On Wednesday 6th May 2026, children from Rabat and Dingli primary schools got together at the Dinja Waħda Garden at San Anton School to celebrate the magic of trees in a morning of nature-themed events. The three schools are taking part in the first national eTwinning project to share nature in their gardens through BirdLife Malta’s environmental education programme, Dinja Waħda.
During the scholastic year, the children engaged in a series of activities focused on trees in their Dinja Waħda Gardens as part of an eTwinning project. eTwinning is an online community for schools in Europe that fosters intercultural skills and digital literacy. The platform provides opportunities for teachers to participate in online and on-site exchanges.
eTwinning national co-ordinator Rosanne Camilleri said that eTwinning can be integrated with any subject, such as science, nature and Maltese, as children are learning the names of trees, plants, habitats, as well as insects and small animals. “You have social studies, geography and the environment. These are all subjects they are learning academically, but that does not necessarily mean they have to be sitting inside a classroom. You can go outdoors. In fact, by doing this we are giving children the experience of connecting with nature, not just hearing about it or perhaps seeing videos and pictures of it,” she continued.
‘Magical Trees’ brings together three schools that share a common ethos of connecting their students with nature.
Francesca Cassar, a teacher at San Anton School, said it was very easy for the school to integrate the joint eTwinning and Dinja Waħda project into the curriculum. “The children are very interested, they are highly supportive of this project and they ask a lot of questions. They have learnt a great deal about the carob tree, and we hope that when they go home they tell their parents what they are learning so that we can work more hand in hand and help them grow to love our nature even more.”
Elaine Gauci, a teacher at Dingli Primary School, said that through this project the children have learnt to appreciate nature much more and, among other things, have become more familiar with the trees in the school’s Dinja Waħda garden. “We began observing the bay laurel tree and watched its flowers, and now there are no flowers left. We also looked at the leaves. Why are some light green? Because they are still growing, while the others are dark green.”
Children at the two St Nicholas College primary schools and San Anton School are fortunate to have spaces for nature on their school grounds. The schools form part of BirdLife’s scheme to enhance biodiversity in these green spaces while creating opportunities for student engagement with nature. Ġonna Dinja Waħda is supported by the Environment and Resources Authority, ERA. Speaking on behalf of ERA, environmental coordination officer Sanja Pokrajac said that ERA is proud to be playing their part in fostering awareness of Maltese nature in children through Ġonna Dinja Waħda.
Early years pupils from the three schools created a bunting with depictions of trees in their gardens after going on a nature-spotting walk and testing their sensory perceptions on a feely-box nature quiz. The morning culminated in the chanting of a song to trees and a picnic in the tranquil setting of the San Anton Dinja Waħda Garden.
Other schools are invited to follow the lead of this year’s ‘Magical Trees’ schools and submit ideas for next year’s eTwinning projects through BirdLife Malta’s environmental education programme, Dinja Waħda, which is supported by Bank of Valletta, BOV.
Read the press release in Maltese.
