Inside OUTPLAY: Follow the journey through our new video diaries

What does outdoor play have to do with STEM learning, emotional development, inclusion, and belonging?

In the first instalment of a new OUTPLAY video diary series, project lead Katarina Panikova introduces OUTPLAY – Outdoor Play Labs and explains the thinking behind the project, what the partnership hopes to achieve, and why outdoor learning should be treated as a meaningful part of everyday education rather than an occasional extra.

OUTPLAY works with educators and communities to bring together outdoor play, STEM, and social and emotional learning for children aged 3–10. The project will develop practical, curriculum-aligned resources, train educators, pilot activities in schools and kindergartens, organise community-based Outdoor Play Labs, and produce recommendations to support wider change in education systems. Inclusion is central to the approach, with particular attention to children who face barriers to high-quality learning opportunities.

The video diary format will offer a more personal look at the project as it develops. Across the series, members of the partnership will share updates, ideas, experiences from implementation, and reflections on what they are learning along the way.

OUTPLAY is an Erasmus+ project co-funded by the European Union. It is led by Škola dokorán – Wide Open School in Slovakia and implemented in partnership with International Child Development Initiatives in the Netherlands, Fundacja Pro Fil in Poland, Pučko otvoreno učilište “Korak po korak” in Croatia, the Educational Research Institute in Slovenia, and the International Step by Step Association in the Netherlands.

Watch the first OUTPLAY video diary to meet the project and discover how outdoor spaces can become places for exploration, collaboration, and learning.

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