Led by environmental educators Christian Kirsch and Tanja Klein, the participants spent two exciting days surrounded by nature. The pleasant coolness of the forest provided the ideal conditions for exploring the diverse flora and fauna of the biosphere reserve.
During walks and nature education activities, children and adults explored nature with all their senses. A blindfolded obstacle course presented a particular challenge, allowing participants to experience their surroundings in a completely new way. The aim was to sharpen the senses and build confidence in one’s own abilities. Skills such as woodcarving and fire-making were also part of the ‘wilderness’ programme: each family first lit their own fire, before the individual fires were combined to form one large communal fire. This was then used to prepare the communal evening meal: freshly grilled calzone provided the perfect end to an eventful day.
The participants were treated to an unforgettable moment during the night-time walk through the woods: they were able to see numerous fireflies – a fascinating natural spectacle that many participants will remember as the highlight of the camp.
As well as hands-on experiences of nature, the camp focused in particular on community, parent-child time and the mindful use of available resources. The camp provided an engaging introduction to basic survival skills and demonstrated just how enriching shared experiences in nature can be.
District Administrator Frank John expressed his delight at the successful event: “The Family Wilderness Camp combines experiencing nature, environmental education and community in a special way. Here, children and adults experience first-hand just how valuable our natural world is and how much joy discovering and learning together in the great outdoors can bring. Initiatives like this not only raise awareness of our environment but also strengthen family bonds.”
Special thanks go to the Rotary Clubs of Homburg-Zweibrücken and Homburg Saarpfalz, whose support has made it possible to offer the Family Wilderness Camp free of charge to all participants. The funds used for this purpose come from the donations raised by the two clubs at their annual Charity Spring Ball and primarily benefit children and young people in our region.
“We are delighted to support the valuable nature education programme run by ‘Junge Biosphäre’, and we think it’s brilliant that this wilderness camp has specifically taken the concept of inclusion into account,” said President Angelika Thönnes of the RC Homburg-Zweibrücken and President Jürgen Mössinger of the RC Homburg-Saarpfalz.