"<< Background >>Even though technology has a considerable effect on our daily lives, the use of technology in education systems is still inadequate and this need emerged dramatically during the Covid-19 pandemic worldwide due to the shut down of the schools. According to World Bank ""Across more than 170 countries, 1.5 billion students' schools have closed as part of their governments’ response to COVID-19. Now, ministries of education around the world try to ensure learning continuity for children and youth through distance learning. In most cases, efforts involve the use of various digital platforms featuring educational content and a variety of educational technology solutions to keep communication and learning spaces as open and stimulating as possible.” In line with digital learning, researches show that young people need to discover meaningful ways of discovery using technology for learning purposes and collaborative knowledge creation. Hands-on science can be defined as any instructional approach involving activity and direct experience with natural phenomena or any educational experience that actively involve students in manipulating objects to gain knowledge or understanding (Ateş and Eryılmaz, 2011). It provides opportunities for students to acquire relevant functional knowledge and skills that are associated with scientific processes needed for advancement in science and technology. This method is the most effective method to achieve today's science teaching outputs. The effectiveness of this technique increases, even more, when it is integrated with digital tools.Considering all these issues related to distance education and hands-on science teaching, the main objective of this Action shaped as establishing a “Hands-on Science Education Platform” to engage with practical and digital education to increase science literacy. To support this main aim, hands-on science education kits and the teacher’s guide will be prepared as other objectives within this project. Project partners are selected from Turkey (Özyeğin Uni, Eğlenceli Bilim, EFTA, SU/Öğretmen Ağı and İstanbul İl MEM), Belgium (EDI), Portugal (EDUGEP), and Serbia (CPN) according to their valuable experience in hands-on science education, distance learning, equity in learning including disadvantaged students and girls, networking in the field of education.<< Objectives >>The main target groups are science teachers and students at the 4th, 5th and 6th grades. To meet these objectives there are 3 IOs (LESTO Platform, Hands-on Science Education Kits, and Teacher’s Guide). There are 3 transnational meetings besides monthly online meetings among project partners to concrete the strategic partnership. Moreover, to involve the science teachers to the project, there will be a workshop where change ambassadors will be trained to be a mentor in their countries. It is aimed to ensure the sustainability of the project by training science teachers to have role in the local pilot studies. The other activity cluster for sustainability is dissemination activities at the local and national level. There are 6 dissemination activities: 3 of them will be in Turkey (İstanbul, Ankara and İzmir) and 1 in Belgium, 1 in Portugal, and 1 in Serbia.The objectives and activities within the project meet the Erasmus+ priorities as bringing innovative approaches, capacity building of teachers not only for being more modern, dynamic, motivated but also work in the international environments. These partnerships will promote networking of our project partners as well as other organizations across the EU to share resources and expertise. In specific response to the Covid-19 pandemic, this project also meets the priority of responsiveness, adaptability, and flexibility, and digital education readiness and mitigating the impact of the crisis.<< Implementation >>Within the project, the LESTO platform will be established concurrently with hands-on science education kits and the teacher’s guide. 25 change ambassadors among science teachers will be selected from the partner countries and these teachers will be a mentor after receiving training. Then, they will have the responsibility to assist the science teachers in their countries under the pilot studies. Then, these teachers will reach the students considering disadvantaged ones as well.For the long term, it is also expected to reach 1000 organizations and 10.000 individuals with the networking of the partner organizations, in specific for Turkey SU/Öğretmen Ağı andİstanbul İl MEM will take care of the dissemination with the other provincial and district national education directorates. For the project, partners will be in charge of dissemination in their countries. Another long term impact expected is preparing policy paper to involve hands-on science teaching to digital learning.<< Results >>The results of this Action can be divided into two groups as those of which will be reached during implementation and those after the completion of the project. The results expected during the project are:1. Hands-on Science Education Online Platform (IO1) will be developed2. An Hands-on science Education Home Kit Establishment (IO2) will be produced and embedded into the online platform3. An Hands-on Science Community Establishment within the online platform4. A Teacher’s Guide will be established (IO3)5. 10 trained science teachers as change ambassadors from Turkey, 5 science teachers from Belgium, Portugal, and Serbia within the scope of the Action. In total 25 teachers will attend the international staff training to shape and decide the output contents.6. 55 science teachers will be included from partner countries to test the digital platform and science education kit as a pilot study. There are already 25 teachers who attended the activities and the rest of the teachers will be 3 teachers from Belgium, Portugal, and Serbia and 21 teachers from Turkey.7. Implementation of local pilot studies with students. A minimum of 550 students (55 cohorts x 10 students per cohort) (50% girls+50% boys) various cultural and socio-economic backgrounds and from Turkey, Belgium, Portugal, and Serbia will have participated in pilot implementations. It is assumed that each teacher can reach 10 students and this calculation is made based on this. In this case, 310 students from Turkey and 240 students from Belgium, Portugal, and Serbia (80 for each country).8. An impact analysis report will be produced including the effectiveness of the online platform, analyzing the impact on teachers and students who use the platform.9. Community building will be established by including the participation of parents and mixed online activities by students.10. Three transnational meetings will be made in 3 different countries.11. Trustable and sustainable partnership will be established among 8 partners from 4 countries.12. 6 different dissemination activities will be carried out in 4 different countries.13. Cross-sectoral partnership will be encouraged among NGO, public authorities, private sector, and academia14. Membership of the international Hands-on Science Network (http://www.hsci.info/index.php) established in Portugal will be completed and this approach will be carried out on a global level.15. A minimum of 1.000 legal bodies (provincial and district national education directorates; civil society organizations in the field of education; schools etc.) from Turkey and 250 legal bodies from each partner country; Belgium, Portugal, and Serbia will be reached via different tools and channels 16. A minimum of 10.000 individual persons (teachers, students, parents, other representatives in the field) from Turkey and 1.000 individual persons from each partner country; Belgium, Portugal, and Serbia will be reached via different tools and channels17. A policy paper preparation consisting of the intellectual outputs of this Action and the discussion with project partners. The paper will be framed around the inclusion of hands-on science education in digital education"