FINLAND

Curriculum for General Upper Secondary Schools (overview)

Curriculum for General Upper Secondary Schools (full PDF)

Curriculum for Basic Education (overview)

Curriculum for Primary and Lower Secondary Education (overview)

Curriculum for Early Childhood Education (full PDF)

Helsinki - Basic Education and Comprehensive School Studies

Ulkona Opettamisen Käsikirja (Outdoor Teaching Handbook) 

Environmental education, age, race, and socioeconomic class: An exploration of differential impacts of field trips on adolescent youth in the United States - 

Stern, M. J., Powell, R. B., & Frensley, B. T. (2021). Environmental education, age, race, and socioeconomic class: An exploration of differential impacts of field trips on adolescent youth in the United States. Environmental Education Research, 28(2), 197–215. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2021.1990865

Why Kids Should Nature Journal At All Grade Levels - Edutopia

Terada, Youki. “Why Kids Should Nature Journal at All Grade Levels.” Edutopia, George Lucas Educational Foundation, 3 May 2024, www.edutopia.org/article/benefits-nature-journaling/.

Ympäristökasvatus - Kestävän tulevaisuuden käsikirja - 

A pedagogy of interconnectedness for encountering climate change as a wicked sustainability problem 

Anna Lehtonen, Arto Salonen, Hannele Cantell, Laura Riuttanen, A pedagogy of interconnectedness for encountering climate change as a wicked sustainability problem, Journal of Cleaner Production, Volume 199, 2018, pages 860-867.

Education for Sustainable Development in Finland - 

Ahlberg, Mauri Kalervo. “Education for Sustainable Development in Finland.” Schooling for Sustainable Development in Europe, 2014.

Ecological Sustainability and Steering of Finnish Comprehensive Schools - 

Mykrä, N. (2023). Ecological Sustainability and Steering of Finnish Comprehensive Schools. In M. Thrupp, P. Seppänen, J. Kauko, & S. Kosunen (Eds.), Finland’s Famous Education System : Unvarnished Insights into Finnish Schooling (pp. 87-104). Springer.

The Connection of Finns’ Environmental Awareness to Their Anticipatory Competence - 

Ratinen, Ilkka, and Lassi Linnanen. “The Connection of Finns’ Environmental Awareness to Their Anticipatory Competence.” Frontiers in Education, Frontiers in Education, 13 Apr. 2022, www.frontiersin.org/journals/education/articles/10.3389/feduc.2022.838005/full.

How the Finnish compulsory school science curriculum emphasises scientific literacy - Estonian Journal of Education

Lavonen, J. “How the Finnish Compulsory School Science Curriculum Emphasises Scientific Literacy”. Eesti Haridusteaduste Ajakiri. Estonian Journal of Education, vol. 9, no. 2, Nov. 2021, pp. 26-46, doi:10.12697/eha.2021.9.2.02b.

The prospect of education for sustainable development ameliorating specific abiotic factors in the environment: A Finnish case study - Environmental Education Research

Tessitore, M. (2022). The prospect of education for sustainable development ameliorating specific abiotic factors in the environment: A Finnish case study. Environmental Education Research, 29(5), 806–823. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2022.2114430

Transformation toward sustainability in Finnish teacher education policy: Promises and shortcomings - Frontiers in Education

Wolff L-A, Laherto A, Cheah S, Vivitsou M and Autio M (2022) Transformation toward sustainability in Finnish teacher education policy: Promises and shortcomings. Front. Educ. 7:856237. doi: 10.3389/feduc.2022.856237

Hofman-Bergholm, M. 2018. Could education for sustainable development benefit from a systems thinking approach? Systems 6(4), 43.

Vesterinen, M. & Ratinen, I. 2023. Sustainability competencies in primary school education: A systematic literature review.  Environmental Education Research, 10.1080/13504622.2023.2170984.

Clark, CR, Heimlich, JE, Ardoin, NM & Braus, J. 2020. Using a Delphi study to clarify the landscape and core outcomes in environmental education, Environmental Education Research 26(3), 381-399.

van Weelie, D & Wals, A. 2002.  Making biodiversity meaningful through environmental education. International Journal of Science Education 24(11), 1143-1156. 

Ratinen, I., Kinni, A., Muotka, A. & Sarivaara, E. 2019.  Towards solution-focused climate education.  Finnish Climate Panel.  Report 9/2019.

Ojala, M. 2015.  Hope in the face of climate change: Associations with environmental engagement and student perceptions of teachers’ emotion communication style and future orientation.  The Journal of Environmental Education 46(3), 133-148. 

The Nature Connection Handbook -

Richardson, M., & Butler, C.W. (2022). The nature connection handbook: A guide for increasing people’s connection with nature. United Kingdom.

Finding Nature - Nature Connectedness Research Blog by Miles Richardson

Nature Connectedness Research Group - University of Derby (England)

Nature Connectedness - FREE online course from the University of Derby (England)

Generation Green - resources to help young people connect with nature

Associations between Nature Exposure and Health: A Review of the Evidence - International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Jimenez MP, DeVille NV, Elliott EG, Schiff JE, Wilt GE, Hart JE, James P. Associations between Nature Exposure and Health: A Review of the Evidence. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Apr 30;18(9):4790. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18094790. PMID: 33946197; PMCID: PMC8125471.

Matters of the Mind - Carnegie Magazine

Whipple, Amy. “Matters of the Mind - Carnegie Magazine.” Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, 12 Mar. 2025, carnegiemuseums.org/carnegie-magazine/spring-2025/matters-of-the-mind/. 

The great outdoors? Exploring the mental health benefits of natural environments. - Frontiers in Psychology

Pearson DG, Craig T. The great outdoors? Exploring the mental health benefits of natural environments. Front Psychol. 2014 Oct 21;5:1178. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01178. PMID: 25374550; PMCID: PMC4204431.

Residential green space in childhood is associated with lower risk of psychiatric disorders from adolescence into adulthood - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Engemann K, Pedersen CB, Arge L, Tsirogiannis C, Mortensen PB, Svenning JC. Residential green space in childhood is associated with lower risk of psychiatric disorders from adolescence into adulthood. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2019 Mar 12;116(11):5188-5193. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1807504116. Epub 2019 Feb 25. PMID: 30804178; PMCID: PMC6421415.

Nurtured by Nature - Monitor on Psychology

American Psychological Association. (2025, April 8). Nurtured by nature. Monitor on Psychology, 51(3). https://www.apa.org/monitor/2020/04/nurtured-nature

Mental Health in Finnish Schools: So Close to Perfection - The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health

Mental health in Finnish schools: so close to perfection. Coburn, Cassandra

The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, Volume 3, Issue 12, 848 - 849

Friluftsliv: The Nordic concept of getting outdoors - BBC

Savage, Maddy. “Friluftsliv: The Nordic Concept of Getting Outdoors.” BBC News, BBC, 25 Feb. 2022, www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20171211-friluftsliv-the-nordic-concept-of-getting-outdoors.

An Ode to the Relationships We Owe to the Outdoors - Outdoor

Dettweiler, U., Becker, C., Auestad, BH, Simon, P. & Kirsch, P. 2017. Stress in school. Some empirical hints on the circadian cortisol rhythm of children in outdoor and indoor classes.  International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 14(5), Article 475.

Kelz, C., Evans GW & Röderer, K. 2015.  The Restorative effects of Redesigning the schoolyard: A multi-methodological, quasi-experimental study in rural Australian middle schools. Environment and Behavior 47(2), 119-139. 

Mukailen Haraway, DJ 2016.  Staying with the trouble: Making kin the Chthulucene. Duke University Press.

The means of achieving the Sustainability Transformation- 

SUSTAINABILITY:

Finnish Association of Nature and Environmental Schools - organizes and develops LYKE-network; the network offers environmental education services for schools on local level and also promotes nature and environmental education in Finland

Foundation for Environmental Education Finland (FEE Suomi) - coordinates the Green Flag program, works to improve the status of environmental education, organizes training and communicate about current issues in the field

MAPPA - offers a comprehensive range of materials, training, events and other services for environmental education, teaching sustainable lifestyle skills and supporting outdoor education for different age groups and for many different purposes

Nature and Environmental Education Institute of Finland - designs nature and environmental education curriculum, trains and certifies nature and environmental educators, and connects nature and environmental educators worldwide

OKKA Foundation - 

Sykli - a diverse environmental education and training organization, Sykli offers versatile tools for strengthening the sustainability expertise of organizations, teams, and individuals

WELL-BEING:

Mieli -  future and mental health project (Ympäristö ja tulevaisuus mielessä, 2023-2025) offers support and materials for addressing challenging thoughts and emotions related to the eco-crisis and our future

Nytti Association - a national and non-profit association that promotes the mental health of students

Fulbright Finland Education Forum (26 March 2025)

American Studies Conference (5 April 2025)

ROHS UMatter Week (30 April 2025)

Transatlantic Classroom Ceremony (9 May 2025)