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After the holiday, schools can enjoy again the unique educational programme that was developed by SmVaK Ostrava in cooperation with EduLudus, expert in innovative forms of education.

Ostrava, 29 September 2017. Since 2016, the educational programme The Tree of the Life has been running in schools in sites where SmVaK Ostrava operates. This programme has become so popular that the schedule is almost full. So far, a thousand of pupils from forty elementary schools in the Moravian-Silesian Region have taken part in the game. This year, more than thirty schools replied to SmVaK´s offer and few last dates only are still available.

This educational game helps the children to understand importance of water for the living environment and for people. This is the first game of that type in the Czech Republic that deals generally with the specified topic and uses the educational live action role playing - Edularp. An advantage is that the organisers come to see the kids at schools and the programme is provided for free.

 “I believe it is important for the pupils to obtain information in an interesting, attractive and reasonable form. They should be trained in efficient management of water sources, they should be aware of importance of water and they should know how to minimise negative impacts of water management on the living environment. This programme is among activities that supports this, in addition to excursions to our facilities and special training of students in our company. We are happy that both schools and kids with their parents speak so highly about the game. We have been really surprised and this motivates us to keep improving the game. I saw kids to be really involved, they became a part of the story and forgot to follow their cell phones or Facebook profiles”, says Anatol Pšenička, Managing Director of SmVaK Ostrava.

The advanced teaching is so different from memorising of boring data. In addition to an exceptional experience when the pupils fight in order to prevent a natural disaster from occurring, they receive much information about water and its importance for our lives and nature. They carry out experiments and gain personal emotional experience. In few hours, a natural disaster may occur in classes, dining halls or gymnasiums,  if the school groups fail to understand that water is essential for lives on the Earth.

 Experienced animators in costumes of legendary and mysterious beings have to persuade the teams that were competing with each other originally that they should work with each other and should protect the sources of water and the Tree of the Life that would die otherwise.
The game also develops soft skills such as communication, cooperation, or managing of certain problems in practical life.

“We start in Lichnov, the district of Nový Jičín, at the end of September. Next week, we are in Odry in the same district and then we will move to other parts in the region. What has surprised us was the fast response from schools to SmVaK´s information that the game would continue the next year. This is a proof for us that we have taken the correct way - the game is very popular and we can continue developing it. We work closely with SmVaK now to finalise the second version of the programme that will be intended for those from last grades of the elementary schools. We would like to focus on physical and chemical properties of water and importance of water for the living environment. Our intention is also to emphasise social and economic aspects in approach of people to water that is the most valuable source on the Earth, says Josef Kundrát, one of authors of the game and chairman of EduLudus.