Nature’s Classroom – Seminar for teachers

Nature’s Classroom is a seminar for teachers organised as part of the Katis programme. The third session took place on 16 April 2024in the library of the Slovenian School Museum. The main organiser is the PETIDA Institute.

The third session was about connecting with nature, and the participants were asked to bring along the plant that inspires them most in these spring days. The meeting opened with a spring ritual, an experiential workshop to learn about the cultural history of feasts in Slovenia, with a special focus on the spring holidays. This was followed by the lecture School Garden Today and Ecopedagogy, which highlighted the fact that nature has always been part of the celebrations and the subject of research in the past. The teachers recreated the plant they had brought with them in clay, feeling that nature could be part of the inspiration.

The training was run by Dr Petra Štirn Janota, Dr Tomaž Simetinger, museum councillor Mateja Ribarič, BA History and Sociology, academy-trained painter Simona Čudovan, and councillor Darja Štirn, BA Education and History.

The seminar is based on key competences, such as awareness of cultural heritage, ecological awareness, respectfulness, creativity, cooperation, cause-and-effect thinking, applying knowledge to new situations. Participants learn about the history of the school garden in Slovenia and the state of school gardens today. The cultural traditions of the Slovenians and the importance of holidays and celebrations in line with seasons are also covered in the seminar. The seminar was held in 4 parts, one in each season.

The seminar is based on the exhibition Nature’s Classroom: the School Garden Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, which was on display in the Slovenian School Museum from 2014 to 2016 and then toured Slovenian museums until 2020.