#ParksMatter Nature detectives: secrets of park life. The first nature conservation events for children have been held!

On 17 and 18 September, the first two nature conservation events for children were held as part of the project "City parks matter – a new approach to urban green space management in Ivano-Frankivsk and Rzeszów (ParksMatter)", which is being implemented as part of the Interreg NEXT Poland-Ukraine 2021-2027 programme. 

On 17 September, students from Lyceum No. 1 of the Ivano-Frankivsk City Council visited the Voiniv-internatsionalistiv Park acting as nature detectives, and explored the city park. On 18 September, students from Lyceum No. 19 of the Ivano-Frankivsk City Council also took on the role of detectives, having the opportunity to conduct their own investigation in Molodizhnyi Park. 

At the beginning of the events, the children learned about the importance of parks for the city, inhabitants, and their impact on the life of the city parks. Sketches and notes were made on sheets of paper as part of the Eco-Quest ‘Eco-Hunting,’ where they had to find different leaves, shades of green, traces of birds or animals, something that smells, buzzes, or grows, which allowed the children to immerse themselves in the role of ‘nature detectives.’

During the events, the children explored the microcosm of parks using magnifying glasses and studied the characteristics of leaves, bark, flowers, soil, seeds and insects. Based on their impressions, the students created mandalas from natural materials as part of the art therapy ‘Mandala from Nature’. At the end, the detectives shared their impressions and received gifts.

The events were attended by Tetiana Zbyrak, a representative of the Interreg NEXT Poland-Ukraine 2021-2027 programme.

The project ‘City Parks Matter - a new approach to urban green space management in Ivano-Frankivsk and Rzeszów (ParksMatter)’ is implemented within the framework of the Interreg Next Poland-Ukraine 2021-2027 programme. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of its authors and can in no way be taken to reflect the position of the European Union.