On September 23rd 2025, students from the 6th and 8th grades at St. Anna School in Munich took part in a Nature Discovery Day. The activity, organised as part of the JUSTNature project, encouraged students to look at their transformed schoolyard in a different way and to understand the ways in which people, plants and animals share the same outdoor space.
Students from St. Anna School took part in a Nature Discovery Day and explored their schoolyard from new perspectives
After a short introduction, students split into small groups and gathered around large printed treasure maps of their schoolyard. With coloured pens, stickers and small cards, they marked the places they enjoy spending time in, the areas they use less and the corners that have shaped their daily routines. A clear picture of patterns and preferences emerged almost immediately. The football field, for example, stood out as the space with the most differing views. Many boys named it as their favourite place, while several girls described it as too dominant or disturbing. While younger pupils tended to choose quieter, more sheltered edges, older students seemed to prefer the livelier central areas.
In the second half of the session, Grit, a bachelor student from the Technical University of Munich, introduced cards showing plants and animals that live in the schoolyard, such as ants, blackbirds and wild strawberries. Each group received one species and was invited to repeat the same exercise again, this time imagining the schoolyard from the perspective of their assigned plant or animal.
The students discussed where their species might find food or safety, which places could be risky and where small creatures might rest or hide. They added these insights to their treasure maps, often with a surprising amount of empathy and creativity. This different viewpoint opened up lively conversations about the schoolyard as a shared environment.
The day was a reminder of how much can be discovered in familiar surroundings when we take the time to look a little closer. We hope the students continue to explore their schoolyard with curiosity and perhaps notice a few new details each time they step outside!
