Proff. L .Piani, L. Dalla Costa, M. Galeotti

Plants,
Flowers,
and Animals

Workshop / DI4A

Experiencing Nature: A Living World to Explore

This workshop is a space for regeneration and discovery dedicated to understanding the living world. Through direct contact with the soil and interaction with the animal world, students develop a deep awareness of life cycles and the importance of biodiversity. Caring for a living being—whether a sprout or an animal—helps cultivate patience, attention, and responsibility, transforming the connection with nature into a powerful metaphor for personal growth and universal respect.

Learning Goals

The workshop aims to enhance observational skills and emotional-relational development:

  • Environmental Education: Learning about key plant species and animal behavior, while respecting their rhythms and needs.
  • Sensory Stimulation: Using touch, smell, and visual observation to recognize plants, flowers, and signs from the animal world.
  • Classification: Learning to group leaves, flowers, habitats, and feeding patterns according to concrete criteria.
  • Development of Empathy and Care: Experiencing daily responsibility through the maintenance of a small vegetable garden or green space, caring for plants and animals while respecting rules and needs.
  • Practical Sustainability: Learning the basics of ecology, organic recycling, and the protection of the local natural heritage of Friuli Venezia Giulia.

Methodologies

  • Outdoor Education, with outdoor activities using the natural environment as a direct, stimulating, and self-regulating learning space.

  • Guided observation of nature, with prompting questions and simple tasks to foster attention and curiosity.
  • Horticultural therapy, gardening and plant-care activities as experiences of well-being, relaxation, and motor coordination, valuing slow and repetitive rhythms.
  • Narration and guided verbalization, to accompany experiences with storytelling and sharing moments that support memory, language, and emotional expression.
  • Cooperative learning, through small-group activities that encourage collaboration, turn-taking, and positive peer relationships.
  • Personalization of pathways, adapting timing, tools, and methods to different abilities and needs to ensure active participation and inclusion.

Educational materials

  • Natural elements, such as plants, flowers, seeds, leaves, branches, soil, stones, and bark, used for observation and sensory exploration.

  • Gardening tools, including small trowels, spades, rakes, watering cans, and gloves.
  • Pots, crates, and raised beds of different sizes for sowing, transplanting, and plant care activities.
  • Observation materials, such as magnifying glasses, lightweight binoculars, transparent insect boxes, and observation trays.
  • Visual and educational supports, including images, illustrated posters, simplified worksheets, visual maps, and identification cards for plants and animals.
  • Narrative supports, such as picture cards, sequential images, and symbolic objects to support storytelling and the sharing of experiences and discoveries.
  • Accessible digital tools, including interactive whiteboards, tablets, simplified presentations, and audiovisual content.