Linking Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) to sports can be a powerful strategy to help children and youth grasp environmental concepts in an engaging, active, and memorable way. Here’s how, enriched with ideas drawn from the plant knowledge specific to the Laguna di Tortolì: Why link NBS to sports?

1. Kinesthetic learning: Many students, especially children, learn best through movement. Sports naturally activate the body, making it easier to associate physical action with ecological ideas.
2. Real-world challenges: Sports often take place outdoors. Turning the natural space into part of the learning environment helps kids understand how ecosystems function and how to care for them.
3. Teamwork and problem-solving: Just like in NBS, sports require collaboration, strategy, and adapting to complex, changing environments — perfect metaphors for ecological thinking.

 Example Activity: “Eco-Sports Day in the Lagoon”Objective: Teach students about local plant biodiversity and their ecosystem services through team games, using the vegetation of the Tortolì lagoon as inspiration.Setup: A trail or field near the lagoon, divided into stations named after local plants:

• Salicornia Sprint – a relay race where each team must identify a real sample of Salicornia europaea before passing the baton.
• Limonium Puzzle – a matching game connecting flower images (e.g., Limonium vulgare) to their ecosystem role (pollination).
• Tifa Toss – soft beanbags representing Typha latifolia seeds are “planted” in eco-zones marked on the field.
• Cannuccia Balance – a walking challenge simulating how Phragmites australis stabilizes soil and water edges.

These activities could be paired with recognition cards or nature journals based on the "Scheda di Riconoscimento della Vegetazione della Laguna di Tortolì", encouraging observation and deeper connection to each species. Learning Outcomes

• Understanding ecosystem services: Kids learn how plants like Tifa and Giunco help with water purification and erosion control — real NBS examples.
• Linking movement to memory: Associating physical tasks with specific plants and their uses improves long-term retention.
• Environmental empathy: By “playing in nature,” students are more likely to value and want to protect it.
• Empowerment through action: Children experience themselves as part of the solution, not just observers.

Link folder image https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1diPD26yakrgejq9SMc5Q-5PxEta6wdvy?usp=sharing