Educational and Scientific Project

The Geopark educational and scientific Project is made up of four different programmes directed to four target groups:

1. Secondary school students in the region or from other regions. Work has also been done with primary school students by means of collaboration and support in other entities programmes, such as Caja de Burgos-Obra Social la Caixa Foundation “Do you know your town” and “Your town is full of life” programmes. 
2. Local population.
3. Students and researchers at universities from inside the region or beyond.
4. Visitors.

Several educational programmes have been developed by the Geopark over the years. The programmes are intended to support secondary and primary school teachers on site. One of the main aims is to give real examples, at natural sites, of many of the contents studied in the classroom.

Landscape, fossils, geological processes, knowledge about ecosystems, the link between the natural and physical environment and human beings and attitudes which favour environmental sustainability are some of the topics within our activities. The aim is to bring the learning and development of the natural heritage within Castile and León, and especially within the Geopark, closer to learners. 

Due to the Covid-19 crisis the best solution for this year is that we go to the classroom, and f it is possible later on, you just have to worry about the travel and we will organise all the rest for a guided field trip.

Activities:

– Activity 1: A one to two hours educational activity at school, according to availability. The number of students shall be determined by the Covid-19 protocol at each school. Each student will be given a field notebook to be worked at school with the help of a Geopark technician.

– Activity 2: Before the guided field trip teachers should revise the contents of the field notebook with their students.  Support material may be provided. The teachers can opt to use the notebook throughout the school year as a working tool. 

– Activity 3: Half-day guided tour within the Geopark (approximately from 10 am to 2 pm). Maximum number of 20 students divided in two groups of ten with one teacher for each group, according to Castile and Leon Regional Government recommendations for this type of activities.

Activities: Information talks, tours, exhibitions, and participation in the Geoloday, Geological Week and Volunteer Programme.

Activities: immersion programmes in order to understand the territory, grants for research projects, conferences, guided tours and documentation centre.

Activities: Visits to Information centres, Information talks, tours, exhibitions, and participation in the Geoloday, Geological Week and Volunteer Programme.

These years we have been involved in several Erasmus plus and interchange projects at the local level, one with the Campos de Amaya Secondary Institute in Villadiego, with a student exchange program with three other European Geoparks. For more information at:

http://iescamposdeamaya.centros.educa.jcyl.es/sitio/index.cgi?wid_seccion=41

http://lyk-peir-mytil.les.sch.gr/fourgeoparks/index.php/news

Another three host and tutored project for a master’s degree student of the Master of Geological Heritage at the University of Minho in Portugal and a student of Geology at the University of Aveiro. Also a student at the University of Mexico!

At the local level in 2019 there has been an exchange of students and experiences between the Villadiego Institute and the Aguilar de Campoo Institute and they have had the opportunity to present it at the 15th European Conference on Geoparks

We also have national internship students in the Geopark, students of pedagogy, geology, geography, etc …

This 2019-2020 academic year we have started a project with the students of Professional-Administrative Training in Aguilar de Campoo. They are creating business projects linked to the Geopark! Quite a challenge!

We encourage you to follow the various activities through Facebook !!!

All the experiences are being very enriching, fun and we are all learning a lot !!!