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Aim of the program: introduction to the life cycle of the large blues butterflies and their habitats in Međimurje, and especially the area of Natural Monument Bedekovićeve grabe
Recommended age: kindergarten, primary school
Time frame: 50 minutes
Language: Croatian
The educational program begins with a screening of a short film about the Natural Monument Bedekovićeve grabe followed by the life cycle of the large blues. To adopt the most important terms related to the topic in a fun way, an educational game „hide and seek“ takes place. Then is a time for the practical part of the workshop. On the table are bowls with rice representing butterfly eggs and pasta representing different stages of the butterfly’s life cycle (drills – caterpillars, shells – pupae, and bows – butterfly). Each student is given one blank sheet of paper divided into four equal fields. The task is to draw one phase of the butterfly cycle in each field: 1. Eggs on a plant great burnet, 2. Caterpillar on a plant great burnet, 3. Pupa in an anthill, 4. Adult butterflies fly across the meadow. As students draw each phase of the cycle, they come to the workshop leader who helps them use hot glue to glue the rice or pasta to the appropriate drawing.
Note: For the younger age we prepare a coloring book with the phases of the butterfly cycle, which needs to be colored and, if possible, paste the pasta in the appropriate places.
Aim of the program: getting to know the biology
of the beaver species
Recommended age: kindergarten, primary school
Time frame: 50 minutes
Language: Croatian
The educational program begins with a story and a presentation about the beaver species, followed by an educational game „hide and seek“ to adopt the most important terms related to the topic in a fun way. Then is a time for the practical part of the workshop. Using prepared groceries (ground biscuits, cocoa, powdered sugar, walnuts, milk, butter, sticks), the students prepare a mixture from which they make a beaver dwelling by sticking sticks to the balls of the prepared mixture. Students connect the dark mixture and sticks to the mud and trees from which the beaver builds its dwelling. In the end, they can eat their work! Younger participants can also paint a coloring book with a drawing of a beaver.
Aim of the program: to get acquainted with the species and habitats along the river in its lower course
Recommended age: 1st and 2nd grade of primary school
Time frame: 50 minutes
Language: Croatian
The educational program begins with the screening of the short film Mu-Dra rivers, followed by an educational game „hide and seek“ to adopt the most important terms related to the topic in a fun way. Each student is given a paper with a drawing of the species that need to be colored and the name of the species written (if the student cannot write, the workshop leader helps him). Then each student shows their work to others and presents everything they know about the species, and the facilitator expands the story about the species using models of amphibians and reptiles and other auxiliary materials (eg. stork feathers, stag beetle, beaver skull). Students bring colored cards to school.
Aim of the program: to get acquainted with the species and habitats along the river in its lower course
Recommended age: 3rd and 4th grade of primary school
Time frame: 50 minutes
Language: Croatian
The educational program begins with the screening of the short film Mu-Dra rivers, followed by an educational game „hide and seek” to adopt the most important terms related to the topic in a fun way. Students are divided into two groups. Each group is given a set of paper cards with drawings of the species. The first task of the group is to determine and write the name of the species on each card. The facilitator checks the species names and shows the color species cards. The second task is to make a poster on which the given elements of the habitat along the river are drawn (flood forest, river, river island, steep bank, oxbow lake, settlement). After that, the species cards need to be pasted on the poster to the corresponding habitat. In the end, the groups present their work. Students carry the poster to school.
Field programs in Žabnik are intended for both children and adults, and the interpretation is adjusted according to the wishes of the group. The duration of the program is about 90 minutes, and the use of butterfly nets and water nets and other props is especially encouraged to give visitors a first-hand experience of nature. All programs are conducted in the Croatian language.
The Međimurje horse is one of the most endangered domestic breeds. Habitats such as pastures are rapidly disappearing today due to human influence, but also invasive species. A walk along the St. Martin’s Wall clearly shows how important the relationship between man and nature is and for whom this relationship is crucial.
The boards that must be visited are: panel 14 – Žabničko vrhovljanska gmajna, panel 16 – Međimurski cold-blooded.
The start of the expert guide is possible from two locations: the main parking lot at board 8 or the parking lot at the scaffolding house at board 1. The start is determined in agreement with the group and their needs. Guided tours involving the Mill on the Mura and activities on the river are recommended (Table 6) to connect the importance of the Međimurje horse to the people of Međimurje in the past.
People in Međimurje have always been firmly attached to their rivers. In this walk we discover that the Mura River is not just water flowing in its bed but that it is much more. It affects people in thousands of ways, and on the St. Martin’s Mura we discover only a small part of the secret hidden by the Mura River, its oxbow lakes and the forests that surround it.
The boards that must be visited are: panel 3 – Mura River, panel 4 – Floodplain forests.
The beginning of expert guidance is recommended at board 1, ie near the scaffolding house. The following route is recommended: sign 3 – River Mura, 4 – Flood forests, 18 – Beaver builder, 17 – In the willow, 15 – Dragonflies, 13 – Frogs in Žabnik, 12 – Flora of the river Mura, 11 – Birds along the Mura, 10 – Life in the north. At sign 10, the guide ends and it is necessary to agree in advance that the group will be met by a bus at that place, ie at the northernmost point in Žabnik.
In the bird observatory, looking through binoculars, a completely new perspective of nature around you awaits you. Learn how to recognize the most common birds around you, how many species of herons live in Međimurje, where black storks live, why we love bregunice so much, who is the best fisherman and why swans are not migratory birds. Of course, these are just some of the questions you will find the answers to at the bird observatory.
The beginning of the expert guide starts at the main parking lot at the introductory board 8. Before arriving at the observatory, it is important to note that observing birds requires a lot of patience and silence and that the best time to observe a bird is early at dawn. Visitors should be instructed on how to use binoculars and a bird wrench (Collins). It is important to take care of the safety of visitors at the observatory. After observing the birds in the observatory, it is recommended to take a short walk along the oxbow lake and tour Table 11 – Birds along the Mura, Table 12 – Flora along the Mura, 13 – Frogs in the frog, 15 – Dragonflies.
To approach the natural values of Međimurje County more detail and meaningfull to visitors, we have designed a Manual for the education of interpreters. The manual serves as a guide for the employees and tourist guides how to interpret the nature of Međimurje.
Educational and volunteer programs and the permanent museum exhibition of the Center for Visitors Between Two Waters, based on expert opinion, were positively evaluated by the Agency for Education and the Ministry of Science and Education.
OIB: 35686623551
IBAN: HR4723400091116030749
E-mail for receiving eRačun:
pisarnica@medjimurska-priroda.info