There are days when children’s laughter carries further than any educational campaign. September 6th in Falenty was exactly that kind of day. During the Charity Family Eco Picnic, organized by the Social Committee for the Protection of Falenty in support of the Raszyn Ponds Reserve and Falenty’s historic monuments, we prepared an outdoor game for the youngest participants: Mission: Defenders of Nature. In reality, we did something more – we showed that caring for nature can be great fun.
A project that connects
Connected by Nature is an ecological project we run with support from Microsoft in the Raszyn municipality. The program combines practical action for nature with shared experience – we plant native tree species, establish wildflower meadows, create community gardens, and run ecological workshops for people of all ages. Taking part in the Falenty picnic was another chapter of this project – a chance to bring ecological education to families from across the area, while supporting a local initiative for the Raszyn Ponds Reserve and Falenty’s historic monuments.
Mission: Defenders of Nature
For children and teenagers, we prepared an outdoor game – Mission: Defenders of Nature. Participants followed a route full of tasks that introduced environmental protection topics in an accessible way – no dull lectures, just plenty of movement, engagement, and fun.
A route full of challenges
Along the route were tree-planting workshops, where participants could plant a sample tree themselves and learn the basic principles of the activity. Nearby was an ecological bird game, teaching species recognition and their role in the ecosystem, as well as a wheelbarrow obstacle course that tested the youngest participants’ agility and fitness. There were also other ecological puzzles, deepening environmental knowledge in a playful form. The whole route was filled with laughter and fun.
What remains
It’s hard to measure the effect of such a day in numbers – easier to feel it.
- Fun as education – children who learn about nature with a smile remember more than they would from many a classroom lesson.
- Closeness to nature – planting trees, identifying birds, and completing the obstacle course let participants feel that nature is right nearby, not somewhere far away.
- Community – the Falenty picnic brought families together around a shared goal: protecting the Raszyn Ponds Reserve and local heritage.
We’re glad to have been part of this day, and we thank the organizers and all the families who visited our stand. Connected by Nature is not a one-off action but a long-term project that will continue through future activities in the Raszyn municipality and surrounding area.
The Connected by Nature project is run by the One More Tree Foundation with support from Microsoft in the Raszyn municipality near Warsaw.
