Dricānu High School Erasmus + project “HOB 'S Adventure – Hands on Biodiversity”

More than forty Latvian, Icelandic, Slovenian and Estonian teachers gathered from 4 to 9 February in Riga, Sigulda and Valmiera on the first international meeting of the Erasmus + project “HOB 'S Adventure – Hands on Biodiversity” of the European Union. The educational institutions involved in the project are active in the Ecosylum Programme and, as the name of the project indicates, have also focused on research and preservation of biodiversity. Dricānu High School was represented at this meeting by teacher Zigrīda Zapāne.
The aim of the international meeting was to explore the experience of other countries and to share good practices on the most effective methods for the absorption of biodiversity. In view of the different climatic conditions and geographical location of the countries, the project activities are based on the cultivation of plants in pots, combining it with the development and educational, healthy outdoor activities of all modern children.
The first two days went through intensive activities, both indoors and in Sigulda's painted nature. Participants from all countries worked in groups to collect and present the best learning methods for project purposes. In his vision of the development of the 21 st century skills, the geography and social scientist of the city of Sigulda, Imants Kukuļs, also shared the school.
The visits of the Sigulda Pre-school Education Institution (PII) “Introduction”, Valmiera “Green Schools” and Riga Natural Sciences School followed. In each of these educational institutions, project participants were able to get a lot of valuable ideas to work in their schools or PII.
In the final event, the Latvian Natural Museum examined the ideas obtained, as well as the further tasks of the project. By establishing a network of mutual co-operation and support, by the end of the project in 2020, the school-hour plans for pre-school and primary school children developed by teachers and educational institutions of the Member States will be compiled. In June 2019, teachers will meet in project activities in Iceland, in October 2019 in Slovenia, in February 2020 in Estonia.
Zigred Zapane,
Dricānu High School English-language teacher