While the EXPLORE project initially targeted European countries, we are thrilled to see how it has snowballed beyond Erasmus+ borders.
For the past two years, for example, the Kargahe Setare Project for Iranian children around the world has been actively involved in EXPLORE. More than two hundred primary and secondary school students have participated in our virtual toolkit activities, engaging in a wide range of diverse, creative, and often remarkable learning experiences.
Astronomy educator Shahrzad Mirsoltani, of Kargahe Setare Project, has been using the virtual toolkit with her students in online classrooms. She reports that the experience has been deeply inspiring for the children, and shares the following story, after conducting the Mars soil simulation experiment:
“One student had continued the experiment for almost an entire year, patiently adding water to the soil until the iron slowly rusted and the soil began to resemble the red colour of Mars. Moments like this remind me that science education is not only about learning concepts, but about learning perseverance, curiosity, and how to stay committed to a question for a long time.
