GeoBox: A geological exhibition by children for children

In the European Geoparks Week 2007, the Nature Park Styrian Eisenwurzen has developed a project together with 17 thirteen-year-old children from the Weissenbach secondary school. The project, named „Geobox“, combined research, collecting material in the field and presenting it in a small exhibition. In our project, two large wooden boxes designed to contain the exhibits had to be finished within two school days. The school provided access to all necessary equipment, computers and workshops.

The subject of research was erosion as well as transportation and deposition of gravel by the nearby Enns River during the Great Ice Age and at present.

For this purpose, the work was organized in the following way:

·          General instructions on the scientific background and the planned exhibition.

·          Field sampling of photographic and scientific data.

·          Performance of the technical work – the boxes were painted and pebbles were selected and prepared for exhibition. The layout of the exhibition was established, field photographs were enlarged and a model of the river channel cut deeply into the Ice Age sediments was constructed.

·          Construction of simple interactive devices

·          Writing of the texts by individual groups on different subjects. Labelling of specimens and pictures.

·          A photograph of the proud students posing in front of the GeoBoxes terminated the project

As the GeoBox was prepared by students, it satisfies the demands of other students. The Geoboxes will also be shown at other schools which, hopefully, will follow this example and develop their own exhibitions.