Unique educational materials in Croatia
19th European Forest Pedagogics Congress 2025
20. March 2025
Unique educational materials in Croatia
Author: Ana Fornažar, Model Forest Istria, Croatia
„M
odel Forest Istria (Croatia), a member of the subgroup, has recently published two valuable and unique educational materials in forest pedagogy. These digital materials are developed due to the lack of similar content in Croatian language and as a response to the expressed need of the educators to have such a material as a starting point for their formation in forest pedagogy.
First handbook is a result of the Erasmus+ project "In the Forest as in the Classroom" created by project partners whose aim is to educate educators in forest pedagogy and all those who want to apply this holistic practice in their work with children.
The manual consists of three chapters—Forestry, Pedagogy and Lifelong Learning, and Forest Pedagogy—each offering comprehensive theoretical knowledge along with a wealth of practical examples and activities to help put the knowledge into practice.
You can download an interactive e-handbook “In the Forest as in the Classroom” (in Croatian Language): https://zenodo.org/records/15391821
Both materials feature interactivity which makes them innovative - it is not just a simple pdf document, as by clicking on the page number in the Table of Contents, you will immediately reach the desired page and move interactively within the chapters and all the additional sources provided.
Our second material “Forest Knowledge Boxes”– was developed in cooperation with FSC Adria Balkan to enrich the school curriculum for primary and secondary students in Croatia (ages 12 to 17). Material is created as a series of training modules to present scientific forestry concepts in a more accessible and engaging way.
“Forest Knowledge Boxes” in English can be downloaded at: https://adria-balkan.fsc.org/en/education/forest-knowledge-boxes
The same material in Croatian language can be downloaded at: https://www.modelnasuma.hr/hr/event/kutije-znanja-o-sumama-sve-o-sumama-na-jednom-mjestu
The manual is rich with interactive elements; quizzes, media, research and praxis sections that makes it very dynamic and primarily tailored to the needs of students and teachers. We also provided PowerPoint format of the material that will help teachers create engaging, interactive lessons while allowing students to explore and understand the importance of forests, their functions, and their services through individual and group activities.
