Activities

We preserve nature and its resources through educational activities

Laboratório da Paisagem promotes various activities in the field of environmental education aimed at different audiences. Intervene in the landscape, understand the importance of water lines and their conservation and understand the relevance of reusing materials are some of the activities we propose.

Activities

5-9 years old
6-12 years old
6-16 years old
7-14 years old
All ages

Objectives:
– To understand the concept of Ecological Footprint;
– To become aware that our daily behaviours influence the environment;
– Propose actions to mitigate environmental problems;
– Calculate the individual ecological footprint.

Activity
Theoretical and Practical

Duration
60 minutes

Knowing your Ecological Footprint is something fundamental to changing behaviors. In this session we will discover which sector contributes most to the Ecological Footprint of Guimarães City Council and propose ways to act. We will calculate our individual Ecological Footprint and become aware of what we can change in our daily lives to ensure a more environmentally sustainable municipality.

Objectives:
– To know the SDGs and their goals
– To understand the individual’s role for the future of the planet

Activity
Theoretical and Practical

Duration
60 minutes

On 1 January 2016, the United Nations (UN) resolution entitled “Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, consisting of 17 goals, broken down into 169 targets, approved by world leaders on 25 September 2015 at a summit at UN headquarters in New York, entered into force. The 17 goals are intended to be a vision for humanity and a contract between policy makers and the people. In this context, the activity proposes a theoretical and practical approach to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, in order to advocate a change of behaviour in everyday life.

Note
In this activity, participants aged 6 to 12 will have the opportunity
to play a Human board game.

Activity
Theoretical and Practical

Duration
45 minutes

The aim of this activity is for participants to reflect on their consumption and the waste they produce every day. They will also reflect on the importance of the paradigm shift from a linear economy to a circular economy. Objectives: -Recognise more appropriate behaviours and practices for reducing the production of individual waste;. -Adopt responsible and sustainable consumption practices; -Understand the concept of circular economy and its importance.

Activity
Theoretical and Practical

Duration
90 minutes

Botanical printing is an inspiring experience that summons beauty and creativity.
Botanical printing, also known as Ecoprint, is an organic and handmade printing technique on paper and fabrics, which transfers pigments and prints the shapes, textures, colours and aromas of plants. It is a totally natural and clean practice that respects the environment, stimulating conscious consumption and the production of sustainable art and fashion.

Objectives:
– Understand the importance of the existing information on the labels of goods and services for the adoption of sustainable consumption;
– Recognise symbols for the consumption decision;
– Adopt appropriate behaviours for the recovery of different types of waste.

Activity
Theoretical and Practical

Duration
60 minutes

In this activity labels and symbols of different products will be analysed through a magnifying glass. Each participant will be invited to analyse the products and make sustainable choices by means of the information on the labels as well as define their destination in case of disposal.

Activity
Theoretical and Practical

Duration
90-120 minutes

Instead of conventional paints, the paints used (watercolour) will be the result of liquefying and then filtering some vegetables: tomato will give the orange colour; beetroot, strawberry and other wild fruits the red colour; carrot, peach and plum the yellow colour; spinach, cabbage and lettuce, the green colour; tea and coffee the brown colour. Besides the vegetable paint, paints that stimulate the senses can also be created, by dissolving spices (cinnamon, saffron, curry, paprika) in cooking oil until the desired texture is obtained, allowing colours and aromas to be painted, thus stimulating children’s creativity. Objectives: -To promote curiosity for the natural world and active citizenship; -To learn about nature and learn to preserve biodiversity; -To adopt responsible and sustainable consumption practices; -To understand the concept of circular economy and its importance.

Activity
Theoretical and Practical

Duration
60 minutes

Using different types of waste, participants are invited to let their imagination run wild and design a reusable pot for planting bean plants. This activity aims to promote good practices in waste recovery. In the session participants will reflect on the waste cycle and its difficult decomposition in nature. Objectives: -Know the concept of Waste; -Understand the life cycle of a product; -Know ways of valuing waste; -Adapt appropriate behaviours and practices for the valorisation of different types of waste.

Activity
Theoretical and Practical

Duration
60 minutes

Reusing the waste we produce is an excellent way of preserving the environment and saving money. An example of this is building flowers or making aromatic bags using recycled materials, more specifically, plastic bottles and buttons, or producing ecological candles from used oil and candles and orange peel. On the other hand, and knowing that Portugal is an important stopover point for countless migratory birds, why not build bird feeders from recycled material? During this activity participants will have the opportunity to learn how to make flowers, aromatic bags, candles or even bird feeders from different types of materials and to understand that it is possible to transform materials that we no longer need. This is how art and environment come together!

Activity
Theoretical and Practical

Duration
60 minutes

The activity promoted by the Landscape Lab focuses on presenting different energy sources and explaining the advantages and disadvantages of each one. This theoretical approach explains the importance of renewable energies for energy sustainability. The activity has a practical demonstration of how wind energy works. Objectives: -Know the different energy sources; -Recognise advantages and disadvantages of each energy source; -Perceive the implications that the current energy model has on the environment; -Identify clean energies in the promotion of energy efficiency.

Activity
Practice

Duration
60 minutes

Maximum 30 participants

Water quality is not only measurable through quantitative parameters. In this activity, the aim is to use the senses to make an organoleptic characterization of the water. Touch, sight and smell will be fundamental for a qualitative record. Let’s experience water! Objectives -Understand the importance of water as an essential resource for the existence of life on the planet; -Assume behaviours that reflect respect and appreciation for water as a resource.

Objectives

– To distinguish the different aromatic plants and their uses;
– To learn how to plant according to the specificities of each species;
– Knowing the appropriate procedures for the maintenance of the plantation;
– To understand the importance of sustainable agriculture.

Activity
Theoretical and Practical

Duration
90 minutes

This activity aims to raise awareness of the world of aromatic plants and their importance in promoting health and sustainable agricultural practices. The benefits of each aromatic plant and the care to be taken in planting and maintaining them will be discussed. The technicians from the Landscape Lab will accompany the planting of aromatic plants, explaining all the procedures and taking some equipment with them. The plot that will receive the aromatic herbs must be previously defined and prepared. All the aromatic herbs to be planted must be brought by the participants. It is possible to support the construction of vertical aromatic gardens. If there is no outdoor area available for planting, small beds can be developed using recycled material.

Note: This activity may be exclusively theoretical or may have a practical nature.

Objectives

– Recognise the environmental impact on a global and local scale of the invasion of habitats by exotic species; – Recognise the consequences of human activities and attitudes in different ecosystems;
– Participate in actions for the preservation of local biodiversity;
– To qualify for the identification and control of invasive species;
– To promote involvement as a citizen in the preservation of the environment.

Activity
Theoretical and Practical

Duration
120 minutes

Invasive species are non-native species that cause negative environmental and economic impacts. This activity aims to raise awareness of invasive species as one of the main causes of biodiversity loss. The focus will be given to species present in the municipality of Guimarães with on-site observation of some species. Identification, ecology and methods to fight invasive species will be discussed, as well as mitigation measures for the impacts caused by their presence.

Note: This activity can be exclusively theoretical or have a practical character.

Objectives
– To know the autochthonous flora;
– Know the biodiversity of the municipality of Guimarães;
– Understand and get to know concepts of ecology and biology;
– To raise awareness of the importance of knowing the natural environment.

Activity
Practice

Duration
60 minutes

The activity consists of creating a herbarium. A herbarium is a collection of plants, organized and made available for reference or study. Creating a herbarium consists of collecting and preserving labelled specimens of plants. Each plant’s label is its identification card containing the following information: place and date of collection, name of the collector and identification of the species.

Note: Participants should collect leaves in good condition or small branches with leaves to take with them to the session (favour native species: oaks, laurel, strawberry trees, etc.). The leaves will be identified during the session and the whole process of conservation and creation of the herbarium will be explained.

Objectives
– To know the flora which is part of our diet;
– To know the agro-diversity of the municipality of Guimarães;
– Understand and get to know concepts of agriculture, ecology and biology;
– To raise awareness of the importance of knowing the natural and rural environment.

Activity
Practice

Duration
90-120 minutes

In this activity participants are invited to identify and sort, correctly matching the seeds with the images of the various plant species we usually eat. At the same time, they will be informed in dialogue about some of the particularities of seeds and plants from the point of view of their adaptability to the environment and genetic propagation of the species. At the end, during a short walk, we will visit some of the crops grown at the Veiga de Creixomil near the laboratory.

Activity
Practice

Duration
90 minutes

At the University of Minho Campus we will identify trees and learn more about their characteristics. We will be able to collect material for the creation of a herbarium.

Objectives
– To understand possible consequences of water contamination on the life of current and future generations;
– Raise awareness of the importance of preserving and monitoring water resources.
– To understand the importance of water as an essential resource for the existence of life on the planet.

Activity
Theoretical and Practical

Duration
60 minutes

The activity will be divided into a theoretical presentation and a practical part where some aquatic insects, called macroinvertebrates, will be observed and identified with a magnifying glass. The aim is to raise awareness of the importance of aquatic insects in rivers, their position in aquatic trophic chains and their role as bioindicators of the ecological quality of rivers.

Activity
Practice

Duration
60-90 minutes

Objectives
– To recognise the biological diversity of the Penha Mountains;
– Recognize the consequences of human activities and attitudes in different ecosystems
– Participate in actions for the preservation of local biodiversity;
– To qualify for the identification and control of species;
– To promote involvement as a citizen in the preservation of the environment.

Activity
Practice

Duration
90 minutes

This activity aims to raise awareness of the biodiversity of species of the Penha Mountain. Focus will be given to species present in the municipality of Guimarães with on-site observation. The identification and ecology of some species of fauna and flora will be covered, with emphasis on the importance of their conservation.

Objectives
– To recognise the diversity of the vimaranense avifauna;
– Recognize the consequences of human activities and attitudes in different ecosystems;
– Participate in actions for the preservation of local biodiversity;
– To promote involvement as a citizen in environmental preservation.

Activity
Practice

Duration
150 minutes

Nest-box construction workshop, where the importance of the diversity of birdlife and the placement of these structures that benefit their presence is discussed. This workshop includes the subsequent placement of the boxes built during the workshop. The monitoring plan for nest-boxes and good practices for interacting with wild fauna will also be discussed.

Objectives
– To understand the concept of landscape and its dynamics.

Activity
Visit

Duration
120 minutes

An interpretative visit that will give an account of the environmental history of the Guimarães City Park, reflecting on the previous uses of the land. At the same time, the concept of landscape will be approached from a dynamic perspective, alerting participants to the changing nature of the landscape. The aim is for visitors to broaden their knowledge of the Guimarães cultural landscape.

Objectives
– To identify and understand the indicators of water quality;
– Understand the importance; of water as an essential resource for the existence of life on the planet;
– To adopt behaviours that reflect respect and value water as a resource.

Activity
Practice

Duration
120 minutes

Urban Riverside Ecosystems is an activity that aims to bring participants closer to the surrounding nature. This activity includes observing the ecosystem associated with a stretch of stream, focusing on identifying the fauna and flora, as well as raising awareness of water quality.

Objectives
– To understand the fundamental role of soil in supporting landscape, human activities and much of life on earth.
– To recognise geological formations and their properties.

Activity
Practice

Duration
180 minutes

This activity addresses the main dynamics of terrestrial crust formation applied to Serra da Penha, and aims to synthesize information regarding the formation of relief from a geographical point of view and to point out some morphological characteristics in terrain, particularly granitic forms.

Objectives
– To understand the fundamental role of soil as a support for the landscape, human activities and most of life on earth;
– To understand that soil is not a renewable resource;
– To become aware of the main threats to soil;
– To understand that human activities are mainly responsible for soil degradation.

Activity
Theoretical and Practical

Duration
90 minutes

This activity is divided into a theoretical and a practical component. The first component is intended to ensure knowledge of concepts related to soil and soil erosion, distinguishing natural and human causes and raising awareness of the consequences of human action. The second component is intended to provide a practical understanding of the action of erosive agents, with a special focus on demonstrating the importance of soil vegetation cover in protecting against erosion.

Objectives
– To understand the fundamental role of the landscape;
– To promote curiosity for geography concepts and active citizenship.

Activity
Theoretical and Practical

Duration
120-150 minutes

After a brief theoretical contextualisation of three geographical concepts: the concept of place, space and landscape, participants will be divided into groups, in a first phase, and asked to assemble and chronologically order postcards of a specific place in Guimarães. In a second phase, each participant will be challenged to experiment with images from actual postcards as a way of getting to know/think about the spatial meanings of the city of Guimarães. By erasing the postcards, participants will express the imaginary power of looking at the urban landscape, discovering new perspectives, elaborating new senses of place and proposing the existence of another city on top of the one portrayed.

Objectives
– Understand the fundamental role of landscape;
– To know the territory in a geological and geomorphological context;
– To promote curiosity and active citizenship.

Activity
Theoretical and Practical

Duration
90 minutes

The activity provides contact and exploration with the Guimarães territory by means of a three-dimensional (3D) model. Orientation and knowledge of the scale of the territory is the main aim of the activity. Where are the mountains located, what are the main rivers in Guimarães, which cities are Guimarães’ neighbours, and how many? These are some of the answers that the activity provides.

We preserve nature and its resources through educational activities

Contact us to schedule one of our activities.

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