A water research lab…
…to explore the Wien river in the nature park!
In autumn 2023, the Austrian Nature Parks Association (VNÖ) launched the "Water full of life" initiative to promote projects that teach schoolchildren about the importance of water - as a resource or as a habitat - and encourage them to discover and explore.
The Nature Park team has redesigned a research area with benches and a table and installed a lockable research box to which all three Nature Park schools have access. This box was equipped with research equipment (landing nets, buckets, magnifying glasses, brushes, thermometers, identification books, etc.) by the nature park office. As a result, numerous classes were able to move their (biology) lessons to the Wien River.
Together with the Nature Park's forest education team, over a period of three months the pupils regularly researched water parameters at the new information station and monitored creatures that live there during fresh air lessons using a specially designed Nature Park research sheet.
The results were presented at the school summer festival on 7 June 2024 as an interactive hands-on station. The pupils also presented answers to various questions in the form of posters and showed their research results, such as:
- Which changes were observed along the river bank and in the water during the observation period?
- Did the local weather have an influence on the water levels, the surrounding vegetation or the existing animal population?
- What special significance does the Wien River have for the pupils?
The project was sponsored by the Association of Austrian Nature Parks (VNÖ) with the support of the BIPA company.