2017

Vote for the Best Outdoor Educational Game

Until 21 February, everyone interested is encouraged to vote for their favourite participant of the LVM Forest Olympics contest, choosing the most exciting outdoor educational game created by 7th to 9th grade students from all schools in Latvia. Ten teams with the highest scores will qualify for the finals and will compete for the main prize - a natural expedition abroad.

Last autumn (in November), school students were invited to create an educational game to be played in the fresh air, outside the school premises. They had to make a short promotional video. Anda Sproģe, school coordinator of the international environmental education programme Learning about Forest implemented by LVM, tells that this year the LVM Forest Olympics offers a new and attractive way to raise the interest of young people about environmental education and encourage them to spend more time outdoors.

The jury composed of representatives of JSC "Latvia's State Forests", the Ministry of Agriculture, the National Centre for Education and the Latvian State Forest Research Institute "Silava" chose 15 works that met the contest regulation and environmental education requirements. Now we have to find the 10 teams that will meet in the Grand Finals in LVM Nature Park in Tērvete in April to compete for the main prize. Vote for your favourite game on the Facebook page “Izzini mežu, Latvija” (Learning about Forest, Latvia) and on the Youtube channel.

In their video stories, students played the games they had created using natural materials such as leaves, acorns, cones, wooden blocks and many more. Several authors encouraged other students to head to the forest to do some orienteering, but others - to explore footprints of forest animals. Other games were based on light-hearted joy and a call to run carelessly between the tree trunks in search of other participants or performing different tasks. In some games the winner was found by making use of knowledge of the natural processes, forest management cycle and other topics.

Well, now it is all up to the voters!

LVM Forest Olympics is organised by JSC "Latvia's State Forests" in cooperation with the National Centre for Education to promote creative and healthy learning outdoors - in nature, as well as to raise school students' awareness of the Latvian largest renewable resource - wood.