Getting children interested in biodiversity with "school hikes"
Chemnitz Environmental Centre draws attention to new federal project and invites primary school classes to its own "Forest Days" programme
Hiking in nature is to be put back on the agenda at primary schools and sensitise pupils and teachers to the topic of biodiversity. The three-year project proposed by the federal government "School Hiking - Experience the Outdoors. Discover diversity. The City of Chemnitz Environmental Centre, which is also committed to the idea of biodiversity with its own events and offers, would like to draw attention to the three-year project proposed by the federal government. Head Manfred Hastedt explains that primary schools have until 20 March 2014 to apply to take part in the three-year federal project - information at: www.biologischevielfalt.de/bundesprogramm.html
The "school hiking" project proposed by the federal government aims to trial the "outdoor school" concept at three primary schools selected from the applications: Pupils will be outside one day a week and explore biodiversity directly. In Chemnitz, the topic of biodiversity is also on the agenda with the 16th annual GEO Biodiversity Day organised by the Environmental Centre together with partners and associations in 2014(www.chemnitz.de and http://www.geo.de/artenvielfalt).
Chemnitz nature lovers also dedicate themselves to the topic of biodiversity with the annual excursion in the name of biodiversity, which is also a memorial to the artist and nature lover Carl-Heinz Westenburger (1924-2008), initiator of the hike. Chemnitz primary school classes can also take advantage of the "Forest Days" offered by the Environmental Centre to learn about plants and animals in the local area - make an appointment at the Environmental Centre by calling Ingrid Kasiske on 300 000.
About the new "School Hiking" project: The Federal Ministry for the Environment is providing around 750,000 euros from the Federal Biological Diversity Programme. The Federal Agency for Nature Conservation is providing technical support for the nature conservation project as the approving authority. The model schools will receive expert and scientific support from the project organisers, the German Hiking Association (DWV) and Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz.
Parallel to the "Outdoor Schools" programme, the German Hiking Association is offering "School Hiking Days on Biodiversity" from 2014 to 2016: Schools that take part in the annual biodiversity hiking day organised by the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation will receive
a comprehensive starter set with information materials, flyers, posters, brochures and a special smartphone app on the topic. In addition, schools that organise a corresponding hiking day can take part in a competition and not only act as a sponsor for further school hikes, but also win attractive prizes.
Information on the project: www.schulwandern.de
Contact at the Chemnitz Environmental Centre: Manfred Hastedt, call 0371/488-6177, email Manfred.Hastedt(at)Stadt-Chemnitz.de and Ingrid Kasiske, call 0371/488-6178, email Ingrid.Kasiske(at)Stadt-Chemnitz.de