Learning from suitcases and boxes

Things to touch, try out, exciting material for lessons and project weeks or action days supplement the lessons and make projects and topics lively and tangible.

Various actors in Aachen have been successfully carrying out environmental and development policy work for years. The wide range of offers has made Aachen a focal point for learning from suitcases and boxes: Nowhere else in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) is the density of development and environmental policy boxes available for loan so high.

In the suitcases and boxes, interested parties will find prepared teaching material on cross-sectional and individual topics in the subject areas of environment, development and sustainability: Waste I, II, III - Bananas - Soil - Nutrition - Energy - Lichens - Geology - GhanAfrica - Spices - Jeans - Coffee - Cocoa - Children's rights - Climate - Coconut - War is not child's play - Kunterbunte Kinderkiste - Waste expert training - Nature experience trail - Paper and its production - Making paper - South Africa - Chocolate bag - Textiles - Water I / Biology - Water II / Chemistry - Water III / Stream mapping.

Since the UNCED Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, it has been clear that sustainable development in the North and South cannot be achieved without educating and informing the population. As this education also affects our lifestyles and our consumer behavior, many of the collections of materials described start with everyday products and our familiar living environment.

The city of Aachen has been supporting the "Learning from suitcases and boxes" project with funds from the state for development education work since 1998. There is cooperation between the Environmental Information/Environmental Education Department in the Environment Division with the Media Center in the One World Forum and the Ecology Center Aachen.

https://oekologie-zentrum-aachen.de/lernen-aus-koffern-kisten/

What and for whom?

The suitcases or boxes contain visual aids, worksheets, games and information: DVDs, films, objects or music make backgrounds and facets of topics vivid and comprehensible.

They provide information about the origin of food or textiles, about energy, children's rights or methods of conflict prevention. The spice box, for example, contains spices to taste and try; rocks and minerals to get to know can be found in the geo-case, lichens facilitate mapping.... Many of the cases encourage you to do things yourself: identification cards and research equipment are included in the water and soil cases, as are measuring instruments in the energy case and scooping frames in the paper scooping case. Of course, the cases also contain detailed instructions on how to do it yourself!

Who can use "suitcases & boxes"?

The "suitcases & boxes" are aimed at teachers, educators and supervisors from other institutions such as youth groups etc. All material packages are suitable for different age groups and school classes. The material is action- and transfer-oriented.

The boxes are very well suited for use in project weeks, for exploring complex topics, in interdisciplinary lessons, for a lively and vivid approach. The boxes can also be used for public relations work by One World groups, as well as for youth camps - they can also be useful in adult education.

Lending

The energy cases can be borrowed free of charge from the Energy Management of the City of Aachen:

Energy management in the facility management of the City of Aachen (E26/52)
Administration building
Lagerhausstraße 20, 52064 Aachen

Tel: 0241 / 432-26521

Media Center at the One World Forum
at Welthaus Aachen
An der Schanz 1
52064 Aachen

Tel: 0241 /894495-64
mn@1wf.de

Here you can obtain teaching materials on One World topics, books for children and young people, audio-visual media and games, including advice.

Ecology Center Aachen
at Welthaus Aachen
An der Schanz 1
52064 Aachen

Tel: 0241 / 88914-25/-26
info@oekozentrum-ac.de