DEVELOPMENT OF ECOLOGICAL AWARENESS IN PROJECT ACTIVITIES
Authors: Stulpinienė Rita , Žiemienė Rasa 
Published: January 2022

The international ecological education project of the educational institutions' communities “Sunny Orange Train Journey” (hereinafter - the Project) was implemented in 2016 - 2020. The project starts every year on April 7. (World Health Day), ending 11 November. (St. Martin's Day, Lantern or Day of Light). The organizer of the project is Vilnius kindergarten "Rūta". The initiator and leader of the project is Rita Stulpinienė, an expert teacher at Rūta Kindergarten in Vilnius. Project coordinator - Rasa Žiemienė, Deputy Director for Education of Vilnius Kindergarten "Rūta". 2016 - 2019 The project was supported by the Vilnius City Municipality Public Environmental Education Program “Environmental Education of Institutions Subordinated to the Municipality”. The aim of the project "Sunny Orange Train Journey" is to give a child the joy of cognition by growing an pumpkin and other plants from conception to a mature plant together with a teacher and family, fostering a child's spiritual, creative powers to nurture nature, develop nature and respect for life. spirituality, ecological self-awareness, healthy lifestyle. During the five years of the project, 10 experiential activities were offered, during which educational communities joined the creation of green educational spaces and research in a green environment, providing opportunities for students to get to know the immediate environment and experience the joy of discovery. The partnership between teachers and families and the cooperation of specialists from educational institutions were strengthened in the organization of educational activities. Each year, teachers from educational institutions shared their experience of project activities at conferences entitled “Dissemination of good work experience while traveling on a sunny orange train” and had the opportunity to come up with new innovative, environmentally friendly ideas. 62 reports were delivered from various countries. The reports reflect the integration of orange activities into other activities, how to create conditions for the implementation of artistic and creative activities for children with special educational needs, how to initiate free and independent choice of children's artistic expression, promote children's creativity, self-expression and positive emotions. This project not only promoted communication and cooperation between educational institutions of the Republic of Lithuania and neighboring countries in order to achieve a better quality of education by sharing impressions and experience, but also nurtured common human values by experiencing the joy of giving. 3 photo albums, 4 electronic books "Pumpkin Recipes" have been published, the methodological tool of authentic creation "Creative Stop of the Sunny Orange Train Journey" has been created. 4 environmental events “Orange Smile Day” took place in Vilnius Vingis Park, during which two Lithuanian records were achieved. The power of a small pumpkin seed brought together communities of educational institutions for joint activities not only from Lithuania, but also from other countries of the world - Poland, Latvia, Estonia, Belarus, Norway, Germany, England, Spain and even from sunny Australia. This project, as a small baby born from a small semen, sown by the hands of educators and children, invited me to travel on an experiential nature trail.
Keywords: creative activities, educational activities, green educational spaces