The aim of the COPE-project is to develop children's engagement and ability to act upon issues such as health, nature management, environmental problems and space for outdoor life. Important issues included in this guide are children's right to healthy living, experience nature and outdoor life, a clean environment that does not harm their health, developing of competences so that they can take care of their own and others' health, participation, democracy and empowerment. The teaching ideas presented here have been piloted with success in 42 schools and after-school activity centres in nine Nordic and Baltic countries during 2005 and 2006. The guide is useful to teachers in primary and secondary schools and activity centres, by health staff in local communities, institutions for pre-service and in-service training, local authorities (for example in town planning), nature interpreters etc.