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Nature Education in Public Schools! -
Work Project: September 2025 - ongoing

For many years, I have hoped that one day our educational system will change, allowing for the inclusion of a nature education subject and the album cover would look something like this — like when we used to go on field trips back in high school, wandering here and there, and we fell in love with that thing we call nature. And then I became more and more interested in what species exist, what they do, and how we can protect them. That’s how I became an ecologist, and the rest about me can be read on this website.

Then it gradually became clearer to me that it would be really important to pass on this enthusiasm, mindset, and knowledge to the new generations as well, so I wrote a call to teachers, which can be viewed by clicking here (it is in Hungarian, but you can easily translate it) — for those who currently have more time than the two minutes it takes to scroll through this page.

So far, one teacher and her class have responded to the call: biology teacher Kinga Fehér and her ninth-grade class from on of the high schools in Satu Mare. She wrote the following about the proposed program, and the first trial session with them took place on December 12, 2025:

"In my opinion, knowing nature and paying attention to our environment is important not only because I am a biology teacher. To love animals, not to destroy plants, and not to harm a “creature we don’t like” just because we can — all this requires that we first get to know nature and the living beings that inhabit it. Then we can go on to live our everyday lives with simple mindfulness and respect, causing as little harm to our environment as possible. Of course, this kind of education takes place during school classes as well, but for it to be effective, it needs to be regular — it’s not enough if it only happens when there happens to be a little time left in a lesson. In addition to conversations and playful learning, nature-based experiences would also be important — activities that happen outdoors. All of this would be most effective if it took place on a monthly basis, similar to regular lessons, and were led by someone who has all the necessary qualities for this."

Why is it important to learn about this?

If this group takes part regularly, over the course of four years, in activities that strengthen their understanding, love, and respect for nature, there is a good chance they will grow into adults for whom nature conservation, environmental protection, and an environmentally conscious lifestyle will be important.

In December 2025, a total of 1,661 lei was collected, so I decided to take on an additional small preparatory class alongside the ninth graders. Hart Edina, the primary school teacher, was very enthusiastic about this. We also keep a journal of the sessions, but it is not public. Here you can see a few photos from the December sessions:

For Csilla to be able to visit Kinga’s and Edina's class regularly and hold sessions, she needs the following:

rested brain cells, so she has enough emotional energy for everyone;

creative time, so she can propose activities tailored to the class;
a car or public transportation, so she can get to the location;
time to travel to the location, time to hold the session, time to write a journal about what happened, time to reflect on the session, look up the questions that came up, and then answer them;
she needs to cover the costs related to the company;
and she also needs time to listen to and watch birds, like in the picture here, so she can pass on that knowledge, as well.

For Csilla to free up her creative time, she simply can’t work an 8-hour job somewhere else — but if she doesn’t, she’ll quickly end up with nothing to live on. So she came up with the idea that it would be pretty cool to make a living from what she loves, and she believes that today’s society actually needs exactly the kind of role she has created for herself.

What is the current status of the project since its launch?

January 2026

In January 2026, I was only able to get to Kinga’s class. Due to technical reasons, Edina’s class was not at school on the day we had planned the session, but I hope this was a
one-time situation and that we will be able to keep to one session per month.

At the second session, just like at the first one, the focus was on species knowledge. There were revision games as well as new ones, and we organized a team competition — I’m also happy to discuss this if someone contacts me by email, about when I think this makes sense and when it’s better to avoid it. It is always important to adapt to the class in this respect, and it helps a lot if one is familiar with the group dynamics of the class.

Since the sun was shining beautifully, we ended the session with a short walk along the Someșul riverbank — it’s been a long time since I last saw so many great cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo) in the area.

Although the quality of the photo is not very good, I hope it can convey the atmosphere and show how important these short walks around the school are, as well. Even if teenagers sometimes protest and say they don’t want to go anywhere, these walks are definitely necessary in order to restore our connection with nature.

February 2026

In Kinga’s class the session was more discussion-based. This time there was no team competition; together we reflected on how a zero-waste lifestyle could be achieved, and we very quickly arrived at an interesting question: if we were to limit the wealth of the richest people, would that help?

I was pleased that the teenagers themselves came up with such a good question and that we were able to debate it.

An important aspect of the project is that the sessions should be diverse and personalized: playful species identification, field experience, conversations, and debates.

In Edina’s class we explored animal tracks, furs, and roe deer vertebrae, and we designated the crocheted rug as a permanent “playground” – this is where the sessions will take place.

March 2026

We set off on a trip with the teenagers to Resighea to see a small part of one of the nearby Natura 2000 areas, the "Câmpia Careiului"

The most memorable moment was lighting the fire for roasting bacon. I would have given up, but they convinced me to give it another half hour, and in no time deodorants and umbrellas appeared, and we managed to get the fire going. I definitely wouldn’t have brought either of those on a trip, but here and then they came in very handy, and the teenagers handled the situation brilliantly. I’d like to thank them again for the experience!

With spring approaching, the main element of the activity was a model of an insect hotel.

Insect hotels are necessary because our building habits have changed, and there are now fewer reed stems and small holes in clay walls available for solitary insects to lay their eggs. We also role-played this ourselves—we were solitary bees looking for a small reed stem where we could lay our eggs.

April 2026

After a short recap of the trip, we continued the April session with bird-themed games. Together, we had to rob a bank, and I was the banker; they could rob the bank in exchange for knowledge.

After the game, we spent the next two hours having a more serious discussion, trying to find solutions for how the educational system should ideally function. We reflected on this in more detail in the private journal; if anyone is curious, write to me and let’s grab a coffee and talk.

With the younger children, the weekly theme was domestic and wild animals, so I tried to connect a little to that topic.

In the picture, you can see a chamois skull that we found in the Ceahlău Mountains completely by accident; we got lost and that’s how we came across it. It makes for a much better teaching aid than a printed photo. We often say that this is important for little kids, but I think it matters for older ones too. At this year’s Mentés Másként Conference, I heard a great expression from one of the participants: “let’s get used to it again.” It referred to the fact that we do certain things simply because that’s how we’re used to doing them, and in doing so we limit our possibilities quite a lot. Every class could even have its own collection, right? Or every school. But for that, someone needs to have the time to go out looking for teaching materials, to get lost, and to wander around.

May 2026

With the adolescents, we ventured out to the riverbank Someș. We started from the school, and our destination was a colony of sand martins.

It's always a dilemma how much information to share: what is enough without being too little, and what becomes too much for them to remember anyway. After how many such outings do they start becoming interested in species names on their own?

With the younger children, we celebrated Birds and Trees Day, tried looking through binoculars, and examined a few plant specimens.

Using binoculars takes a lot of practice. At first, children usually look at each other through them, and it takes a few sessions before they become comfortable using them properly.

June 2026

We went on a trip to Igniș, and after a great deal of hesitation and consideration, I decided to bring Keksz, our dog, along as well. He connects very easily with people and immediately grows fond of everyone, but I was quite concerned about the shepherd dogs. I really hope that one day I’ll reach the point where I no longer have to wonder whether I can take him with me or not, because both younger and older children connect with him easily, and that makes getting to know each other and forming friendships much easier.

With the younger children, we visited the Community Garden in Satu Mare, where one of the most exciting activities was holding insects in our hands. Children are afraid of many things, and the only way to overcome these fears is to go outside ourselves and handle a few harmless creatures—such as solitary bees, firebugs, or spiders. At the same time, the rules of being outdoors and feeling comfortable in nature can only be learned by spending a lot of time outside. There are no shortcuts, and it cannot be solved instantly. It takes time.

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Nature Education in Public Schools! - Work Project: September 2025 - ongoing