10 steps outside

<< Background >>The project aimed to reach two target groups with different needs: Pedagogical staff in basic education institutions: They should be given theoretical background knowledge and practical suggestions for the design of nature-based educational programs, as these have hardly been available so far - especially in combination with the use of digital tools. The target group of learners is often massively limited in their mobility, because it is difficult for them to visit unknown places. This restricts their freedom of movement and action, which in turn makes it more difficult for them to find their way to educational opportunities. Here, access to natural and social environments should be facilitated by providing low-threshold offers - in order to increase their social mobility and to use the health-promoting effect of experiencing nature.<< Objectives >>The initial point was the observation that it can be very difficult for learners of basic education to orient themselves in and explore their own neighbourhood, let alone further away places. As this can lead to social exclusion and the absence to educational programs, one goals was to tackle that obstacle and provide chances to promote social participation and empowerment. Another entry point was the great potential nature and outdoor activities provide to foster health, wellbeing and resilience, but that those potentials are not easily accessible for learners of basic education because of the abovementioned challenges to orient themselves and be mobile. Therefore, we wanted to explore the potential of nature-based educational offers, and how it can be related to the development of both health and resilience as well as digital competences. We set to develop educational material for educators that would provide both an informative background on the why and how of nature-based education, as well as proposed activities of how they can be combined with the development of digital competences to be integrated in basic education courses. << Implementation >>Besides horizontal activities concerning all aspects of project management and dissemination, we approached the objectives with four activities: 1.) Exchange with external experts on the subject of nature-based education as well as educators in basic education. 2.) An examination of practiced approaches and experiences, conducted as a survey amongst learners as well as trainers of basic education. Topics covered were nature-based experiences, the use of digital applications, and the coverage of mental health issues in basic education. The results of the survey provided an empiric base for the development of the materials to be developed in the succeeding activities: 3.) The development and production of tutorials (in German, English, Arabic, Farsi) for application of the mundraub-App. As the app is meant to be used in basic education courses as well as by those users themselves, the main focus was to ensure an appropriate verbal and graphic way to address them. 4.) The development of a handbook for trainers and stakeholders in basic education; including activities like research of background and best practice, developing activities and composing them, as well as all the activities necessary for layout, print and distribution. << Results >>1.) A comprehension of the survey amongst learners, trainers and stakeholders in basic education, summarizing the estimated relevance and experiences of the subjects of nature-based education, digital usages, and resilience and their intersection in basic education. 2.) A total number of 24 tutorials (6 in each language) for the application of the mundraub-App. Topics are e.g.: navigational support to locate edible plants, information regarding those plants, tips to protect and engage in edible landscapes. Due to appropriate use of language and graphical layout, it can be used in basic education classes as well as by users themselves. 3.) A handbook “Nature-based learning offers in Basic Education”, containing: A) a brief but profound overview of the potential of nature-experiences for physical and mental health, basic principles of and approaches to nature-based education and it´s application with vulnerable groups, introduction to the concept of resilience and its relevance in basic education; B) more than 35 nature-based activities to foster resilience and digital skills that are easy to implement in basic education curricula.