Park-based

Park-based
experiences
experiences to
to
enhance
enhance the
the creativity
creativity
of
of pupils
pupils
 T A B L E O F
C O N T E N T
INTRODUCTION TO THE PROJECT

ABOUT THE ERASMUS+ PROGRAMME

PROJECT PARTNERS

REPORT OVERVIEW AND METHODOLOGY

PARK-BASED EXPERIENCES

FINDINGS, RESULTS AND CONCLUSION

INTRODUCTION TO THE PROJECT AND THE ERASMUS+

PROGRAMME

PROJECT PARTNERS
´´

REPORT OVERVIEW AND METHODOLOGY

 Introduction to the project

Art in the Park is an ERASMUS+ project that O2: Develop the competencies of creative
focuses on answering three main challenges organisations to engage pupils and young
raised from the Covid-19 pandemic: people in art activities in forest and park
spaces
1. Find alternative solutions to virtual classes O3: Valorise forests and parks as spaces for
that can take place in open spaces, promoting STEM learning, in opposition to classroom-
interactive learning and motivation regarding based activities, to provide a creative and
STEM subjects. By developing open-space safe environment for learning.
activities in green areas, the activities will be
also more inclusive toward pupils who do not The project has three MAIN TARGETS:
have internet access or the technological 1) Pupils of primary and lower secondary
equipment to take part in the lessons, or do schools (age range 10 - 14), with a special
not have the skills to attend the virtual classes focus on young people with less resources
(first and second digital divide). (social and economic obstacles).
2) Teaching staff of STEM subjects and school
1. Support creative sector organisations in staff
diversifying their services, creating new
opportunities to deliver their activities in open 3) Creative professionals
spaces, such as parks and green areas.
METHODOLOGY
1. Engage young people in learning about
The project will start with an analysis of the
conservation actions and become actors of
good practices of art and creative activities
change in their local environment by acquiring
for pupils, taking into account both
the scientific (STEM) knowledge and attitude,
European and extra-European countries. This
as well as the creative mindset to understand
will allow to provide creative sector
current European environmental challenges
organisations with new ideas and
and develop creative solutions.
methodologies, as well as inspire schools to
use parks and green spaces to deliver lessons
The MAIN OBJECTIVE of Art in the Park is to:
and learning experiences. The good practices
"Engage pupils in STEM education through
analysis will culminate with the creation of
creativity and the arts in forest and urban parks
the IO1 (World Report on Art in the Park:
as an innovative methodology for conservation
Park-based Experiences to Enhance
education and safe learning".
Creativity of Pupils). Successively, the
The SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES are as follow:
partners will take into account STEM
O1: Develop creative and STEM competencies in learning and develop activities, inspired by
pupils to become actors of change regarding the first IO, to use arts and creativity to
conservation actions and ecological transition teach STEM subjects in park settings.
 Art in the
park

The activities will then be piloted at national level and

promoted through the eTwinning platform. This will allow
to extend the impact of the project and receive feedbacks
from different European countries. The finalised activities
will be gathered in the handbook "Art in the Park: STEM
Activities for Conservation". Finally, the partners will
create a methodological framework for the implementation
of the activities (IO3). These guidelines will take into
account the safeguarding of children in parks, the
inclusion measures, a roadmap to support the
development of the actions in partnerships with creative
sector organisations, and the competencies assessment
and validation mechanisms.
During the whole project, the partners will also meet 4
times through transnational project meetings, set up in
critical phases of the project, and a final multiplier event
will be organised to promote the Art in the Park project to
the wider European society.

The project focuses on finding European answers to local

problematics at the levels of schools and communities, as
well as reinforce the good practices exchanges to respond
to the newly raised challenges of the pandemic across
countries. In fact, the governmental responses to the
crisis have brought schools and creative organisations to
adapt in different ways and leveraging of this experience
will allow to reinforce the resilience of educational and
creative sector organisations. The international dimension
is also important in the project because it allows to
benefit from their different experiences, profiles and
specific expertise of the organisations and produce high
quality results to be further disseminate on a European
level. Finally, aligned with the first priority of the project,
an international dimension is necessary to stimulate
European Citizenship of pupils and contribute to the EU
strategic priorities and policies.
 About the Erasmus+ programme

Erasmus+ is the EU's programme to support education, training, youth and sport in Europe. It has an
estimated budget of €26.2 billion. This is nearly double the funding compared to its predecessor
programme (2014-2020).

The 2021-2027 programme places a strong focus on social inclusion, the green and digital transitions,
and promoting young people’s participation in democratic life.

It supports priorities and activities set out in the European Education Area, Digital Education Action
Plan and the European Skills Agenda. The programme also:

supports the European Pillar of Social Rights

implements the EU Youth Strategy 2019-2027
develops the European dimension in sport.

Erasmus+ offers mobility and cooperation opportunities in

higher education
vocational education and training
school education (including early childhood education and care)
adult education
youth
and sport

You can learn more about the ERASMUS+ programme by visiting:

ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus/node_en
 Project
managers

ASOCIACION IROKO DESARROLLO FORESTAL SOSTENIBLE

Spain – www.iroko.org.es

Iroko is an environmental NGO with more than eleven years of experience in the responsible
management of natural resources, particularly forests. Iroko is active in the field of
environmental education and the organization has an important track record in Europe, Latin
America and Africa.

ISTITUTO COMPRENSIVO LUCCA 2

Italy – www.iclucca2.edu.it

Istituto Comprensivo Lucca 2 was established in 2012 and nowadays includes nine complexes
of three school levels. The school collaborates with local institutions and actors to adapt the
national curriculum guidelines to the local context, promoting the cultural and personal
growth of its students.

BAYKUS ARTS AND LITERATURE CENTRE

Turkey – www.anamursanat.com

Baykus Arts and Literature Centre has been providing high quality workshops and courses
since it was founded in 2016. Its courses comprise performing arts, literature, visual art, and
much more. The Centre provides courses to both young people and adults, taking particularly
into account participants with disabilities and educational barriers.
Report overview and methodology

¡This report brings together experiences and activities regarding art and creativity actions implemented in
parks from across Europe and the world. This report is far from an in-depth analysis of all the possibilities
that parks offer to enhance the creativity of pupils, but it wants to provide an overview of activities and
methodologies that are currently used by different types of organisations, such as local administrations,
youth organisations and other educational institutions.

We hope that this report is useful for educators across Europe and beyond to develop knowledge
regarding the current practices implemented across the world and build the capacity of organisations in
the school and youth field to replicate them in line with the needs of their users. We also hope this report
will be useful for creative organisations (like art schools etc.) to implement their activities in outdoor
contexts or develop new courses and opportunities for their learners in public parks. Finally, we hope this
report will be useful for school decision-makers to invest and valorise public green spaces to enhance the
learning process of students of different ages.
 Activity Title

Song about "Relations of Nature & human-beings" by Bağlama & Guitar

Park and country

Anamur Dragon Parkı – Mersin/TURKEY

Park-based Description of the activity

One week before the activity, the teachers asked both of the groups to prepare a
“song” -Türkü in Turkish- that was related with the nature, human and art relations.

Experiences
The songs -Türkü-

The students chose the Song -Türkü-:

“Gezme ceylan bu dağlarda seni avlarlar

Anadan babadan yârdan ayrı koyarlar”

In English

“A gazelle wandering in the mountains of Urfa

A gazelle wandering in the mountains of Urfa
She's crying, she lost her baby
She's crying, she lost her baby”

The students and their teachers took their musical instruments on their shoulders
and they got in the park.

Then, they gathered around their teachers in a circle.

1 group consisting of 8 guitar players and the other consisting of 7 baülama players
were given directives by their own instrument teachers.

They alltogether played the song -Türkü- and their teachers corrected if there were
any mistakes in their performances.

At the end of the lesson, both groups were told that they would prepare a story when
they return to their homes about how should the relationship among animals, nature
and human-beings be arranged.

Organiser

Baykuş Sanat ve Edebiyat Merkezi – Http://anamursanat.com

Baykuş Art & Literature Centre – Anamur/TURKEY

Why is a good practice

Being supported by an environment -in the park surrounded by trees- provides the
students undertstand the methodology and content of the activity much better.

The students will improve sensitivity and emphaty for the people and all the
creatures living in their environment.

They will be able to transform and adapt the events, processes and relations of the
real world into art-field.

They will understand different conditions and maybe difficulties the animals are
mostly coming across living in the natural world especially after they meet with the
people.

They will understand the importance of living in harmony with the nature, with the
other people in their social/peer groups, their societies or in the societies other than
their own.

They will improve their capacity for playing musical instruments within group
activities.
 Activity Title

Bring a Solution

Park and country

Anamur Dragon Parkı – Mersin/TURKEY

Description of the activity

The students were enlightened about the methodology - PBL (Problem Based Learning) and the activity one
week before the park activity.

They were taken to the park. They were explained that the lesson would be consisting of 2 stages:

1- Defining and exhibition of the problems,

2- Explanation and exhibition of their solution suggestions to these problems.

All of the students were told that we will pre-define them a few general area and related to this area we
wanted them to think about any problems, that they met in the past or they heard about.

We pre-defined 3 problem areas and wanted them to choose one of these:

1- Problems in the families,
2-Problems in the school,
3-Problems in the traffic.

Most of the students preferred to talk about and prepare an art-activity related with the problems in the school.

Firstly they were undergrouped within 4 different art-branches coordinated by the teachers of these branches.
The art-groups were consisting of 4-6 students and the branches were determined as: music, drawing, drama,
story-telling.

Then we wanted them to talk about the details of the problems related with the school. After they finished
their preparations and group activities, we wanted them to explain/show it to their friends, by applying “art-
branch” they chosen and involved in.

In the second stage of the activity, we wanted them to follow the same way and create new art works bringing
a solution suggestion to the problems they had determined and showed to their friends in the first stage. In the
second stage they tried to answer and cretae suggestions for the questions: “If you had met with this problem
What would you do? “if you were...?” and they tried to find out a solution suggestion in the context of “If I were...”

By creating an art-activity they brought a solution to the problems they had explained.

Organiser

Baykuş Sanat ve Edebiyat Merkezi – Http://anamursanat.com

Bozyazı Kültür Sanat ve Müzik Derneği – http://bozyazisanat.org

Why is a good practice

The interest and attention levels of all the participating students is increased and that brings a very good
engagement in the class and easier conceptual understanding for them.

The methodology can be easily adapted and transferred to any areas of the life and of course to STEM. Our
teaching and learning method interrelated with PBL will bring about increase in motivation, engagement, and
effective disciplinary learning in all STEM areas, especially if the subject is a difficult one.

They will learn how to develop more active and sensitive citizens by creating/btaking active roles in any
participatory/creative art-works.

It will provide them the experience and improve the skills of how people can change the conditions,
environment and society they are living in, especially by applying art-activites.

They will gain new ways of becoming active students in the school environment and participatory citizens into
the society, in the future.
 Activity Title

Adapt an Event

Park and country

Anamur Dragon Parkı – Mersin/TURKEY

Description of the activity

The students were explained that they would try to have the class outside, in the park.

Then they were grouped into 4 different drawing-art activity group in accordance with the activity subjects and
titles taken from real life experiences.

Every group was told that they would choose a subject or event from the real world and they would
adapt/exhibit that subject by applying the art. They would choose a real life event they come across and they
will adapt them to the art-sphere.

The students and their teachers took the needed instruments -such as paints, papers, brushes, toile- and they
walked to the park.

Taking their interest and abilities into consideration, they were divided into 4 painting-drawing activity groups:
1- Group for adaptation of an event related with social life
2- Group for adaptation of an event related with natural life
3- Group for adaptation of an event related with school life
4- Group for adaptation of an event related with family life

Every group was consisting of 5 participants. The groups gathered around their art-teachers.

The teachers firstly explained the subject and they distributed the basic flow steps/charts of the class process.
They alltogether began to work on the subject/events they chose in accordance with the timing-flow of the
class.
Then one of the 4 groups began the exhibition for showing how they had adapted the chosen/explained real
life event into the art-sphere. After them, the second group and the other 3rd and 4th group showed/exhibited
their explanations of the real life issues by applying art.

At the end of the lesson, all of the groups were told that they would prepare a “flow of class and its steps” that
would be focusing on the subject of “how to adapt the real life experiences in to the art-field”, after they return
to their homes.

Organiser

Baykuş Sanat ve Edebiyat Merkezi – Http://anamursanat.com

Baykuş Art & Literature Centre – Anamur/TURKEY

Why is a good practice

Being based upon a methodology that gives them the freedom and initiative to choose the field and content of
the activity, they had much more willingness to get involved in all stages of the activity and lesson.

The difficult concepts that some students may struggle to understand can be engaged or added by the
teachers in the drawings. Adaptation of different areas of the life into art field may create new opportunities for
eliminating of difficulty barriers of STEM subjects that many pupils find hard to cross.

The students will improve their understanding and application of concepts of freedom and willingness in their
daily lives and different areas of the life.

They will be able to transform and adapt the events, processes and relations of the real world into art-field.

They will improve their skills for interrelating different fields of art, disciplines and other aspects of life

They will obtain the experience of living/improving interrelated critical thinking, and interpretation and
adaptation of different areas of the life to each other.