The park surrounding Uzhhorod Castle serves as a habitat for numerous wild animals, including red squirrels, bats, various insects, and a diverse array of bird species. Among the avian inhabitants are common starlings, great tits, and nuthatches nesting in the hollows of ancient trees, while blackbirds find refuge in the shrubbery. For the second consecutive year, these birds have been endeavoring to raise their nestlings. The 7th-grade students of a private school “MAIN POINT ACADEMY”, had the opportunity to acquaint themselves with these creatures and many more during a thematic educational event known as the eco-quest “Animals of the Castle Park.”
The event was organized through the collaborative efforts of biology teacher Maryna Tafiy, along with the team from the Transcarpathian Regional Museum of Local Lore named after T. Lehotsky and experts from the Interreligious and Civil Environmental Forum of Eastern Europe (IRCEF) in commemoration of World Animal Day (October 4) and World Habitat Day (October 6). Ruslana Dzhahman, a senior researcher at the Nature Branch and an eco-trainer with IRCEF, shared the significance of these occasions and introduced the children to the rules of a new quest. The students were then divided into two teams and embarked on a quest to locate tasks in different sections of the castle. At each designated point, which was marked on a real map, the students had to first discover an envelope containing a task, and then successfully complete it, recalling information about various wild animals.
The students engaged in activities such as recognizing animals through the didactic game “Learning about Flora and Fauna Through Play”, solving crosswords, answering questions, and searching for animals within the castle park, including owls in the “Nature of Transcarpathia” exhibition and bats in the basement, among others. At each station, the children received intriguing insights about the animals from the researchers, who also evaluated the students’ efforts and recorded their earned points in a table. As the quest came to a close, the children were rewarded with delightful treats from the Institute of Ecological and Religious Studies in recognition of their active involvement and solid understanding. Following the quest, the researchers led the students on a tour of the natural history exhibition, showcasing the diverse fauna of Transcarpathia. The young learners were also captivated by the photo exhibition “Colors of the White Continent” by Serhiy Hlotov, where they had the opportunity to view captivating images of the flora and fauna of Antarctica.
The event was held within the framework of cooperation between the Interreligious and Civil Environmental Forum of Eastern Europe (IRCEF) headed by Olexander Bokotey) and the German Nature Conservation Union (NABU Bundesverband, NABU International), project coordinators Ivan Tymofeiev (NABU), and Nataliya Kulya (IRCEF).
Informational Service of IRCEF
