ACN
The Education and Culture area of the Cabildo of Lanzarote has completed the renovation works that have been carried out since last December in the Máguez Nature Classroom, a pedagogical center, focused on environmental issues, which depends on the Island Corporation. The works carried out have been mainly to improve the infrastructure, with the installation of a new pergola, waterproofing works, garden repairs, installation of new aluminum windows, as well as changes in the furniture and equipment of the Classroom. Many of these arrangements have had to be undertaken due to damage caused by the tropical storm Delta.
In total, the Education and Culture area of the Cabildo of Lanzarote has invested 20,000 euros in these repair works, to which we should add the contribution made by the Government of the Canary Islands in the improvement of part of the furniture, with the acquisition for the Classroom of 18 new bunk beds, a television, a DVD player and a projector.
Located in the northern town of Máguez, in the municipality of Haría, the Máguez Nature Classroom is accessed via the road that connects Arrecife-Ye, just outside Máguez towards Guinate. Among the aims and objectives of a Nature Classroom, as in this case, are to facilitate contact with and knowledge of the natural environment, to make known -to residents and visitors- the environmental resources of Lanzarote, to promote the responsible use of nature, to promote respect for the environment among young people, physical activities outdoors for schoolchildren, development of group work, sense of cooperation, etc.
Trails
During the time that the facilities of the Máguez Nature Classroom have been closed, due to the works, it has been used to multiply the realization of didactic trails, one of the many activities offered by the Classroom and which consist of tours of places of special landscape and environmental interest, in which the little ones can learn aspects about nature, the environment, flora and fauna, etc. If in the past year 2005 visits were carried out in which 7,865 students and 395 teachers participated, it is expected that the figures will be exceeded this year, and that they will reach more than 10,000 students and almost 500 teachers and tutors.
The center has a program of trails that currently has 8 different routes: House of the Volcanoes-Volcano of La Corona; Máguez-Guinate-Gallo; Máguez-Nursery-Botanical Garden; Camino de Las Vueltas or de Los Gracioseros (which includes a visit to the Salinas del Risco); Beach trail (Órzola); Tenesa-Las Malvas; Playa Blanca-Playa de Las Mujeres (Papagayo) and Pechiguera Lighthouse-Salinas de Janubio.
A monitor accompanies all groups in the realization of the trails, and also provides prior information on the length of the route, the estimated duration of the journey and the degree of difficulty. The groups that can choose to participate in the activities of the Classroom - from the stay and overnight stay in it to the realization of outdoor activities, the trails or the games and workshops that are carried out in the facilities, located in Máguez - are those that belong to non-profit entities, such as educational centers (schools, institutes, universities,...), youth and cultural associations and groups, or agricultural training centers, workshop schools, etc. As a general rule, the minimum age to access the services of the Classroom is 8 years and the groups must be a minimum of 15 people and a maximum of 35, including teachers and accompanying adults.
Games, sports, crafts,...
But the trails are only one part of the activities that are carried out in the Classroom. Another important part is made up of traditional and not so traditional games and sports. Users of the Máguez Nature Classroom can practice volleyball, frisbee or petanque. And they can play "el quemao", the handkerchief, the bowling, the envite, the chair, orientation games, carbine, in search of the treasure, etc.
They also do crafts, such as clay paintings, glass decorations, mobiles, objects made of recycled material, plaster figures, salt carpets, etc. They are taught how to collect the harvest of a sanded area, and how to cultivate and sow. And group activities such as the preparation of a newsletter, debates on the environment, etc.
Educational talks, projections,...
And finally, another important facet is the talks, conferences and projections that are given to students and users. Talks are given on salt flats, history of Lanzarote, local flora and fauna, on heritage, alternative energies, water, natural spaces of the island, etc. In turn, videos are projected on seismology, volcanology, César Manrique, types of rocks, morphology,...
