The beaver and its habitat
Experience report:
To start with, we watch a film about beavers, get to look at a beaver up close and play a game to learn how dangerous a road crossing is for them.
The next day we go to the Vils to see what we have learned in reality. First Caroline shows us what the Vils looks like without beavers. There are lots of big stones and it flows fast. She shows us what trees or branches look like that have been felled by this impressive rodent. With the help of one of the animal's jaws, we also understand how the Traces in the wood arise.
I wonder what the beaver's droppings smell like? One pupil is so brave and dares to sniff it carefully... Hmmm..., not bad at all! Of course it is! Nothing can stink... Soon we discover the first traces of the beaver.
But we have to put the branch back. The beaver will take it during the night and gnaw off the bark. In autumn, he uses such trunks and branches to build up a winter stockpile. This supply is called a food raft. It is located very close to the burrow in the water. So that it can be reached by the beaver swimming even when the ice cover is closed.
And then we see the beaver lodge! We have to be quiet! The beavers sleep during the day. Maybe they also have cubs. In the beaver lodge there is a sleeping chamber where the little beavers are also. In front of it there is a feeding and cleaning chamber. The entrance is always under water. This way they are well protected from enemies. The adult beaver's enemies are wolves, lynxes and humans. The small beavers have to watch out for foxes, birds of prey and large predatory fish.
The beaver is not only a fascinating Master builder, but also a great Landscape planner. The river, which was flowing so fast, was transformed by the beaver into a beautiful floodplain, which we wandered through in amazement.
Afterwards, the children are given the task of rebuilding everything.
Cars and dogs stay outside the beaver territory. People look at everything quietly at some distance and do not trample on the structures. There is also a food raft next to the castle. Fish get new habitats in the pools that the animal landscape planner creates with his dams.
We now know exactly what's going on and what's more, these days have been so much fun!
Come again, dear beaver!
Yesterday, 12 March, Caroline Winklmayr as the beaver representative of the district of Reutte and Yvonne Markl as the representative of the Nature Park Tiroler Lech visited the Nature Park Elementary School Pinswang for a varied morning in the classrooms!
We dedicated this school day to a special journeyman: the Original Tyrolean Beaver.
In a playful way, the children learned what beaver life feels like by reading the story of the little "Dwarf"reenacted.
Everyone tried out how long they could hold their breath and estimated how long a beaver could dive. The class record was 1:32 minutes!!! The beaver record is still far above that...
Various games to participate in, experience, learn and touch enlivened the lessons and during the final film, ears were pricked up as the nailing sounds of the beaver triggered collective delight.
...we'll continue soon with the outdoor excursion "The beaver and its habitat"!
Expert visit on the topic of stones in the VS Pinswang, on 21.11.19
The children should
Before we go to the Lech, Sabine Resch explains how the stones have to be shaped so that we can work them well with the abrasive sponges. She tells the children about the different degrees of hardness of the stones and sponges. This makes it clear to everyone why we can grind stones with sponges.
And already we are on the way to the Lech. Eagerly everyone looks for stones and soon the right ones are found with Sabine's help. It's not that easy!
Sabine explains to us once again in which order - from coarse to fine - the sponges have to be taken. We also learn that it is very important to work precisely. Everyone is very eager and many of us work up a sweat!
We can see how much of the stones are polished off by the water in the bowls, which turns grey quite quickly. The children are fascinated by how smooth their stones become.
Burrows of mud-eating animals in the spotted marl, fossil corals, the colours of the radiolarites, conglomerates and breccias become even more visible. Sabine explains to us when and how the rocks were formed. Unbelievable how old they are!
We also learned that main dolomite stinks when you hit it together. That stone oil can even be extracted from it, which used to be mined at Frauenbrünnele.
At the end we proudly look at our works. Sabine explains the different types of rock to us once again. Now we all have a little Lech jewel!
We are a nature park school!
For the 119th time, the Association of Nature Parks Austria has awarded the title of Nature Park School - to our primary school in Pinswang in the Tyrolean Lech Nature Park!
At the ceremonial presentation of the certificate, not only politicians were pleased, but also the team of the Tiroler Lech Nature Park as well as the schoolchildren and their families were particularly proud of the successful start.
As the highlight of the event, the pupils of the Pinswang primary school shone in the self-written play "The mighty cross toads".
We look forward to a successful and friendly cooperation in the future!
