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Aim of the program: Getting to know the life cycle of the stag beetle and the forests as its habitat, as well as the importance of humans for the preservation of the habitat and the species
Recommended age: kindergarten, 1st – 4th grade of primary school
Time frame: 60 minutes
Language: Croatian
Old forests in Međimurje are very rare today, and it is precisely in them that the richness of the living world is hidden. A big and brave insect lives in them: the stag beetle. Stag beetle, or in Međimurje jelenjak, hrgljoč or rogljoč, is a special type of insect that lives only in places with old and rotten trees. In addition to being very charismatic and easily recognizable to everyone, the deer goes through an interesting and incredible life story. Did you know that as an adult he lives only a few months, and as a larva he lives even 4-6 years under the ground invisible to the human eye?
In order for the children to learn about the stag beetle, they go through his entire life adventure. From egg, larva, pupa, all the way to an adult stag beetle. The program is held in the courtyard of the Med dvemi vodami Visitor Center. After the introduction game, the children go in search of the messages left by the stag beetle. Guided by a park ranger, they find out which other animals the stag beetle meets and which misfortunes befall it during its turbulent life. Children are encouraged to be curious, and they learn about how their behavior affects the nature around them. At the end, there is a repetition game on the topic of forest animals.
Aim of the program: Get to know the relief and biodiversity of the area along the Mura River and the way of life of people along the Mura, both past and present
Recommended age: kindergarten, 1st – 4th grade of primary school
Time frame: 90 minutes
Language: Croatian
The program is conducted along the “Čovjek i rijeka” educational trail. During the walk, students are encouraged to experience nature with different senses through stories, games and tasks. The Mura is calling you field program best complements the interpretation of natural heritage that is discussed in the Med dvemi vodami Center. The program is adapted to the age of the group and educational outcomes.
Through stories and a walk led by a kingfisher, students get to know the Mura River and the flora and fauna along it. They learn about the reef formed by the Mura and discover how it is possible that almost everything around us is made of materials from nature. In addition, students learn how our grandparents used to live, how they crossed rivers and what they did on the lawns (trate, gmajna). During the walk, they learn what the color of the Mura river comes from, and how the river is not just water that flows in its bed. The interpretive walk continues to the most beautiful island on the Mura. There they learn which animals live on it and why they chose the river island as their home. The kingfisher also tells stories about its other neighbors – inhabitants of wet habitats such as fish, beavers, otters, herons, frogs, insects, and that every species in nature is important, even mosquitoes. Students will learn how to behave in nature, and how to deal with nature and how to actually protect it.
*Note: In order to encourage students’ activity and spirit of inquiry, there is an option for students to use butterfly nets, observation cups, binoculars, and butterfly identification booklets.
Aim of the program: Experience the coexistence of man and the river then and now, and the ecosystem services of the area along the Mura River
Recommended age: 5th – 8th grade of primary school, high school
Time frame: 90 minutes
Language: Croatian
The program is conducted along the “Čovjek i rijeka” educational trail. The educational trail tells about the special and dynamic landscape near the village of Križovec, which is characterized by a river landscape, but also a unique landscape created by mining activity 100 years ago when people were digging coal in this area. The field program “Hunting for black treasure” best complements the interpretation of natural heritage that is discussed in the Med dvemi vodami Center. Students are encouraged to experience nature with different senses through stories, games and tasks, and to become little guardians of nature themselves.
Students receive a brochure about the educational trail, which they fill out during the program. The walk starts at the Visitors Center, continues to the Mura River and to the most beautiful river island on the Mura, and all the way to Križovske grabe. Students get to know the relief formed by the Mura river – the river terrace and field, the danger of floods, the formation of gravel and sand and its use in everyday life, the connection between man and nature in the past, and the creation of river banks and islands in the low-lying part of the river’s course. Emphasis is placed on the landscape created by coal mining, i.e. halde and grabe, and their natural value today. The walk ends with an encounter with a black treasure, i.e. halda. The best ones will take with them a souvenir: a real black treasure!
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.
Place of the program: Svetomartinska Mura (starting point Skelarska hiža, end point Mlinarska kuća).
Recommended age: 1st – 4th grade of primary school
Time frame: 90 minutes
Aim of the program: get to know the flora and fauna along the rivers
Language: Croatian
Our generation remembers childhood outdoors: catching butterflies, rolling in the grass, running under the clear sky. Why not afford our little ones this kind of luxury? The field program begins with a gathering at the Skelarska hiža and an introduction to the work of park rangers. Students are divided into pairs and given a butterfly net, a booklet with the most common types of butterflies, binoculars and glasses with a built-in magnifying glass. Children are encouraged to get to know nature through as many senses as possible: sight, touch, smell. By walking along the Svetomartinska Mura educational trail, children get to know parts of the river, floodplain forest, deadwood, lawn and pasture. Although a lot of emphasis is placed on wild species such as butterflies, beavers, swans, herons, ducks, white-eared birds, willows, poplars, irises, dragonflies, children are also introduced to the domestic breed – the Međimurje horse, and to human activities that were carried out on the Mura river. Looking through binoculars, a completely new perspective of nature awaits children. They learn to recognize the most common birds that surround them, how many species of herons live in Međimurje, where the black stork lives, why we love grebes so much, who is the best fisherman and why swans are not migratory birds. In addition to looking through binoculars, children can also peek into the tiny world of insects by looking through a magnifying glass. At the end of the walk, all observed species are discussed and the children themselves conclude in what way they can be little guardians of nature. We end the walk at the Mlinarska kuća.
Place of the program: Svetomartinska Mura (starting point Skelarska hiža, end point Mlinarska kuća).
Recommended age: 5th – 7th grade of primary school
Time frame: 90 – 120 minutes
Aim of the program: orientation in nature with the help of a compass and familiarization with plant species and habitats along the river
Language: Croatian
In the age of mobile phones and Google navigation, young people do not sufficiently have the skill of spatial orientation. This program is designed as a treasure hunt game (plant species along the river) where orientation, teamwork and group leadership skills are developed. The program begins with a greeting from the leader at the starting point (Skelarska kuća) and a presentation of the way of working and the landscape in which we are (Mura, floodplain forests, water regime). The participants are introduced to the compass, the sides of the world, etiquette in nature, they are given the Young Park Ranger Workbook. The leader of the program appoints a Young Tour Guide who goes at the head of the group and reads the tasks from the card out loud. Work assignments are prepared on 8 cards. Each card contains instructions that are read by the Young Tour Guide, and everyone finds the answers together and records them in the workbook. The Young Tour Guide can be one person, or after each card read, the program leader appoints another guide. If the group does not find the answer, the leader helps them by guiding them. During the walk, interesting stories are mentioned about other species that are observed, but not mentioned on the cards. At the end point (Mlinarska kuća), the program leader calls several students who read their notes and comment together. The participants record the weather conditions together (temp., wind, clouds…) and fill out the Daily Report of the Young Park Ranger. Each student receives a stamp in his workbook as proof of his visit to Svetomartinska Mura.
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