References – What do people say about our courses?

I would like to thank you for the excellent course my colleagues were participated in. This course was an opportunity for them to discover new things about leadership and provide us with useful  feedback. They also got impressed by the leaders of the course, Britta and Dusan. We are definitely going to promote the course to other teachers in Perfecture.

Apostolou Athanasios
Headmaster  of Diomidias primary school  (April 2018, course New ways of learning in the Czech Republic)

Excelent course for school and preschool principals lead by Dusan Bartunek. A great opportunity to discuss various school management problems, to learn the methods of conflict resolution, possibility to meet with the directors of Czech schools. I felt very special during those 5 days in January. We also had an excellent cultural program. I truly recommend!

Ingrida Dzelzkaleja from Latvia
Strategy and management for school development, January 2019

This course has been a magnificent experience. Gave me new perspectives to improve my way of teaching. The environment was great, the teachers have lots of experience and knowledge, and they love what they do. I highly recommend this course.

Monica Silva from Spain
Course New ways of learning April 2019

I really recommend this course to everyone. It is rewarding for both students and teachers. Don’t be afraid to participate. The teachers make you feel right at home and inspire you with their know-how.

Anita Van Stichel from Belgium
Course New ways of learning April 2019

It was truly inspiring to attend this course. I learned a lot about how to include the outdoors in my curriculum. The teachers are very nice and experienced and make you feel welcome. The course was well organised!

Marie Steiner from Belgium
Course New ways of learning April 2019

Superb, I am so happy, I attended this course in Czech in 14.-19.04.2019. I was on this course two weeks ago and I am really happy to use methods learned on the course in my work. Today I was with my 7.grade (14 years old) students outdoors the whole day and it was fun. I could not find giving my evaluation on correct dates, but better here than nowhere. Especially I liked everything on the course. All information and course program came in good time. Course was well organised; accommodation, eating, transportation and leading was excellent! Learning was intensive and I got lots of ideas from course, course leaders and other participants. Thank you all very much! Full of learning and happy course.

Ari Kahkonen from FInland
Ccourse New ways of learning April 2019

I’m very happy that I had a chance to participate in this course. I got many new ideas to realize, I got inspiration for my further planning, I feel that I became more confident in planning outdoor activities, because I have some base. The time we spent there was very valuable. Thank you!

Marta Malnaca from Latvia
Course New ways of learning April 2019

A very inspiring course about leadership and outdoor education. I can highly recommend everyone to attend this course as it gives you so many things; practical tips on how to work with outdoor education and inspiration on how to be a group leader. Lessons and activities are carried out in beautiful Portuguese nature – what can be more inspiring than that?!

Emeli Ydringer from Sweden
Course Taking groups out-of-doors, March 2019

Great course to attend! Great course leaders! Thank you Britta! Thank you Dusan! Wonderful Nature park, great input, very nice participants and a great athmosphere. Already had two lessons done last week after the course when I came back with a lot of inspiration. Everything worked very well on the basis of a wonderful educational experience in Portugal. Good leadership in practical life. Only to be recommended!

Dorothee Fauteck from Germany
Course Taking groups out-of-doors, March 2019

A very good mix of outdoor activites and about leadership. Good and different ways of challenges for leaders. Smaller groups with good reflections and conversations. Lots of walking in different nature places. Britta and Dusan, are very good leaders that knows what they are talking about and what they are doing. Fantastic to meet teachers from Europe. This is a course for everyone.

Anna Sundblad from Sweden
Course Taking groups out-of-doors, October 2018

Great and helpful course with really inspiring leaders Britta and Dusan. The whole programme takes part out of doors and uses diverse and beautiful environment in a meaningful way. During the course you participate in various outdoor activities, you gain a lot of experience from the activities themselves and also during the reflection which comes after these activities. Every day is full of interesting programme from the morning till the evening and each of the participants is suitably involved. This course is really good choice!

Jana Malinova from the Czech Republic
Course Taking groups out-of-doors, October 2018

A very good course about leadership and outdoor education. The course is very interesting, also Britta and Dusan are both very good leaders. The activities are in a beautiful places in the Portugal, and every day you have a lot of interesting activities (mainly practice). This courses perfects people not only mentally but also makes people a good leader, not only in the eyes of children, but also in the eyes of other people.

Arturs Mass
Course Taking groups out-of-doors, October 2018

Luckily I attended a very similar course offered by Outdoored, some years ago in Sweden, organised by Outdoored. It was before the current Erasmus+ Programm, and in fact I didn´’t get any grant for it, so I paid for all my expenses. And it was probably the most satisfactory educational experience as a teacher of my professional life. It was worth expending a whole week in the middle of a Swedish forest, by the lakeshore where we used to take a freezing bath very early in the morning, before breakfast. All the staff (Britta, Dusan anfd Margret in that case) were very good leaders, the activities interesting and the atmosphere created by the staff memorable.

Alejandro Luana from Spain
Course in Sweden

I want to highly recommend this course to all pre-school, primary and secondary school teachers. We had six wonderful days in nature, with fantastic melona people, lots of learning but also fun, we enjoyed every moment. The communication before, during and after the course was perfect and Dušan, Petra and Brita are amazing teachers. Activity is perfect planned, everything makes sense, you learn a lot and you are active all the time. And happy. I am very grateful for being able to be a part of it. I want it in my classroom or outdoor.

Monika Peša from Slovenia
Course Nature as a fantastic classroom for learning, August 2019

Dusan, Petra and Britta amazing facilitators who put you at ease the moment you arrive. One of the best courses I have ever attending in a stunning location. A great approach to learning that will leave you engaged and inspired I can’t recommend highly enough. If you’re unsure do this course you won’t regret it. On this course there was 12 different nationalities amazing opportunity to learn from each other. Amazing, fantastic, brilliant

Ben Ozzane from Great Britain
Course Nature as a fantastic classroom for learning, August 2019

Best course ever!!! The place was amazing, we were in the middle of nature all day long. We learnt so many things! The 3 teachers were so great, full of enthusiasm, full of good ideas, very practical. You should definitively go there. Everything was perfect. We enjoyed ourselves and at the same time learnt a lot. We had fun, adventures, emotions and above all, we got stuff to do in our classes back home… So thank you Dusan, Pietra and Britta!!! You’re the best!

Annais Cum from France
Course Nature as a fantastic classroom for learning, August 2019

This course is something I will never forget. It was an incredible experience because of the teachers and because of the course itself. Britta, Petra and Dusan are great teachers who know how to pass on their knowledge to others. We learned in nature, with team activities, games, sport… We learned how to trust each other and we all connected in a wonderful way. I recommend this course to all teachers and I am very grateful for being able to be a part of it.

Žana Jusup from Coratia
Course Nature as a fantastic classroom for learning, May 201
9

„Very inspiring course for school and preschool teachers about outdoor education. We had an excellent outdoor program including lot of various activities, roller coaster of knowledge, energy and emotions. I truly recommend everyone who wants to learn practical tips how to educate in nature and how to be a group leader. I felt very special during those 5 days in May! Dusan is born to be a leader and educator and I hope to meet him at some other outdoor course (eg. Portugal and Czech Republic). Also, organizational communication via e-mail before the course started was exceptional. “

Maria Anič from Croatia
Course Nature as a fantastic classroom for learning, May 2019

This course was a wonderful experience on several levels. Trainers Dusan, Britta and Petra have provided us with countless educational experiences in nature, with games, music, drama, dancing, team activities, cooking, sport and more. All very well prepared and adjusted to the needs and motivations of the participants. It was a very inspiring week in personal and professional terms. Every day we made personal reflections and pointed the positive and / or negative points of the activities carried out. I strongly recommend the participation in this course to all teachers of any age group or discipline. Very grateful for the wonderful week we spent together.

José Miguel Perreira form Spain
Course Nature as a fantastic classroom for learning, May 2019

What an amazing learning experience! Dusan, Petra and Britta are a great team. Outdoor education is made so accessible by them. Every day was filed with lectures, games, reflexions. The days went by so quickly that at the end of the week I was still hungry for more activities. I got so much inspiration from this week, I filed my notebook so easily with quotes, activities. This week we took some time to push our boundaries, got out of our comfort zone. We cooked outside, team work never tasted better. Baking bread has never been so fun! Dusan, Britta and Petra created a fantastic atmosphere between the participants, we all connected and felt safe. This week was a spiritual experience, I want to share with my colleagues, and I will suggest them to take this course. Thank you for the opportunity and for sharing your passion about outdoor teaching!

Julie Colin from Great Britain
Course Nature as a fantastic classroom for learning, May 2019

This international/intercultural course was a Never to Forget Experience. Dusan, Britta and Petra were wonderful hosts and they succeeded to let us feel to be part of one big “Melona” family. By motivating the group and making us curious, we were challenged to get to a higher level. We discovered different (funny) ways of making groups. We developed our social skills by playing games in nature and learning how to trust each other. Also, the cultural part was not forgotten: we cooked and made music, art and drama in nature, just by using one natural item (e.g. an apple). The lectures of 2 professors were an eye-opener: they emphasized the importance of the profession of a teacher, of the way the brain works and of motivating a child to learn. On the other hand, there was also time for physical exercise, such as canoeing and hiking. The reflection of the day was a relaxing moment we looked out for, as we learned from the feelings and thoughts of the other participants in a “zen” way. Every teacher and pedagogue should have the opportunity to participate in this course. They will never teach the same way: indoor becomes outdoor.

Sigrid Van Durme form Belgium
Course Nature as a fantastic classroom for learning, May 2019

Thank you for a wonderful opportunity to participate in this amazing course. The wonderful and professional leaders of the group Ducan, Petra and Britta showed us how to teach in nature. New technics, methods, and strategies were shown during practical learning, games and the lecturers. The amazing accommodation, service, and food were provided. The relaxed atmosphere in the group was wonderful and we had discussions based on the same topics based on education. We also were challenged by trolls and some magical trips around their landscapes. A visit to a Swedish school was an excellent idea to learn the Swedish Educational System. Thank you and I hope that you will continue to show the world a path to stay eco-friendly:)

Małgorzata Brasseaux from Poland
Course Nature as a fantastic classroom for learning, May 2019

The course is FANTASTIC – before, during and after the training- everything is perfectly planned and organized. There is a perfect balance between work and fun. Lectures, games, visits…all the activities are ‘performed’ by the greatest professionals- Dusan and Britta. Their way of feeling the nature, their way of teaching are amazing!!! In a calm and relaxing atmosphere we acquired such a huge amount of knowledge… The course, accommodation, food…everything is perfect. THANK YOU!!!

Yuliana Nutsolova form Bulgaria
Course Nature as a fantastic classroom for learning, August 2018

Great course! Five days with so many activities but no pressure. A lot of playing, thinking, talking, laughing and collaborating. Also, little of cooking and drawing in beautiful nature environment. Organisators of the course (Britta Brugge and Dušan Bartunek) are very experienced – giving so much of energy and knowledge. My first Erasmus+ experience and definitely a nice one. Would recommend it to anyone who finds inspiration in Nature and would like to use it more for educational purpose.

Ivan Tabain
Course Nature as a fantastic classroom for learning, August 2018