of the European dimension and Farm Education.
In this Project, we wanted to promote a new, alternative kindergarten approach. Eco Farm Kindergartens (EFK) is a unique, highly innovative project based on enhancing the skills of kindergarten teachers and children to carry out more effective eco farming activities. Seven countries were involved in this project (Estonia, Italy, Lithuania, Norway, Portugal, Romania and Turkey) with a total of 925 children aged 2-7 and 125 teachers and teacher assistants with different experience, knowledge, beliefs, but common educational ideals. The EFK partners took part in a variety of activities to enhance their own and children’s skills in more effective ecological farming activities which enabled kindergarten teachers, assistants, leaders, parents and other educators to engage in a holistic and sustainable Farming Education with the children they were working. For this program, our main OBJECTIVES were as follows: • TO OBTAIN PRACTICAL AND APPLICABLE SKILLS for our teachers and children on farming activities • TO EQUIP OUR CHILDREN WITH AGRICULTURAL TASKS, to observe the cycle of life firsthand • TO NURTURE OUR CHILDREN’S LOVE FOR ANIMALS especially FARM ANIMALS to build connection, empathy and stewardship • TO RAISE OUR CHILDREN’S ECOLOGICAL AWARENESS through different tasks on 4 elements and pollination to help them to shape sustainable future. • TO ENGAGE OUR CHILDREN IN ENGLISH CLASSES with the theme on ‘Farm Life’ • TO IMPROVE OUR EDUCATIONAL PRACTICES via collaboration with other colleagues from different Eco Farm Kindergartens. In order to achieve these objectives, we have chosen 4 THEMES for which we developed four workshops (LTTs): 1. Four Elements (Earth, Sun, Water and Air) in the Nature 2. Flowers and Flower-visiting Insects 3. Our Happy Farm Animals 4. Learn, Grow, Harvest and Eat. Throughout the project (about 24 months), the kindergarten teachers guided the children in various farming tasks such as: -Making a simple greenhouse, Bee hotel, Competition kite -Growing veggies and fruits in the garden -Catering at least one farm animal in the garden - Planting a tree/ flowers -Producing a dairy product -Cooking their own harvested crops -Visits to various places -Welcoming visitors from different occupations -Celebrating important days related to farming, food, animal, ecology and animals -Organizing events (Harvesting Day, Planting a Tree Day, Mother’s Day, etc.) at the kindergarten During the implementation of the project, the following METHODOLOGICAL TOOLS were used: -Pre and post surveys with children, questionnaires with teachers, evaluation forms with workshop participants. The project had a significant impact on kindergarten children and teachers, families and local communities. Some of the expected impacts are as follows: -The improvement of the skills and competences of kindergarten teachers and children on Farming activities. -The development of agricultural skills of children through planting and harvesting their own crops. -The increasing awareness of the importance of organic food and healthy eating at an Early Childhood. -The nurtured love and sympathy of children through catering animals. -The enhancement of children’s cooking and food preparation skills using necessary gadgets -The increasing knowledge of children, teachers and parents about different places (farm, dairy farm, botanical garden, agricultural center, green market, etc.) and different jobs (farmer, bee-keeper, vet, nutritionist, florist, etc.) and their duties. -The increasing satisfaction of parents with the education of their children by taking active roles in some activities throughout the project. -Having more teachers, children and parents feeling themselves as part of the European Community. -Having more teachers, educators, parents, local people become familiar with some aspects of the European dimension and Farm Education.