At Really Cool Afterschool and Montessori, we believe that learning never stops—not for children and not for educators. Over the past year, our team has proudly participated in the Erasmus+ project “One Planet, Many Cultures: Eco-Learning in a Diverse Crèche”, co-funded by the European Union. The project focused on inclusion, sustainability, wellbeing, and innovative teaching approaches, helping us create meaningful and lasting improvements in our setting.
Throughout the year, our educators attended international training courses in Portugal, Romania, and Spain, and took part in job shadowing opportunity that allowed us to learn from educators across Europe. These experiences brought new ideas, fresh inspiration, and practical tools that have now become part of everyday life in our preschool.
Supporting Children's Wellbeing
One of the biggest changes has been our increased focus on children’s emotional wellbeing. Following training in Portugal, our educators introduced new approaches to help children understand emotions, build confidence, solve problems, and develop resilience. Through role play, storytelling, circle time, and carefully planned play experiences, children learn important life skills in a natural and enjoyable way.
We also expanded our use of sensory activities such as water play, ice play, foam, rice, pasta, and other sensory experiences. These activities help children regulate emotions, reduce stress, and develop creativity, curiosity, and scientific thinking.
Building an Eco-Friendly Learning Environment
Our training in Romania inspired us to place sustainability at the heart of our curriculum. Children now have more opportunities to learn outdoors, connect with nature, and develop environmentally responsible habits from an early age. We introduced activities focused on recycling, reducing waste, saving water, caring for animals, and protecting the natural world.
Throughout the year, children participated in recycling projects, environmental walks, litter clean-ups, planting activities, and investigations about sea life, insects, and ecosystems. These experiences help children understand that even small actions can make a positive difference for our planet.
Promoting Inclusion and Celebrating Diversity
In February, our teachers attended training in Barcelona focused on inclusion, creativity, and intercultural learning. As a result, we strengthened our commitment to ensuring every child feels welcome, respected, and valued regardless of their background, culture, language, or abilities.
Today, inclusion is embedded in everything we do. We use stories, creative arts, music, celebrations, and collaborative activities to help children understand different cultures and perspectives. Children have enjoyed celebrating events such as Chinese New Year, Ramadan/Eid, Holi, Easter, and St. Patrick’s Day, learning about the traditions of their friends and building respect for diversity.
Learning Through Job Shadowing in Romania
Our Erasmus+ job shadowing experience in Romania gave us the opportunity to observe a different childcare system and learn from educators working in another European country. We explored new teaching methods, approaches to inclusion, outdoor learning, and ways of supporting children’s wellbeing and development.
Seeing these practices in action inspired us and encouraged us to reflect on all the changes we have introduced throughout our Erasmus+ journey. It was a valuable opportunity to evaluate our progress, share ideas, and recognise the positive impact that Erasmus+ has had on our children, families, staff, and wider community.
The experience reinforced our commitment to continuous learning and helped us return with fresh motivation, new ideas, and confidence to continue improving our practice.
Benefits for Our Children
- More outdoor learning and exploration.
- Greater opportunities for creative play and self-expression.
- Stronger emotional wellbeing and confidence.
- Better problem-solving and communication skills.
- Increased understanding of nature and sustainability.
- More opportunities to learn about different cultures and traditions.
- A stronger sense of belonging, inclusion, and respect for others.
Benefits for Parents and Families
Parents have become important partners in our Erasmus+ journey. Through newsletters, activities, celebrations, and shared learning experiences, families have been encouraged to support eco-friendly habits, emotional wellbeing, and cultural awareness at home. This collaboration helps create a stronger and more connected learning community for all children.
Benefits for Our Educators
The project has had a significant impact on our staff team. Teachers gained new professional skills, increased confidence, and a deeper understanding of child development, inclusion, sustainability, and innovative teaching methods. Most importantly, they returned motivated and inspired to continuously improve the experiences we provide for children and families.
Benefits for Our Planet
The changes introduced through Erasmus+ are helping us create a greener preschool. Through recycling, reducing waste, reusing materials, outdoor learning, environmental awareness activities, and sustainable practices, we are supporting children to become future citizens who care about the world around them.
Looking Forward
The most important outcome of our Erasmus+ journey is that the changes we introduced are here to stay. What began as international training and job shadowing opportunities has become part of our daily practice. Our children benefit from richer learning experiences, our families are more involved, our educators are more confident, and our setting is more inclusive and environmentally aware.
We are proud of everything we have achieved and excited to continue building a preschool where children learn to care for themselves, each other, and the world around them. Erasmus+ has not only enriched our educators—it has created a lasting positive impact for our entire community.
Co-funded by the European Union
