Together, they practiced simple self-defence techniques. During the course, the girls learned in a playful way how they can feel their boundaries, how a "No!" can be addressed clearly and unambiguously and how much strength they really have. In future, the participants will perhaps be even better able to defend themselves at school, with family and friends or on the internet against pick-up lines and boundary violations at an early stage and get appropriate help.
At the same time, two different groups spent two days this week exploring the secrets of the Hahnenbach Valley in Bundenbach. At Anton Schiefer, the children were given an informative insight into the history of the formation of fossils by nature and landscape guide Michael Brzoska. The first challenge was not long in coming: a steep mountain full of slate had to be climbed down with great courage before the search for the fossils and the shiny hematite rock could begin, which they were of course allowed to take home with them. The children did not go home empty-handed when they dug for gold in the Hunsrück streams either. With painstaking effort, they dug up a lot of sediment, and after a short time and the expert confirmation of Michael Brzoska, the first gold finds shone in the eyes of the children.
The children's eyes also lit up at Gaby Hofmann's farm. On the rustic farm in Leisel, right on the edge of the forest, the children immerse themselves in a wonderful world of fantasy. Each time it's about a different phenomenon and the participants explore the mysteries of fire salamanders, dragons, unicorns or the northern lights. The focus is always on free development in nature and art. Far away from school, expectations and everyday stress, Gaby Hofmann takes the children on a search for the small things in the big picture, be it the variety of colors in a soap bubble or feeling the flow of water under their feet on the "beach" of Leisel.
The children had lots of fun and action at the movement rally through Oberstein. They solved puzzles to find the next rally location and completed a sporting task at each location before moving on to the next point. At the end, every child earned an ice cream.
At the end of the week, 20 children went to Beate Thome's Hunsrück nature camp in Monzingen. Under the motto "Living in, with and from nature", the participants experienced a genuine outdoor survival day. There, the children honed their aiming accuracy in traditional archery and trained their teamwork skills in various games. They learned that fire is essential for survival in nature. After some practice, they managed to light their own campfire with fire steel, batteries or chisels, over which they all prepared lunch together. However, the highlight for the new outdoor experts was building their own forest huts and tipis. In groups, they built makeshift shelters and then presented them to the other teams.