With creative treasures: Mallnitz children win Imst-Award

With creative treasures: Mallnitz children win Imst-Award

In the picturesque Mallnitz, children have explored their homeland in a very special way as part of the Mini Museum. The copies of nature that they collected and presented have now been awarded by the Ministry of Education in Vienna. Over 100 children from the group "Tauernzwerge" and students from the school cluster "Middle Mölltal" have collected all kinds of finds for a whole year under the motto "Small hands - big treasures" - from eagle feathers to mouse kelettes - and sorted them alphabetically in 26 treasure chests. The result is an impressive performance of the biodiversity in the Hohe Tauern National Park.

The idea for the Mini Museum came up in cooperation with the first European Climate and Environmental Education Center (EKUZ), with the active support of the Carinthia University of Education and the National Park Center. "The students should show the world through their own eyes and try them out as a museum designer," explains project manager Gudrun Batek.

an innovative access to nature

The mini-museum offers the children a new perspective on nature and environmental education. The Mallnitz elementary school was enthusiastic about the project right from the start. The students designed artistically designed wooden letters for the ABC of the exhibition and created various works of art made of felt that represent the domestic wildlife. "It quickly became clear how important to collect these treasures for the children," notes educator Martina Pucher. The enthusiasm of the children was so great that the project quickly became the central component of the educational institution.

Another important partner, the middle school Obervellach, came on board in autumn 2023. "The classmates were crucial to archive more than 1,000 photos and videos of the children and transfer them to a digital exhibition," says Batek.

The award "Oskar" of the MINT formation

Your tireless effort has now paid off: The Mölltaler project was awarded the Imst Award 2023, a prize that rewarded innovative developments in the subjects of mathematics, computer science, natural sciences, German and technology-the MINT subjects. Prof. Peter Posch, who presented the prize, emphasized: "A museum from the perspective of one to 14-year-old children is nowhere else in the world!" This recognition is comparable to the "Oskar" of the MINT formation.

The work of the little naturalists can be visited in the BIOS National Park Center in Mallnitz until April 2025 before moving to Klagenfurt, where they are also exhibited in the Carinthia Museum. Further information on the mini-museum and its projects can be found on www.minimuseum.at