Science is Wonderful!

Next to the science fair, Science is Wonderful! also hosts activities for the classroom. These teaching resources, games and videos were prepared by our scientists to use with your pupils or children throughout the year.

THIS JUST IN: We have now included eight new activities, including three activities that were co-created by teachers and researchers. Teach programming while finding a lost astronomer, create fake blood with your pupils to solve a murder or find your way out of a bio lab before the security doors close. Make sure to check these fun-filled activities out!

The countdown to the 2024 European elections (6-9 June) has begun! As the voting ages across Europe are changing, more secondary school students are being given the opportunity to help shape the future of Europe.

In order to prepare young voters for the European elections we have prepared a leaflet addressed to first time voters as well as a brochure about the achievements of the current Commission for young people.

The European Parliament has also produced a special educational toolkit, which provides an easy access to educational resources that will help teachers to leave space to young people for speaking up, bringing an idea, or asking a question with respect to the European elections. The European Parliament also released a 4 minutes video, highlighting the importance of democracy and our common responsibility in safeguarding it, notably by voting.

In these elections, every voice matters! Use your vote. Or others will decide for you!

Visit our website to find the publications and games showcased at the Learning Corner stand during Science is Wonderful!, along with additional resources aimed at 5-18 year-olds about the EU. Feel free to reach out to us at COMM-Info-Publications@ec.europa.eu with any questions and to order print copies.

Did you enjoy Science is Wonderful!? The European Commission organises the European Researchers’ Night every last Friday in September. This is a unique occasion for kids, parents, teachers and citizens in general, to meet with researchers, directly in their city. Join the next European Researchers’ Night on 27 September 2024 for an unforgettable experience.

Would you like to interact with researchers all year round? Researchers at Schools will bring the wonders of science directly to classrooms in selected European cities, where amazing researchers will show their work to your pupils through presentations, hands-on experiments, visits to labs, games, discussions and role-playing. And for our Belgian audience: we have good news! In 2024, we are happy to welcome a Belgian initiative back for the first time in years! Get ready Belgium: your September will be scientifically awesome.

Are you curious about how you can integrate coding and computational thinking into your teaching? EU Code Week offers a great deal of resources, activities, and ideas for teaching code in a fun and engaging way. EU Code Week is a grassroots movement funded by the European Union, that celebrates creativity, problem-solving and collaboration through coding and other tech activities. At the heart of the initiative, there is a vibrant volunteer team of teachers and ambassadors who organise EU Code Week activities in their own communities.

EU Code Week celebrates its anniversary every year in October, with two weeks of events and fun activities taking place across Europe and beyond. But unlike the name, Code Week is a year-round initiative, so there are many other activities happening outside the peak celebrations in October. This year, EU Code Week’s 12th anniversary celebrations will take place between 14-27 October.

Take a glimpse of the activities being organised in your area by checking the EU Code Week activity map and get inspired! You can also find out more about everything Code Week has to offer by visiting the website.

Did you know that Erasmus+ offers opportunities for school teachers, school staff, and even school pupils? Whether you want to take part in a mobility experience to teach, train, or accompany pupils on an exchange abroad, or whether you want to encourage your school to engage in cooperation with other education institutions, be sure to check out Erasmus+ and the Jean Monnet actions!

Thanks to Erasmus+, your oldest pupils can also take part in DiscoverEU, an initiative from the European Commission allowing 18-year-olds to travel mainly by rail in Europe for free, explore its diversity, learn about European cultural heritage and history, and connect with people from all over the continent.

Take part in Erasmus+ for schools and make the most of the Jean Monnet actions

Advertise DiscoverEU to your older pupils

If your pupils are wondering what to do after high school and if they are interested in volunteering, let them discover the European Solidarity Corps. This funded and supported programme from the European Union is for young people between the ages of 18 and 30, looking for an opportunity to help the wider community through solidarity projects, in Europe and beyond. Young people can take part in projects that will benefit communities, either abroad or in their own country. These projects offer an inspiring and empowering experience, as well as the chance to contribute to changes while developing skills and competences.

Join the European Solidarity Corps!

The European School Education Platform is a meeting point for the school education community – school staff, researchers, and policymakers – to discover news, interviews, publications, practice examples, courses and partners for their Erasmus+ projects.

It is also the home of eTwinning, the largest teachers' network in Europe. It provides a platform to enable teaching staff to create collaborative projects with one or more schools from different countries. It offers webinars, competitions and learning events. There are a number of tools for professional development and members can win recognition for their best projects through quality labels and eTwinning awards.

The platform includes a dedicated section to support Erasmus+ applicants and participants, which offers various opportunities for staff working in the education sector.

Curious where you stand with digital technology in your teaching? Want to see your strong points and where you can improve?

Explore SELFIEforTEACHERS, the free self-reflection tool for primary and secondary school teachers.

If you are a teacher and want to help your pupils learn about the EU and how it works, the EU’s Learning Corner is a source of teaching material for all age groups.

As well as finding inspiration for lesson plans, you can also discover networking opportunities with other schools and teachers across the EU. Explore the Learning Corner now!

Do you use statistics when you teach? Or are you a student wanting to understand more about statistics? Then the Eurostat Education Corner is the right place for you. The education corner provides tools and explanations which make statistics easier to grasp. Students can use it to get an easier understanding of statistics and teachers can find materials to be used in the classroom when teaching statistics, geography, social science, or other subjects. Our tools are either produced by Eurostat or are created and translated by the national statistical offices. Come and explore our vast offer, where you can also find content for Belgium and will be able to compare your country with others in the EU.

The Education for Climate Coalition seeks to co-create a participatory education community to support the changes needed for a climate-neutral society. We want to inspire, develop and draw on innovative European education capabilities by promoting bottom-up actions around five priorities: training teachers, developing green skills and competences, bridging education with science, raising awareness, and changing behaviours.

The Education for Climate Coalition is meant to gather the whole education community in the EU, including:

- Teachers, educators, pupils, students, trainers and parents across all levels and institution types

- Stakeholders active in education and/or environmental work

Become part of the community!

A European Blue School is a school, which through project-based learning, engages students with marine- and maritime-related topics to create awareness and a feeling of responsibility for our ocean.

The understanding of the ocean's influence on us - humans - and our influence on the ocean is known as Ocean Literacy.

The EU4Ocean Coalition, with the support of the European Commission's Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, brings together organizations, projects, and individuals committed to promoting ocean literacy across Europe. The Network of European Blue Schools is one of the three pillars of the Coalition, established as a hub for all schools and teachers that strive to engage students with oceanic topics and educate a new generation of ocean literate young citizens. Set up in 2020, the Network now has 350 schools in EU plus 50 from neighbouring countries.

Make your School Blue now!

The Joint Research Centre (JRC) is the in-house Research Centre of the European Commission. They assist the Commission’s services and policy-makers in making decisions backed by strong scientific evidence.

The JRC also offers an online Visitors’ Centre at the Digital Media Hub, which hosts a wealth of scientific resources aligned with Commission priorities.

Our virtual lab tours allow you to step behind the scenes to witness where the magic happens and put your knowledge to the test with built-in quizzes. The hub also features interactive games that help students learn about sustainability, health, digital transformation and much more.

Besides being beautiful, Europe’s nature is of great importance on so many levels to all of us. To help secondary school students understand why, the European Commission's Directorate-General for Environment has developed the European nature protection toolkit.

The toolkit provides resources and instructions for preparing and running indoor and outdoor activities. It will help you guide your students in learning to communicate about local plants, animals and habitats as well as about Europe’s shared natural heritage.

Inspiring students by what is around them can be a real first step in engaging them with nature in a meaningful way.

If you’re interested in learning more about biodiversity, you can also take a look at the Commission’s Knowledge Centre for Biodiversity.

Climate change and biodiversity loss need urgent action and long-lasting, systemic change in attitudes, mindsets and practices. Education has a key role to play in deepening our understanding of these issues, shifting our behaviours and attitudes and achieving a fair, sustainable future.

The European Commission in cooperation with education experts from across Europe have developed a competence framework to promote learning on sustainability in the EU. The document can serve a wide range of purposes, including curriculum design, self-reflection and certification assessment.