Most people would find it difficult to reflect on the similarities and differences between the Italian Alps, the forests of Denmark and an English fishing port. But the children of Nunsthorpe Nursery School in Grimsby are making a start on just such an ambitious undertaking. They have been visiting their local beaches, taking photographs and collecting samples to send to Italian children at Gressony and Cervinia Schools, and Danish children at Sinderholme School.
Children from all four schools are exploring their local waterways and exchanging information with each other by sending pictures, e-mails and lots of models and artefacts. It is all part of an innovative European Community programme for international school links.
Nunsthorpe headteacher Pat Cormack is full of enthusiasm as she tells me about how they hosted a week-long visit for practitioners from the three other schools. 'It was exciting for our children when the adults came in and used Danish and Italian in the nursery. On the first night our whole staff group took them out for a typically English meal, and we had lots of debates about our different approaches.'
When Pat visited the Italian schools, she brought with her some Storysacks specially made by a group of parents. She told the children a story in English, using the props from the sack, and was delighted by their understanding and enjoyment. 'We've had some wonderful experiences, like staying high up in the Italian Alps,' she adds. 'We were collected with the children by the school bus which took us to the little village school.'
Pat says she has always been interested in European approaches to early years education, and looking further afield at other styles of working with children. In 1998, Nunsthorpe Nursery School applied successfully for funding from the European Community's Comenius Action 1 programme, which supports links between European educators. 'Comenius has helped to fund our travel, postage and phone bills, but we do have to find some of the money from our own budget,' Pat says.
Working on the theme of 'My Territory and Myself', the children have exchanged all sorts of items like samples of local building materials and models of their houses. They have been fascinated to discover how flowers in Denmark, England and Italy are different. The Nunsthorpe children have been singing and dancing to a tape of Italian children's songs.
The four schools meet together regularly to plan each phase of the joint project, and a study visit to Denmark in spring 2001 is next on the agenda.
Staff at Nunsthorpe have also benefited from the experience of having European practitioners recognise the excellence of their work. 'Our European visitors were amazed by the wide range and amount of activities which we planned for the children,' says Pat. 'They talked about how involved and how calm the children were.'
Mulling over the success of the exchanges, she adds, 'The friendships we have made will go on beyond this project. I've been in education for many, many years, but I've never learned as much as I've learned from our European partners.'
To find out how your setting could develop international links, contact the British Council on 020 7389 4383 or at www.britishcouncil.org
Julian Grenier is deputy head of Woodlands Park Nursery, part of the London Borough of Haringey's Early Excellence Network
