Erasmus+ KA1 Course in Lisbon | School Vegetable Gardens and Sustainability Education

Want to create a meaningful school garden, but don't know where to start?

Many teachers want to bring more sustainability, outdoor learning and student engagement into school life. But often, the idea stays stuck. This course was created for exactly that reality.

Your school has limited time, space or budget — and the idea feels too big to start.

You're unsure what to plant or how to organise the project throughout the year.

You want to connect the garden with the curriculum, but don't know how.

You're afraid it will become just one more responsibility without clear results.

It helps teachers move from "I would love to do this" to "I know exactly how to do this in my school."

Enrol or request a date →

More than a gardening course

A garden can become one of the most meaningful learning spaces in a school.

Through school gardens and nature-based activities, teachers can promote real, lasting change across the whole school.

Children watering plants in a school garden

🌍

Sustainability & green transition

Climate action, biodiversity and eco-literacy understood through direct, hands-on experience.

🌿

Outdoor learning

Indoor and outdoor nature-based activities all year.

🤝

Inclusion & well-being

Sensory, experiential learning for every student.

🗳️

Active citizenship

Student voice, responsibility and participation.

📚

Interdisciplinary

Project-based learning across all subjects.

💻

Digital tools & AI

AI-supported planning and documentation.

💚

Motivation & engagement

Bring students back to curiosity and connection, with a visible project that has long-term impact.

The garden becomes a living classroom where students do not only learn about sustainability.
They experience it.

I want to register →

A practical method

Not just a course. A methodology aligned with Erasmus+ priorities.

Designed for real school contexts: limited time, different spaces, diverse students and the need to connect projects with curriculum goals. Over 25 hours, you'll follow a practical path.

Understand the educational potential of school gardens

Explore how the garden supports sustainability, inclusion, well-being and student participation.

Foundation

Design a realistic garden or nature-based learning space

Adapt the project to your school's space, resources and challenges.

Design

Create curriculum-connected activities

Use the garden across all subjects throughout the school year.

Curriculum

Use digital tools and AI to save time

Plan lessons, adapt resources, organise activities and document project impact.

Digital

Build your School Living Classroom Plan

Leave with a practical plan ready to adapt and implement in your own school.

Apply

Supports Erasmus+ priorities: Environment & climate action Inclusion & diversity Digital transformation Democratic participation

Trusted by teachers across Europe

Cultivating Futures has supported teachers in bringing sustainability into schools.

teachers supported across Europe

0.00

average score out of 5 for pedagogical impact

selected the highest rating available

years of experience in sustainability education

Teachers celebrating in the school garden

Who is this course for?

This course is ideal for

🎓

Teachers from pre-primary, primary and secondary education

🌍

Erasmus+ coordinators and school leaders

♻️

Eco-school coordinators and sustainability teams

🤝

Special education teachers and support staff

📚

Non-formal education professionals

🌱

Educators interested in sustainability, outdoor learning and school innovation

No previous experience is needed. Participants are guided step by step, from the first idea to a practical implementation plan for their school.

Meet your trainer

Joana Conde

Founder of Cultivating Futures and a specialist in Education for Sustainability, Pedagogical Vegetable Gardens and Innovation in Education.

With a background in Biology, teacher training and digital innovation, Joana has spent more than 8 years developing educational projects and supporting teachers in creating meaningful, engaging and sustainable learning experiences.

Her work combines school gardens, organic gardening, nature-based learning, sustainability education and AI tools to help teachers create practical activities with real school impact.

BiologySustainability EducationSchool GardensTeacher TrainingDigital Innovation

5-day programme

What you'll experience in Lisbon

A practical and inspiring teacher-training experience designed to help you see what's possible and return home with ideas you can use immediately.

The School Garden as a Living and Inclusive Classroom

Explore how school gardens support sustainability education, Erasmus+ priorities, curriculum goals and student engagement — connecting inclusion, participation, sensory learning and active citizenship.

2–3

Designing a School Garden in Any Space

Design a realistic, safe and inclusive school garden — even with limited space, time or resources — using raised beds, pots, containers, windowsills and reused materials.

From Seeds to School Learning Activities

Explore seeds, plant life cycles, biodiversity, indoor nature-based activities, garden calendars and well-being activities connected with nature.

Designing Your School Garden Living Classroom Plan

Turn the experience into a practical project plan, using digital tools and AI for planning, documentation and Erasmus+ impact. You leave with a Living Classroom Plan ready to adapt.

What you'll learn and take back to your school

By the end of the course, you'll return with new ideas, confidence and inspiration to implement the project in your own school.

Create or improve an organic school vegetable garden, even with limited space or resources.

Connect garden-based activities with curriculum goals across different subjects.

Design outdoor and indoor nature-based activities for every season.

Use the garden to promote inclusion, cooperation, motivation and active participation.

Support student well-being through hands-on, nature-based learning experiences.

Use digital tools and AI to plan lessons, document activities and communicate impact.

What's included

Everything for a complete experience

The course gives you all the training, resources and lifetime support you need to bring the project to life.

📖

Full 5-day training

All sessions, practical workshops and outdoor activities across the full programme.

📋

Practical resources kit

Lesson plans, activity guides and planning templates ready to use in your school.

🤖

AI tool — lifetime access

Our exclusive AI tool and Cultivating Futures methodology, for life.

📜

Certificate + Europass

Certificate of Attendance and Europass Mobility Certificate.

🌍

Teacher community

Exclusive Erasmus+ teachers community and alumni network across Europe — for life.

🤝

Follow-up support

Support implementing your project, plus consultancy for Erasmus+ partnerships.

Guarantee your spot →

The experience

More than a training. An experience.

Lisbon offers an inspiring context with real school garden examples, a vibrant sustainability community and unique outdoor learning environments. Small groups ensure every participant gets personalised attention and a truly tailored experience.

☕

Coffee breaks in every session to connect with educators from across Europe.

📸

Photographic coverage of the whole experience for your mobility.

🗺️

Exclusive Lisbon recommendations and local tips from our team.

🌊

An unforgettable Erasmus+ mobility in one of Europe's most inspiring cities.

Why Cultivating Futures

Practical, hands-on, and built for real school impact.

We specialise in education for sustainability, school vegetable gardens and innovative teacher training — helping teachers turn simple garden ideas into meaningful projects.

This course is developed in partnership with Associação Educativa para o Desenvolvimento da Criatividade, a non-profit with more than 25 years of experience in teacher training in Portugal.

By joining, you also support our mission to help schools with fewer opportunities create and maintain gardens for sustainability education.

25+ years of combined experience in teacher training in Portugal.

Child holding a harvested sweet potato plant

Practical and hands-on

Delivered in small groups

Adapted to different school realities

Aligned with Erasmus+ priorities

Focused on long-term impact

Ready to transform your school garden into a living classroom?

Whether your school has a large outdoor space, a small yard, raised beds, containers, windowsills or only a small indoor space — you can create meaningful educational change.

15–19 Feb 2027Following intake

Course fee

Choose your format

5-day course400€

6-day course480€

7-day course560€

Travel, accommodation and daily subsistence are not included in the course fee, but they can be covered by the participant's Erasmus+ grant.

I want to join the next group or ask for other dates → Contact us

📩 info@cultivatingfutures.eu

FAQ

Everything you need to know.

Can't find your answer? We're happy to help directly.

Send your question →

No. The course is designed for beginners as well as educators with some experience. Participants are guided step by step.

Yes. Projects can be created in large schoolyards, small outdoor areas, raised beds, containers, balconies, windowsills or through indoor nature-based activities.

Yes. You'll learn to create indoor nature-based activities for colder months, such as microgreens, herbs, seed observation and classroom-based projects.

No. The garden can be used across subjects including science, maths, languages, arts, geography, citizenship and environmental education.

Yes. The course is suitable for teachers and school staff participating in Erasmus+ KA1 mobility projects.

Accommodation and meals are not included in the fee. However, Erasmus+ funding may help cover these costs, according to each school's approved grant.

Yes. Participants receive a Certificate of Attendance and a Europass Mobility Certificate at the end of the course.

It uses school gardens and nature-based activities as practical tools to address real school priorities. It's not a generic sustainability course nor only a gardening course — it helps you create a concrete, visible project with long-term impact.

Yes. Customised training experiences can be organised for schools, municipalities, NGOs and educational organisations.

School gardens as living classrooms.