Author:
Youssef Hamza
Short summary:
There is no better way to celebrate the arrival of the summer solstice than enjoying nature exploration! Our last Plant & Friends took place in the wonderful natural reserve of Kaiserwald. But we were not alone: almost twenty young explorers decided to join us for this adventure!
Children had the opportunity to learn how to measure Big Friendly Giants at the start of our experience. Our first stop took place in front of four beautiful Fagus sylvatica, where the children were divided in two groups and invited to measure the trees. The visit to a horse chestnut and a sycamore maple allowed us to explain the differences between these fascinating tree species. The use of all our senses was crucial in our experience: touching the bark of the trees, smelling the flowers and listening to the sounds (and the silence) of the forest were just few examples. Once we reached the reserve of Kaiserwald we handed out one bucket to each group: everything was ready for the nature collection to start!
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The path toward our next destination was very challenging due to the high nettles growing in meadows, but once we had overcome that obstacle we were rewarded for our effort! Indeed, we had the opportunity to build two shelters. This was the activity that the children enjoyed the most. They did their best in learning how to make different types of knots and in order to creat the refuge!
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One further activity, really appreciated by our adventurers, took place in the following location. We observed and fed the fallow deer kept in captivity in the park: this activity allowed us to explain and learn more about the main features of even-toed ungulates – the animal group that all deer but also cows and pigs belong to!
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Our final stop took place in the playground located inside the park. A little surprise was waiting for our explorers: a great assortment of trees’ leaves and flowers was disposed on a table of the park for the nature journaling. It was enchanting to observe the children being so busy with their journals: they drew the leaves, glued them to their folders, filled the pages with the new knowledge they achieved through this experience.
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Our closing circle allowed the children to share their impression and their favourite moments of this event! As every time, the most difficult thing to do was saying goodbye to this wonderful place but we are looking forward for the next adventure in nature!
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