Forest Youth Games 2025 in Öcher Bösch: Third-graders Display Forest Trivia Skills
The Forest Youth Games (Waldjugendspiele), a nationwide educational outdoor event, took place in the city forest of Aachen around Stauanlage Kupferbach on July 3, 2022. This yearly event, organised by the Schutzgemeinschaft Deutscher Wald NRW e. V., Kreisverband Städteregion Aachen (SDW), aims to foster environmental awareness, nature education, and ecology among young students.
This year, **approximately 200 children from several Aachener primary schools** participated in the event. The purpose of the event was to test and measure the children's knowledge about the forest, their agility, and athletic skills at different stations.
The 3a class of the municipal community primary school Malmedyer Straße emerged victorious, winning a "pokal" (carved oak disc). The Oberbürgermeisterin of Aachen, Sibylle Keupen, and Rolf Rüland, chairman of SDW, presented the award to the winning class. Rolf Rüland also took the opportunity to promote the Schutzgemeinschaft Deutscher Wald, stating that one doesn't have to be a forester to become a member.
The day was filled with a variety of enjoyable activities that engaged the children. Many found lifting tree trunks and holding a real frog in their hand to be the most enjoyable parts of the event. Identifying tree species and pinecone throwing were also popular activities. The frog handled during the event is reported to be doing very well.
Patron foresters from the Forestry Office Aachen or the Regional Forestry Office in Hürtgenwald accompanied the groups, and many of them brought their dogs to the forest. The dogs received many extra strokes that day.
The Forest Youth Games provide a unique opportunity for children to gain a new perspective on the forest. Participants not only learn about forest ecosystems and wildlife but also develop teamwork, observation skills, and physical activity outdoors. The event is held nationwide, with thousands of children participating each year.
For more precise, current numbers or details about a specific region’s Waldjugendspiele, the RSS feed for press releases can be found at https://www.ourwebsite.de/rss-feed-pressemitteilungen/rss.xml.
In the spirit of promoting environmental awareness and fostering knowledge about the forest, the 3a class of the municipal community primary school Malmedyer Straße demonstrated an exceptional understanding of tree species and athletic skills during the Forest Youth Games, participating alongside approximately 200 children from several Aachener primary schools. With a variety of engaging activities like tree species identification, pinecone throwing, and even handling a real frog, these events are not only educational but also foster teamwork, observation skills, and a love for nature, mirroring the core values of both home-and-garden lifestyle and environmental-science.
