In the scenarios we have already used in class and in the garden, children built birdhouses from recycled cartons, waited patiently for migratory birds, saw soil and fallen leaves as a source of life, and discovered how the forest protects the earth. With “Stronger Together,” they carried what they had learned to their peers and families in their own words. Curiosity grew. The idea that “this carton is not waste” took root. Observation and a sense of care became stronger. The environmental impact did not stay as knowledge alone; it turned into visible behaviour in the garden, in the classroom, and at home.

That is the spirit of the Collection: ready-to-use, complementary, age-appropriate scenarios that lead to action. The return of migratory birds, recycling in the classroom and in the yard, the source of life, the forest protects, learning to reforest, nature’s little advocates, and stronger together… These resources have already guided us. We are eager to integrate the ones we have not yet used as soon as the new school year begins.

Just as eagerly, we want to learn how these collections come alive in other schools. Where did you hang the birdhouse? How did you turn recycling into play? How did you help children feel the forest, the soil, and the traces we leave? How did you open the scenarios we have not yet tried? We believe every implementation, every small adaptation, and every student response is valuable. Each experience you share will be light and inspiration for us, and will give us a new way of seeing.

I have registered for the sessions on 8, 9 and 11 September. The insights, teachers’ voices, and practical details from those meetings will enrich what we write here on the Padlet. Every practice gathered by the education community will make the spirit of the Collection grow.

If environmental sustainability is a shared commitment, our contribution is to make it visible in children’s hands — and to stay open to learning from one another’s work.

Fatma Gülnar
Perihan Kıbrıslıoğlu Kindergarten

We are also learning, as educators, that GreenComp can begin at ages 3–6 through play, observation and action. The Collection is strongest when scenarios are linked, taken outdoors, and followed by a small product that travels home. We look forward to integrating the resources not yet used as the school year unfolds, and to learning from how other schools bring the same Collection to life.

One thing we will take forward
We will keep using the Scientix® Environmental Sustainability Collection as a living path, not as single activities: recycle → birdhouse and migratory birds → soil and forest → children speaking to families with “Stronger Together.”

What we would like to change
In our kindergarten we want sustainability to leave the worksheet and stay in the garden, the classroom routine and the home. Every scenario should end with a small trace children can carry: a leaflet, a photo, a seed, a story.

Who we would like to collaborate with
Preschool and ECEC teachers using the same Collection, BUSTIC EDU / Scientix colleagues, and our own families. We also want to learn from schools that have already implemented the scenarios we have not yet used.

An idea we could develop together
A shared preschool sequence: from recycled carton to birdhouse to family advocacy. Schools could exchange photos, children’s sentences and simple adaptations, so the Collection grows through real classroom use.

We are following the 8–9–11 September sessions to refine this and to walk it with others.

1. Citizen Science Biodiversity Audit

Turn the students into local ecologists by having them map and monitor the flora and fauna in the schoolyard or a nearby local park. This integrates biology, data science, and community action.

2.Classroom Hydroponics and "Future Food" Lab-Challenging the students to rethink agriculture and food systems by building and maintaining a small-scale indoor farming system.

Main challenge: Ensuring continuity across different age groups and finding enough time for systematic, interdisciplinary integration across the curriculum.

We will implement an eTwinning project this year:

https://school-education.ec.europa.eu/en/etwinning/projects/blue-data-across-borders/twinspace

Blue Data Across Borders unites four schools from different countries along the coast to tackle marine plastic pollution through hands-on citizen science. Pupils aged 15 to 18 learn one shared scientific protocol for sampling and identifying microplastics on the beaches near their schools, apply it on site, and report their findings so results can be compared across borders. Alongside the sampling, teams clean their local beaches, document litter and sampling points with ArcGIS, and build a joint geolocated dataset for further research. Pupils also draw on free Copernicus Sentinel satellite data from the European Space Agency to monitor their coastlines from space, comparing satellite imagery with their own ground observations. By combining IT, environmental education and fieldwork, pupils develop scientific, digital and civic skills while acting together for cleaner European seas.

Aristeidis Paliouras (arispaliouras@gmail.com)

What I’d like to change: Building on our school's recent achievement of earning the STEM School Label for the first time this year, I want to transition from isolated green activities to a systematic, cross-curricular approach. Collaboration & Shared Ideas: I am currently collaborating with a wonderful colleague who introduced me to this inspiring world, and together we are developing our first eTwinning projects. I would love to connect with other Scientix Ambassadors and European schools to co-design joint learning scenarios that combine educational robotics, sustainability, and international collaboration!

• What works well: Experiential learning through local fieldwork (visiting groves and Geopark/Ecomuseum), cross-curricular integration, and using digital tools (Popplet, Padlet, QR codes) to share findings.

• Challenges: Time constraints within the standard curriculum, and moving students from passive environmental awareness to active civic engagement and decision-making.

Inspired by GreenComp, I want to continue creating learning experiences where children become little explorers and responsible “green citizens” who discover nature, care for resources, reuse, create and collaborate.

From GreenComp to the classroom is a journey from awareness to action. And change begins with every child, every small gesture and every choice. 🌱💚

Together, we can transform the classroom into a place where sustainability is not only learned, but experienced, practiced and shared.

Scientix Ambassador

In our kindergarten, we actively work on reducing water and paper consumption through collaborative initiatives involving teachers, students, and parents. What works particularly well is engaging children in small groups (3–4 pupils) to solve real-life environmental challenges using hands-on science experiments and STEM inquiry.

Our pupils have worked on recycling and the 3Rs, biodiversity, trees, climate awareness and protection of our local environment. Through eTwinning, we have also collaborated with European schools and shared ideas and good practices.

A particularly successful experience was our project around Lefkanti Beach, a local Blue Flag beach. Pupils investigated plastic pollution and used robotics, programming and digital tools to explore solutions and promote environmental responsibility. We have also connected sustainability with trees, local biodiversity, culture and community action.

What works best is the project-based, interdisciplinary approach, where pupils learn by investigating real problems and taking action. eTwinning gives their work an authentic European dimension.

Our main challenges are limited time, curriculum demands and the need for continuity. We want sustainability to become a lasting part of our school culture rather than a series of isolated activities.

In my school and community, I would like to make sustainability more visible and action-oriented by introducing activities such as carbon-footprint calculations, digital storytelling, environmental data collection and collaborative challenges. These projects could help students understand their environmental impact and turn their ideas into meaningful local actions.

Analysing microplastic in european waters

Challenge - get fair analysis by Bach students