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#15 Life on Land – Snake – friend at home?

Also in Germany there are snakes. In the Nature excursion in the Colbitz-Letzlinger Heide the participating children learned from the expert Horst
Schulze from the Federal Forestry Administration, that in the heathland and at Waldrändern Kreuzottern and Schlingnattern are encountered.

While the Kreuzotter is a poisonous snake up to 90cm long and is considered very shy, the Schlingnatter is a constrictor snake from the grass or ring snake family which are also up to 90cm long. Snakes are reptiles and, as such, hypothermic Animals whose body temperature follows the outside temperature and so depends on the ambient temperature replaced.

While the Schlingnatter is harmless to us humans a bite form the Kreuzotter can be of danger to children and the elderly, but rarely cause death because Kreuzotter do not hold large venom reserves and do not like to use the poison for defense purposes, the doses are low and thereby for adult people rather harmless. Like all animals, snakes also need a lot special, tailored to their needs Habitat. Both snake species occur in the heathland and require sunbeds, with the Schlingnatter preferring rather stony places.

On a scale of critically endangered species the Schlingnatter is rated at level 3, the Kreuzotter at Level 2. By Dismantling of forest edges and heath areas as well as the elimination of dry leave areas the habitats of snakes located here are reduced drastically.

The snake is of great importance in cultural history  too. The split tongue of the snake, by the way an olfactory organ, is considered a picture for dishonesty, when speaking with a forked tongue. Also, the snakiness (slimy, fickle, unprincipled or smooth) is a rather negatively charged trait, what maybe also cause us to fear snakes or find them disgusting. As an inspiration for our snake story the author might have considered also the staff of Asclepius (Aesculapius staff), which until today is representing the medical and pharmaceutical professions as the symbol.

Maybe this fairy tale will help you, to not see snakes as a threat only, but as an important element of our ecosystems of forest and heath. As endangered species they need our protection by preserving their habitats.

The children of the all-day school Johannes Gutenberg from Wolmirstedt, the YOUNG VOICES for SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, produced the fairy tale Schlange Hausfreund, to campaign for more education and environmental awareness and especially for more protection of snakes.

Schlange Hausfreund is part of the environmental fairytale campaign Nawa & Bubo powered by Explority. To learn more about this program click here

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#15 Life on Land – Kalif Storch

The stork is a migratory bird whose span in white or black storks up to 2.20 meters measures. Storks are carnivores and almost on located on all continents. Storks can go up become 35 years old and prefer damp biotopes.

In winter they move to the warm south and then often in Sub-Saharan Africa
encountered. There are in the nature park Drömling in Saxony-Anhalt
more than 40 white stork breeding pairs and even the on the red list of endangered animals Black Stork finds in the “Land of a Thousand Trenches”
his home.

The biggest threats to storks are in Pesticides infested insects by them be eaten and death by accidents Collision with motor vehicles or power lines. Through medium-voltage overhead lines and Railway overhead lines are getting many each year Storks injured or equal to the electric shock
killed.

Also in their winter quarters in Africa threatens death by hyenas and jackals. The White Stork, also known as the Rattling Stork is in many cultures as a lucky charm or bearer of newborns.

 

In our fairy tale Kalif Storch experience the migratory birds an exciting Adventures during their winter quarters that the Children tell us here in Drömling. Help to preserve the habitats for storks and expand, so that more of these wonderful Birds can live with us.

With the natural fairy tale Kalif Storch the children of the 5th grade from the Drömlingschule in Oebisfelde, the YOUNG VOICES for SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, are committed to more environmental awareness and especially to more protection of migratory birds in general and the stork in particular.

Kalif Storch is part of the environmental fairytale campaign Nawa & Bubo powered by Explority. To learn more about this program click here

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#15 Life on Land – The Wolf

The wolf is a predator that is up to 1.60 meters long and can weigh 80 kg.  Wolves live in packs of 5-8 animals, sometimes alone, if you are looking for a new area are. Wolves communicate with one another diverse body language (gestures) and howling. With scents they mark their territory. For a long time, the wolf was considered extinct in Central Europe, after being hunted everywhere, first Line to protect livestock owners.

In 1996, the wolf first return to Germany was sighted. In 2000 there was the first pack throw in Saxony. There is currently a Wolf population of 95 animals in Saxony-Anhalt , like the wolf expert Antje Weber from the Wolf Competence Center in Iden told to the children on the excursion in Colbitz Letzlinger Heide. The Children actually succeeded in finding their own wolf tracks:  Eagle eyes! They could then witness how the sample was secured scientifically and the location was measured and photographed. As a finder  the participating Nawa & Bubo class from Angern was added. A great honor!

Wolves are at the top of the food chain in the ecosystems inhabited by them in Germany. As adaptable animals they are completely fine with the cultural landscapes in Germany and cope well to control the deer population. In order to make an important, natural contribution to healthy forestry, especially since Deer like to nibble young trees and thereby present a threat to the forest stock, if the wolf population is strong. For livestock owners the wolf on the other hand is a threat. The state of Sachsen-Anhalt provides compensation laws and herd protection programs. The Wolf is under strict nature conservation, however still often will be illegally hunted.

It is time for us to get to know wolves better and understand how to deal with them, because Often the fear of the bad wolf is unfounded. Nevertheless, a wolf can also be a human become dangerous if he is a young, individual Stray and inexperienced or as a zooproject breaker was used to people. By loud Noises, we can do it if we are a wolf to keep him from getting further away from us to approach. The wolf is a good example of nature and environmental protection in Germany.

If the “wild” wolf is able to live with us, that also means that we make a good contribution to active conservation, which guarantee habitats for wolves. With the help of the fire bird we got to know the character of the wolf. We invite you to do the same and help us protect the Wolf so this exciting animal has a future opportunity living with us!

With the nature fairy tale Ivan Zarevich, the Firebird and the Gray Wolf, the fourth grade children of the Freie Umweltschule in Angern, the YOUNG VOICES for SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, advocate for more environmental awareness and, in particular, a differentiated view of the wolf and its significance for the Ecosystem forest.

Iwan Zarewitsch, der Feuervogel und der Graue Wolf is part of the environmental fairytale campaign Nawa & Bubo powered by Explority. To learn more about this program click here

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#6 Clean Water in Germany and Uganda – the Film

Young Voices from the Ringelnatz School in Berlin, Germany and the Rainbow House of Hope in Kampala, Uganda exchange on the importance of clean water and access to water and the question of how to reduce water usage.

Access to Water is a human right, which needs to be protected!

Join us!

 

 

This project was supported by

on behalf of

and

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#4 #6 Serious gaming for the SDG’s – digital and analog

YOUNG VOICES today come from class 5a of Ringelnatz school in Berlin where the kids had a unique opportunity when they got to play a serious game in their computer room as well as replaying it in their class room in an analog way!

Babu and Mirembe is a digital, intercultural learning game, which introduces life realities from kids in Kampala, Uganda and their challenges to go to school. In Uganda, a child is only eligible to go to school, if it can afford to buy a school uniform! Goal of this game is to help a Ugandan child to sell water in an urban environment in order to earn money to be able to buy a school uniform and thus being able to go to school!

You, as the player, can speed up the process, if you know the answers to quiz questions along the way, collecting bonus points which help to buy the uniform earlier.

The game reflects on the problems for natives to have access to clean water (SDG #6) as well as the challenge of gaining access to quality education only by buying a school uniform which overburdens families with low or no income, excluding their children from access to education (SDG #4)

Babu and Mirembe was developed during a project by Radijojo e.V. with 5th graders in Berlin Germany with the support of the visiting director of the Rainbow House of Hope in Kampala, Uganda, who gave valuable insights in the daily lives and challenges of children in the capitol of the subsaharan country.

The next day the same students who played Babu and Mirembe on a desktop now developed a way to recreate the game scenario in their own classroom, in an analog way!

First, the students drew a plan of how to set up a game city in their own classroom. Then organizing streets, buildings and game activity stations…

…such as the water station, where the player buys water which he sells to other people (represented by students) in the city. Money to buy school uniforms could also be earned at a… 

… construction site. Child labour is unfortunately still common in many African countries. Here the students at Ringelnatz school had to stack ten chairs and thus  learned, how heavy physical labour can be…

At a quiz station, the students had to answer water related question (SDG #6). With the (“selfmade”) money earned…

…the students could finally spend their Ugandan Schillings to buy a uniform at the school uniform shop

The analog version of the game added an even more dramatic, immediate and intense level to the game experience. The students felt the pressure and the spirit of achieving the goal. The students reaction was highly positive referring to the engaging methodology and the intercultural context of their global learning experience.

To play a German version of the game yourself follow this link

The project was supported by

on behalf of

and

Special thanks to the students from class 5a, the principal as well as the class teacher of the Ringelnatz Schule in Berlin, Germany.