LET’S PLANT A GREENER FUTURE 2- THE FOURTH ECO PATROL WORKSHOP HELD.

On April 22, 2023, participants of the Eco Patrol, members of the LAG More association, and members of the More Art Association gathered in the field, on the estate of the Ivanda family, to celebrate Earth Day. This event seeks to draw attention to the danger that threatens life on Earth due to the increase in global pollution and develop critical thinking and strengthen awareness of the values of nature and the environment.

The first activity was the unveiling of a mosaic made by the Ivanda family. The participants of the Eco Patrol recognized (on the mosaic) a characteristic species for our climate – the zelenbaća, which belongs to the group of reptiles. They also learned how mosaics are made and how to get complete work from small pieces of tiles. With this workshop, we reiterated how important biological diversity and preservation of the number of species characteristic of our regions are.

The second workshop was aimed at developing organizational skills, improving the ability to navigate in space, developing creativity and the ability to use art skills, improving fine motor skills, and getting to know indigenous plant species. The participants, together with the workshop leader, Manuela Srdarev, looked for autochthonous species in the garden. After the discovery, they learned the names and main characteristics of the species and then drew them on paper.

The third workshop was led by Josipa Biluš, head of Argonaut’s Eco-patrol. The participants made a compass for which they needed: water, a jar, a needle, a sheet, and a magnet. They magnetized the needle by passing the magnet over the needle several times in the same direction. After that, they placed the needle on the leaf and carefully placed everything together in the water. Some of the participants found an asymmetric sheet and their compass did not work, while others succeeded in making it. The patrolmen concluded that it was necessary to find a symmetrical leaf because otherwise, the leaf would float towards the end of the jar before spinning, so they repeated the process. In this workshop, the participants learned about making their own compass, developed critical thinking, and trained for independent work and for following instructions.

In the fourth workshop of Argonaut’s Eco Patrol, participants were introduced to the concept of microplastics and their impact on the living world and nature. Before the game, they did not know what the caps in two colors represented (food and microplastics), and after the game, they could conclude that organisms like whales cannot distinguish between food and microplastics. With this workshop, they improved their ability to follow instructions, organization, division of work, and implementation of tasks, developed the ability to recognize cause-and-effect relationships and reflect on the wider context of the story, developed the ability to think critically and logically conclude, and connect the topic with real life.

After the implementation, the students evaluated each activity – they were extremely satisfied and said that they are looking forward to the next gathering.

We continue at the beginning of the 5th month, follow us! 🙂

The project holder is the Association for the Protection of Nature and the Environment and the Promotion of Sustainable Development Argonaut, and the project partners are the Municipality of Murter-Kornati, JU NP Kornati, Kindergarten Spužvica Tisno, Center for Education Šubićevac, Aurora Association, Veterinary Faculty of the University of Zagreb and Elementary school Vodice. The project is co-financed by the Ministry of Science and Education.