Today marks the conclusion of the first Transnational Training of the Outdoor4mi project (November 4–8, 2024). Sixteen researchers and educators spent three days together in Miercurea Ciuc, Romania, to pilot the activities developed within the modules of the Erasmus+ KA2 project, which promotes Outdoor Education (OE) in early childhood schools, with particular focus on students with motor disabilities.

Today, OE is still rarely practiced by early childhood educators, especially with students with motor disabilities. The main barriers are concerns related to health and safety, parental worries, or a lack of awareness of the benefits of outdoor learning. The Outdoor4mi project aims to address these issues in the partner countries and to provide early childhood educators with innovative key skills for implementing OE activities, both indoors and outdoors. It includes crucial skills for engaging students with motor disabilities, for whom connecting with nature may be more challenging due to physical accessibility.

Participants from six different countries attended the Transnational Training: Italy, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Cyprus, and Malta.

• From Italy: Consorzio Co&So of Florence and Spazio Aperto Servizi of Milan;
• From Portugal: Municipality of Lousada;
• From Romania: Directia Generala de Asistenta Sociala si Protectia Copilului Harghita/DGASPC Harghita;
• From Spain: Asociacion Mundial de Educadores Infantiles (AMEIWAECE);
• From Cyprus: European University Cyprus;
• From Malta: Newark School Malta.

On the first day of training, the initial two modules of the project were shared and discussed: 1) Awareness of Environmental Sustainability and 2) Use of Inclusive Strategy. In the late afternoon, a short excursion was organized to the Saint Francis Children’s Home Tea House, a residential care provider for disadvantaged children.

The second day of training included the discussion of the following two modules: 3) Digital Skills and 4) Application of Interdisciplinary Approaches in OE (STEAM). In the afternoon, there was a visit to Napocska Kindergarten, one of the oldest and largest early educational institutions in Csikszereda, which operates in newly built, modern facilities with eight daycare groups.

On the final day, the last module on Communication with Families and Stakeholders was discussed, along with the project’s toolbox and its four workshops: Nature Workshop, Woodlab Workshop, Motor Path Workshop, and Reading Area Workshop.