Just like every year, this year's late autumn and early winter has evoked in 7-9th grade students a wish to work creatively and create educational outdoor games for the 1st round of “LVM Forest Game”. The responsible work of judges has been done and first five teams have been nominated, they will meet on May 24 in the finals at the LVM Nature Park in Tērvete, and also, those 15 teams have been named, who have a month long period of waiting, because their videos of games are put up for voting on social networks. Five teams that will receive the most “Likes” in the JSC “Latvijas valsts meži” (LVM) school programme's Facebook page “Learning about Forests”, and also in the mammadaba Youtube channel will join the final competition in May.
The work that were sent in for the contest “LVM Forest Game” were evaluated by competent judges – representatives of the National Centre for Education, the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Latvia, JSC “Latvijas valsts meži”, the Latvian State Forest Research Institute “Silava”, association “Zaļās mājas” and JSC “Latvijas Finieris”.
Inese Liepiņa, the representative of the National Centre for Education, expressed her satisfaction that participation in the competition promotes competency based approach in schools. Gratitude to this year’s work authors was expressed also by Māra Mīkule, the representative of Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Latvia: “We are happy that the input of work and creativity increases year after year!”
The works of contest “LVM Forest Game” were evaluated by Dagnija Lazdiņa from Latvian State Forest Research Institute “Silava”, who did not hide her joy about schools that are long term participants in the competition and have qualitative contestants also this year. Pauls Beķeris, representative of JSC “Latvijas finieris”, however, values the diversity of works this year – it was very interesting and tough to evaluate the works, because most of them are very good.
Judges have named teams that go through to the finals:
Team “Meža glābēji” (Forest savers) from Ventspils Secondary School No.4
Team “Vecie zābaciņi” (Little old boots) from Nīkrāce Primary School
Team from Carnikava Primary School
Team “Lēksim kokos” (Let's jump on trees) from Sigulda Primary School No. 1
Team “Lauztās priedes” (Broken pines) from Jelgava Spīdola State Gymnasium
The LVM Forest Olympics is an idea contest of creative and healthy outdoor educational games for 7th-9th grade teams with orienteering competition in the final and with a main prize for the champion team – a nature expedition abroad provided by the JSC “Latvijas valsts meži”. The final competition will test not only their knowledge about forests and forestry, but also their abilities to collaborate and work in a team.
The aim of the LVM Forest Olympics is to promote creative and healthy studying outside the Latvian school premises – in nature, and also to teach children an understanding about Latvia’s largest renewable resource – forest. The LVM Forest Olympics is organised by the LVM in collaboration with the National Centre for Education in the framework of the International Environmental Education Programme's “Learning about Forests”.
Collaboration partners of the contest – JSC “Latvijas Finieris”, trail run “Stirnu buks”, Latvian Orienteering Federation, association “Zaļās mājas”, Forest Department of Ministry of Agriculture, National Centre for Education and Latvian State Forest Research Institute “Silava”.