Little Green Fingers Newsletter — March 2025
Partners from across Europe gathered in Amsterdam to launch the project and align on a shared vision for early childhood eco-education.
Little Green Fingers – Young Innovators for Sustainable Future
Edition 1March 2025
Kickstart your journey, stay ahead!
The Little Green Fingers (LGF) Erasmus+ Project is a pioneering initiative dedicated to integrating environmental education into early childhood learning through hands-on gardening activities. By fostering a deep connection between young children and nature, the project promotes sustainability, creativity, and experiential learning. This newsletter highlights key milestones in the project's journey, including the successful kickoff meeting in Amsterdam, the completion of the Discover phase—focused on mapping environmental education in early childhood—and the upcoming development of the LGF curriculum. With a strong collaborative foundation, the project is now moving towards training educators, piloting innovative teaching materials, and expanding outreach efforts. Looking ahead, major events such as the Training of Trainers (ToT) in Brussels (June 2025) and the final online conference in Limassol, Cyprus (June 2026) will play crucial roles in equipping educators and stakeholders with the tools to inspire the next generation of sustainability leaders.
Warm regards, LGF team
What is LGF all about?
The Little Green Fingers (LGF) Erasmus Project is a two-year initiative (2024-2026) that aims to integrate environmental education into early childhood learning (ages 4-8) through hands-on gardening activities. The project seeks to foster a deeper connection between young children and nature, promoting sustainability, creativity, and experiential learning.
LGF focuses on developing an evolving curriculum that enhances environmental education by incorporating social innovation methodologies, such as Designathon, which encourage problem-solving and creative thinking. The project will pilot this curriculum in schools, train teachers to implement it effectively, and assess their competencies in fostering sustainability education.
By providing engaging educational materials and practical guidance, LGF supports teachers and schools in using gardening as a learning tool to cultivate environmental awareness, responsibility, and sustainable mindsets among young learners.
Project objective
Bringing pedagogical approaches together to grow a Green Generation
Our project aims to combine proven teaching methods to create engaging and meaningful experiences for young learners. Our approach is built on six key pillars:
- Early Childhood Focus
- STEAM Curriculum
- Outdoor Education
- Environmental Citizenship
- Design Education
- Education for All
Little Green Fingers Project kicks off in Amsterdam
On October 13, 2024, the LGF team gathered in Amsterdam for a key transnational meeting, marking the exciting launch of the Little Green Fingers (LGF) Project. This initiative unites five organizations from across Europe—Belgium, Serbia, Cyprus, Ireland, and the Netherlands—with a shared mission to inspire young sustainability innovators through environmental education.
Over the course of two productive days, we:
- Built a shared understanding of project goals
- Discussed timelines and key milestones
- Kicked off the collaborative development of the 'green' curriculum framework
It was truly inspiring to connect with passionate partners, exchange ideas, and set the foundation for impactful learning experiences. With a strong start, we are eager to move forward, shaping a greener future together!
Stay tuned for the next steps as we cultivate change—one Little Green Finger at a time!
The 'Discover' phase has been finalised
The 'Discover' phase of the Little Green Fingers (LGF) project has been successfully finalized. This phase included mapping and analyzing Education for Environmental Citizenship (EEC) in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC), along with distributing questionnaires to parents, teachers, and other stakeholders. In addition, extensive desk research on child-led pedagogies was conducted to gather valuable insights for the project's development.
Successful agreements were made with schools, allowing for the distribution of questionnaires to teachers, parents, and other key stakeholders. Additionally, partners identified relevant local and national stakeholders essential to the project's goals and outreach, while some stakeholders were contacted directly for more in-depth discussions.
Furthermore, comprehensive desk research and surveys assessed national education systems, with a focus on integrating Environmental Education (EE). The research highlighted various approaches across the Netherlands, Ireland, Cyprus, Belgium, and Serbia, emphasizing interdisciplinary learning, outdoor education, and sustainability initiatives within early childhood education.
A significant achievement during this phase was the completion of the Innovative Learning Framework in ECEC, a competence-based framework for ECEC educators. This theoretical framework will serve as the foundation for the future development of the curriculum.
Development of the LGF curriculum
The LGF curriculum will be developed based on the LGF Innovative Learning Framework in ECEC, incorporating input from all project partners. The Training of Trainers (ToT) program, scheduled for June 12–13 in Brussels, will be a major focus. Following the training, evaluations will be conducted to make necessary adjustments.
Teacher training materials and an Activity Bank will also be created to support educators, contributing to the overall curriculum and educational package, ensuring it is practical and effective for diverse educational settings. In addition, the development of materials tailored for parent training will begin, along with piloting capacity-building modules designed for parents.
Third transnational meeting 11 June 2025, Brussels
The next LGF meeting will be in Brussels, Belgium, on June 11, 2025. Key agenda items include:
- Expansion and refinement of training materials
- Capacity-building workshops for educators
- Community engagement activities for sustainability education
This meeting will strengthen collaboration and ensure the smooth rollout of LGF resources.
Teacher training in Brussels – 12 & 13 June 2025
Following the meeting, a teacher training session will be held on June 12-13 to equip educators with the skills and confidence to lead Little Green Fingers sessions. The training manual, packed with lesson plans and activity guides, empowers teachers to integrate environmental education seamlessly into early learning.
LGF final online conference – join us!
The LGF project will conclude with an online final conference, sharing key results and insights with a diverse audience. The event will bring together educators, researchers, policymakers, and parents, fostering knowledge exchange and advocating for the adoption of environmental citizenship practices in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC).
A comprehensive joint report will be shared, promoting sustainable practices in ECEC. Stay tuned for more details!
When?: June 2026 Where?: Limassol, Cyprus (Online Conference)
How to Get Involved
Follow #LGFEU and our other hashtags on social media for updates. Visit our website for more information and resources. Join us in promoting sustainability and learning!
Who are we? Meet LGF's partners
- Designathon Works
- Kidhub
- Cyprus Centre for Environmental Research and Education
- Change Of Course
- Green-Schools / An Taisce
