The Wolfsbach elementary school is a place of mutual learning in a pleasant atmosphere. For us, it is important that the pupils are supported according to their abilities. Acquired knowledge is solidified in the form of projects and workshops. When choosing our courses for children and the further education of the teachers, especially the environment is taken into account. Workshops such as "Climate Protection in the School Bag", "From Wood to Paper", "Waste Separation”, "Worm Augustin" and workshops with local farmers have already been held repeatedly. The "climate clown" and an environmental theatre are also very popular with the children.

By the additional offers "Healthy Nutrition", "Choir", "Performing Arts" and "10-Finger System", individual talents and interests are aroused and promoted.

In the cross-class, moving learning sessions of so-called “Learning Carousel”, the children deal independently with the learning content. School assemblies are held monthly with the entire school.

Further focal points are integration, PC learning from the first grade and reading.

Great importance is attached to regular intermediate gymnastics in the classes and movement breaks outdoors. For a healthy attitude of the children, standing desks are offered in our school and purchased annually.

Concentration exercises, environmental education, sustainability, mindfulness and responsibility towards people and nature allow the children to better perceive and cope with real-life situations.

Summary of (environmental) education projects

Already in 2007, the construction of the “Berry Snack Hedge” was started. From the beginning, the children were involved. Equipped with rubber boots and shovels, they were enthusiastic about what they were doing.

In the next few years, the herb spiral, the potato and the flower pyramid followed. At the end of the project "Herb Fairies in the Wichtelreich" in the school year 2014/15, there was a big school festival with different herb stations throughout the house and the blessing of the herb spiral.

The garden is constantly supervised by the classes. The children sow, care, weed and process the harvest into delicious food in the subject "Healthy Nutrition". Even recently, in which such additional classes were not allowed to be held, the garden, the forest near the school and the stream were available to the children at any time as a place of learning.

Characteristic for the Mostviertel, our apple and pear juice project was carried out in the school year 2009/10. Since then, the children have been collecting the fallen fruit every autumn from the surrounding farmers and in the school garden. Pressed, processed into apple juice and filled into returnable bottles, the juice is produced in a regional company in a neighbouring village. The children then purchase the self-made juice at cost price in our school.

In the following school year, a class took part in a science garden project. Two students from the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, let the children try out a lot. Pupils observed birds and their nests at farms with binoculars, built insect hotels, wild bee houses, nest boxes, raised butterflies for their parents' gardens, set up a camera at the birdhouse at the school window and placed a hedgehog tunnel in the school garden.

In a "dog project", which also lasted over a school year, two dogs from a dog school and their owners visited the pupils weekly; the children learned a lot.

In Wolfsbach, there are many offers that are made use of by individual school classes, such as observing wild bees, visiting the beekeeper in the village, watching sheep shearing or cider pressing, taking part in a guided tour in the nursery, visiting chicken farms, etc.

The children learn to take responsibility and expand their social skills not only in the classes, but also during visiting the seniors at the "Supervised Housing" in the village, which have been carried out again and again since the school year 2014/15.

Very enriching was also the project Heart Education, in which the whole school participated for two years. In the school year 2019/20, a class designed a model of a school garden according to their ideas in a folding cardboard box as part of the general education. They used only waste materials and natural materials. This work was awarded in context of a competition at the OÖ Landesmuseum in Linz.

Last year, the focus was on psychosocial health with the topics "Mindfulness" and "Safer Internet". There was also a play and workshops.

The environmental idea is passed on from the older children to the younger children. In the book "What do we do today? How will we live tomorrow?" stories, several quizzes and tips on the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals are presented in a child-friendly form. Each class has been equipped with a book that is regularly read aloud. In this way, the children always receive inspiration for new projects.

Collecting and separating garbage is a matter of course for the children. Through numerous school activities, the students pass on their knowledge into their family environment and in this respect have an educational and role model effect on their parents.

During a walk through the house, you can tell from the workpieces, drawings, working documents, test stations, natural materials that the children are involved in and committed to the implementation of the various activities.

Even in the self-written school song, everyone likes to sing the rhymes of their school activities, such as "cutting hedges" – "avoiding garbage", "eating herbs" – "measuring fresh air", "moving a lot – even in the rain", ...

We knew we would meet the requirements in many areas, so the entire environmental team was ready to rise to the challenge. The joint achievement of goals was an important concern for the children and adults. Now we are very pleased that we can be an “Umweltzeichen”-school and will continue to teach and live according to this label.