As part of the Nordplus Junior project “Teaching scientific research in natural sciences,” a teachers’ meeting took place from April 13–17, 2026, in Enköping, Sweden.

The partner schools for the project were St Iliansskolan (Sweden) and Jumpravas pamatskola (Latvia).

The goal of the meeting was to share experiences and develop the implementation of inquiry-based learning in physics, chemistry, and biology, with a strong focus on outdoor learning and practical activities. Our school was represented by Svetlana Gornostajeva, Iryna Rakytska, Tatjana Paju-Stetski, Irina Yartseva, and Heliis-Alexsandra Kägo.

The program included a variety of learning activities in a natural environment: * Lessons at Vattenparken, where mechanics and water-related phenomena were explored. * A study trip to the Tekniska Museum and active participation in hands-on workshops. * Outdoor lessons, including bird watching and observing spring changes in nature.

Inquiry-based approaches were considered especially valuable. Activities such as the collection, identification, and analysis of aquatic invertebrates help develop both subject-specific knowledge and scientific thinking. The bird-watching methodology, which supports systematic data collection and analysis, was also of great interest.

In the field of physics, the practical activities were highly inspiring. These included building a chain reaction machine and conducting motion experiments to study forces, friction, and acceleration.

The meeting provided a wealth of ideas on how to make the teaching of natural sciences more inquiry-based and student-centered. By linking theory to everyday life, these methods will help increase students’ interest in and understanding of natural phenomena.