The personnel of Beigua Geopark presented their GeoEducational facilities, activities, methods, tools, educational material and their best practices in GeoEducation.

1. Vocational educational programmes and
methodologies followed
Arenzano (ITALY), 6th march 2014

2. BEIGUA GEOPARK European & UNESCO Global Geopark
……a mountain area overlooking the sea

3. BEIGUA GEOPARK European & Global Geopark

4. BEIGUA GEOPARK European & Global Geopark

5. 2 Provinces
Genova
Savona
10 Municipalities
Arenzano
Campo Ligure
Cogoleto
Genova
Masone
Rossiglione
Sassello
Stella
Varazze
Beigua regional nature Park Beigua Geopark
8.715 ha 39.230 ha

6. …the Visitor Centres and Information Points Network…..

7. Geopark Corners
Geopark Hall
Palazzo Gervino
Geopark Corner
Palazzo Gervino
Geopark Corner
Villa Bagnara
Geopark Corner
InfoPoint Pratorotondo
Geopark Corner
Headquarters

8. Beigua Geopark Headquarters
Arenzano Municipality

10. Geoparks Geode
Beigua Geopark Headquarters - Arenzano Municipality

11. Visitor Centres and Info Points

12. Visitor Centre
Archeological Museum Alpicella
Varazze Municipality

15. “Villa Bagnara” Visitor Centre
Masone Municipality

18. “Bruno Bacoccoli” Info Point
Cogoleto Municipality

21. the rocks’ garden

22. “Vaccà” Visitor Centre
Arenzano Municipality

26. “Banilla” Info Point
Tiglieto Municipality

29. “Palazzo Gervino”
Visitor Centre
Sassello Municipality

35. “Park House” in the Deiva Regional Forest
Sassello Municiplaity

36. Educational activities catalogue

37. Biodiversity and Culture Educational activities
Ornithology
Biodiversity for
children
The
honey
Prehistory
remains
Animal
tracks
Wetlands
inhabitants
Botanical trail
Fairy tales

38. Rupestral
engravings
Val Gargassa
canyon
Orienteering
Sassello
fossils
Crystals in
Geopark
Viale
Europa
Promenade
Hydrogeological
hazard
Geodiversity Educational activities

39. Geo-educational activities
 to promote geological culture and a new approach to Earth Sciences for kids
 to discover the geological heritage of their territory
 to manage the geological heritage and their territory in a sustainable way
 to understand hydrogeological hazard in their territory
 to study and prepare to become a guide to other students - tourists
 to know other territories with a significant geological heritage: the European
Geoparks Network and the Global Geoparks Network
Aims:

40. Best Practices in Geo-education

41. “Hydrogeological hazard” is an education project to understand:
• Vulnerability of the territory
• Causes and effects of the urbanization
• Hydrogeological risk connected to extreme precipitations
events in own city
• Self - protection rules
Best Practices in Geo-education

42. Geo-educational best practices: Hydrological Hazard

43. Geo-educational best practices: Hydrological Hazard

44. Geo-educational best practices: Hydrological Hazard
Where is myWhere is my
home??home??
map of the flood risk

45. Geo-educational best practices: Hydrological Hazard
Final event in Varazze city theatre to
explain the project to the public

46. Tools: “The game of hyodrogeologic hazard”
Large table game to play together testing the results of the project.

47. Tools: “Weather warning in the Geopark”
Brochure with self-protection rules
as conclusion of the project.

48. • The CAPO group is a network of Italian Nature Parks with a
big and important outcrop of Ofiolites rocks working together
to promote the geological culture.
• “A walk on the ocean floor” is an education project to twin two
classes and their Parks to explore their geological heritages
and make it known to others. A project to discover how the
rocks and the different processes (Geodiversity) affect the
flora, fauna and habitat (Biodiversity)
Best Practices in Geo-education

49. Geo-educational best practices: C.A.P.O. - A walk on the ocean floor …
Visit at “Alpe Veglia Devero Natural Park”

50. Visit at “Val Gargassa, Beigua Geopark”
Geo-educational best practice: C.A.P.O. - A walk on the ocean floor …

51. Tools: Geological rocks collection
Kit of Ophiolitic rocks with
geological teaching cards.

52. Tools: Students introduce Beigua Geopark
Brochure about the Geopark created
by the students of Campo Ligure (GE).

53. Tools: The story of “Aldo the basalt”
A comics to understand the geodynamics processes.

54.  observed phenomena and geological processes on the territory
and understand by experiments on field
 discovery activities and laboratory in the classroom, with the
Geopark’s Rangers
 experience and fieldwork during the excursion
 design and production of materials to understand and to exploit
the geological heritage
 publication of geo-educational materials for children
Methods and Tecniques:
Geo-educational activities

55. Geo-educational materials for children

56. Geo-educational project “Geotourism upside-down”
Snorkeling, diving and excursions
discovering Beigua Geopark.
Geological and geomorphological
underwater trails along the coast
between Varazze and Cogoleto
The first Geopark of the European
Network with a geotouristic offer
between 1300 m and -30 m !
“WheretheseameetstheAlps…”

57. Geo-educational project “Geotourism upside-down”

58. La favolosa storia di VerdeBruno
narra le avventure di un Beig della
numerosa famiglia dei Folletti o Fate
che da tempo immemorabile vivono
nelle foreste del Beigua Geopark.
Egli stesso è nato dalla fantasia di una
classe di bambini della scuola
elementare di Sassello durante un
laboratorio didattico
The fabulous story of VerdeBruno
chronicles the adventures of a “Beig”
from the huge family of Elfs and Fairys
who live in the Beigua Geopark forests
from time immemorial. This “Beig”
was born from the imagination of a
class of elementary school during an
educational workshop.

59. The VerdeBruno’s hat
Tells an adventure in the Beigua
Geopark that involves two
young protagonists, Ziria and
Finù, supported by VerdeBruno
in a dangerous challenge
against the Mud Dragon.
Il cappello di VerdeBruno,
racconta un’avventura nel
Beigua Geopark che impegna
due giovani protagonisti, Ziria e
Finù, sostenuti da VerdeBruno in
una pericolosa sfida contro il
Drago di Fango.

60. Le due fiabe vengono proposte
alle scuole del parco del Beigua,
attraverso il ricco catalogo di
proposte di Educazione
Ambientale preparato ogni anno
dal CEA nel laboratorio didattico
intitolato Le fiabe nel Geoparco
Un viaggio nel Geoparco
attraverso la fantasia che solo
nel mondo delle fiabe può
liberamente correre tra
personaggi fantastici e ambienti,
piante e animali che realmente
vivono nel Geoparco. La lettura
della fiaba di VerdeBruno sarà
solo l’inizio del nostro percorso
fantastico.
The two stories are available to
the Beigua Geopark schools,
through the rich catalogue of
proposals for Educational
Programmes prepared every year
by the Educational Center (CEA).
This educational project is “Fairy
Tales in the Geopark”
A trip in the Geopark through the
fantasy world of fairy tales that
only one freely running between
fantasy characters and
environments, plants and animals
that actually live in the Geopark.
The reading of the tale of
VerdeBruno is only the beginning
of our fantastic journey.

61. Dario meets young students (as tale author): reading, telling
the tales…and then listening to the questions by children ...

62. … poi, a volte, si toglie il cappello magico e parla del Beigua Geopark ,
delle rocce e della biodiversità e a volte spiego che il drago è una
metafora di un pericolo vero, di un tesoro che non dovrà mai essere
estratto dalle rocce che lo custodiscono da millenni…
….then, sometimes he takes off his magic hat and speaks about Beigua
Geopark, rocks and biodiversity, and sometimes he tells them that the
dragon is a metaphor of a real danger, of a treasure that should never
be pulled from the rocks that guard it since thousands of years ...

63. … i bambini apprezzano i
racconti ambientati nel Beigua
Geopark, ma soprattutto sono
felici di poter organizzare una
bella escursione accompagnati
dalle guide del CEA: Cristiano,
Monica, Ilaria, Giulia e
Claudia.
…children appreciate the tales
set in Beigua Geopark, but ,
first of all, they enjoy to
organize a nice excursion
accompanied by the Geopark
Rangers (Cristiano, Monica,
Ilaria, Giulia and Claudia).

64. Alla fine di ogni anno scolastico
i bambini si incontrano alla
Casa del Parco a Sassello per
uno scambio di esperienze e
spesso invitano Dario nelle loro
scuole ad ammirare i loro
bellissimi lavori, che egli
apprezza con entusiasmo.
At the end of every school
year the children attend the
final event in the “Geopark
House” in Sassello to share
experiences. They often invite
Dario to their schools to see
their beautiful homeworks,
which he appreciates with
enthusiasm.

65. Geo-educational materials for children

66. Geo-educational materials for children

67. Working method

68. Working method – training activities
REFRESHER COURSES within the Network of Italian Nature Parks
TRAINING COURSES within the Liguria Network for Educational Activities

69. Liguria Network of Educational Activities

70. Regione Liguria
University of Genoa
C.R.E.A. ARPAL
CAI
UISP
Coop Liguria
AGESCI / CNGEI
Natural History Museum of Genoa
The Acquarium of Genoa
CIMA Foundation
Local schools:
IC Arenzano
IC Cogoleto
IC Varazze
IC Sassello
IC Savona
Local sports club
Municipalities of the Geopark
Local producers
Educational farms
Partners and Collaborations

71. Geo Educational Programmes
Goals and results:
 Children have increased the perception and sensitivity to the
geological heritage of their territory
 In the years 2012/2013 a total of 50 classes and 786 pupils
joined Geo Educational projects by our staff
 Several classes produced: booklets, guides, brochures, PowerPoint
files, and billboards or posters
 The Beigua Geopark printed the “handbook of rock detective” “geo
archeology detective” and the series of brochure “weather warnings in
natural Park”, “behavior in the Park”

72. Goals and results

73. A North Pennines
Geopark collaboration
through LEADER+
initiatives
Geo -Educational Project