We focused on the necessary changes in approaches to teaching in which, in addition to the development of digital skills that are necessary, there should be more practical work and raising awareness of environmental protection. We believed that such approaches to teaching will enable greater motivation, easier learning, acquisition of basic skills and an easier transition to the next level of education. The general goal of our project is to improve the competence of students and teachers in the field of teaching and learning through practical work and activities in the field of environmental protection. Other goals of the project are to increase students' interest in working with their hands, practical, research, student learning in class; strengthen the ecological awareness and responsibility towards all living beings, the environment;through practical learning to increase students' interest in natural subjects and education in trades; to improve the key competences of teachers and school management and to incorporate the exchanged knowledge and skills into the work of schools; improve communication in English and improve the internationalization of schools.
During the pandemic, the way of schooling and student activities changed: students were significantly more exposed to digital content while studying and during their free time. We noticed changes in their abilities, skills and achievements: poorer graphomotor skills, illegible handwriting, clumsiness in basic motor actions, poor experiential knowledge and knowledge of basic facts. But even in the education system, there are no opportunities to practice motor skills and practical work since the number of hours dedicated to art and technical culture subjects in which work with hands is applied has been reduced. As a result, students' interest in vocational training has decreased. Research has shown that working with hands develops motor skills, trains multitasking, exercises internal control, calmness, and concentration. In order to motivate students for more active involvement in the learning process, we remembered the thought: "What I hear, I forget. What I see is what I remember. What I do, I understand." This was our motivation for designing a project with which we wanted to include more experiential and practical learning, movement, being in nature in the classes and thus influence the psychological well-being of the students.