Rain drums against the landscape. We set off on foot, leaving behind the deep green forest and making our way across a damp, grey agricultural landscape. The rain soaks us, but it also energises us! Fears about teaching outdoors are often linked to rain… but now the teachers taking part in this Erasmus+ training course can only laugh. What an experience!
The following day, participants find themselves working together in the creative circular economy game, designing rainwear made from reused materials to be rented out to tourists.
New perspectives on outdoor learning and a sustainable future
How can we create learning experiences that inspire people to think differently, make use of nature as a learning environment and strengthen sustainability competences?
These were the key themes explored during the international Out of the Box course, which brought education professionals from Croatia and Slovenia to Finland in September 2026.
Throughout the course week, participants had the opportunity to experience practical outdoor learning methods, environmental education tools and creative activities designed to encourage them to approach their work from fresh perspectives. The programme combined theory, hands-on activities, learning in nature and peer learning.
Practical methods to take straight back to work
According to participant feedback, the course was extremely valuable. Practical exercises, hands-on activities and a variety of game-based learning methods received particular praise.
“I’m going home feeling motivated, full of new ideas and also happy to realise that we’re already on the right track in many areas.”
Participants felt they had gained practical tools for integrating nature-based activities into curriculum objectives and exploring sustainability topics in more engaging and participatory ways.
The practical approach to environmental competences, the European GreenComp framework and circular economy themes was considered particularly valuable.
Nature as a learning environment
The course strengthened participants’ skills and confidence in teaching outdoors and highlighted the importance of nature in supporting learning, wellbeing and creativity.
Many participants reported gaining fresh insights into how learning in nature can support children’s and young people’s development and education.
One participant described their most important take-away from the course as follows:
“I learnt how to connect nature-based activities with curriculum content.”
Another participant emphasised how the outdoor exercises had helped them embrace learning opportunities in an entirely new light.
A positive impact on workplaces and organisations
The benefits of the course extend beyond the experiences of individual participants. According to the feedback, participants are keen to introduce new methods, games, activities and perspectives into their own organisations and workplaces.
Participants believe the training will contribute to:
- More creative problem-solving
- Stronger collaboration within teams and organisations
- Greater openness to learning and change
- Increased use of outdoor learning methods
- A stronger sense of environmental responsibility and circular economy thinking.
One participant summed up the significance of the course particularly well:
“The most important lesson I took away was that sometimes the best solutions emerge when we dare to step outside our usual ways of thinking.”
An inspiring and successful Erasmus+ experience
The warm and supportive atmosphere was another highlight in participant feedback. Throughout the week, new international connections were established, and participants had the opportunity to share experiences and learn from one another.
The course received consistently excellent evaluations. Participants felt they had developed new skills in sustainability and outdoor learning and were confident in their ability to apply what they had learnt in their own work. The trainers’ expertise was also highly praised.
The Out of the Box course demonstrated once again that the most rewarding learning experiences often happen when we dare to step outside our comfort zones and make nature an active part of the learning process.
Nothing brings people together like facing a shared challenge and overcoming it together.
These are exactly the kinds of experiences that the Erasmus+ programme can offer at its very best.
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