Name: Forest Explorer Day — NABU Bergenhusen 2026
Start: 2026-10-23T00:00:00+00:00
End: 2026-10-23T00:00:00+00:00
Location: Michael-Otto-Institut im NABU — Bergenhusen

Forest Explorer Day NABU

About Forest Explorer Day NABU

On Friday, October 23, 2026, the Michael Otto Institute at NABU Bergenhusen invites children aged 6 to 12 to the Forest Explorer Day. For three hours, the young participants will explore the autumnal forest with magnifying glasses, hand lenses, and identification cards, searching for insects, fungi, and animal tracks, and playfully learning about the forest ecosystem. This is part of the environmental education series offered by the renowned institute in the Schleswig-Flensburg district, Schleswig-Holstein state.

Dates 23 Oct — 23 Oct 2026

Venue Bergenhusen (01059)

Prices 10.00€ — 10.00€

Status Confirmed

Edition 2026

Forest Explorer Day NABU — edition 2026

The 2026 Forest Explorer Day takes place on Friday, October 23, from 2 PM to 5 PM at the Michael Otto Institute in Bergenhusen. Children aged 6 to 12 explore the autumnal forest with magnifying glasses and identification keys — soil insects, fungi, animal tracks, leaf comparison. Guided by trained NABU nature educators. Price: 10 EUR per child, registration mandatory at 04885-570.

Three Hours of Exploration in the Autumn Forest

The 2026 edition falls right in the middle of the Schleswig-Holstein autumn holidays — the ideal season to experience the forest in its transitional phase: fungi sprout, leaves fall, insects seek winter quarters. The children are divided into small groups and work with explorer kits provided by the institute.

What is Taught

Basic ecological concepts such as habitat, food chain, and ecosystem are not lectured, but explained through concrete finds. Finding a marten track reveals that it is nocturnal and what prey it seeks. If a child cannot identify a mushroom, they learn to take a photo and make a description — and not to taste it.

Highlights Forest Explorer Day NABU 2026

Three hours of guided nature discovery in the autumn forest
Small groups — pedagogical supervision guaranteed
Magnifying glasses, hand lenses, and identification cards are provided
Integration into the research program of the renowned NABU Institute

Programme Forest Explorer Day NABU 2026

Friday, October 23, 2026 — Schedule

2:00 PM — Meet at the Michael Otto Institute, Goosstroot 1, Bergenhusen. Welcome and division into explorer groups
2:15 PM — Distribution of explorer kits with magnifying glass, hand lens, identification key
2:30 PM–4:30 PM — Guided exploration in the adjacent forest area: soil insects, fungi, animal tracks, deciduous trees
4:30 PM — Snack break and joint review of findings
5:00 PM — Pick-up by parents

Register through the institute: by phone at 04885-570 (Mon–Fri 9 AM–12 PM) or by email at [email protected].

Prices Forest Explorer Day NABU 2026

10 EUR per child. Registration required, places limited.

Practical information

Practical information — Forest Explorer Day NABU

Getting There

By car via the A7 (exit Owschlag) or the B202, then follow signs for Bergenhusen. Address: Goosstroot 1, 24861 Bergenhusen — Parking available directly at the institute. By train to Owschlag or Schleswig, then bus/taxi (no public transport connection in Bergenhusen).

Registration

By phone at 04885-570 (Mon–Fri 9 AM–12 PM) or by email to [email protected]. Places are limited — early registration recommended.

What to Bring

Weatherproof clothing, sturdy footwear, small backpack with snacks. Magnifying glasses, cups, and identification cards will be provided by the institute.

Price

10 EUR per child.

Research, Not Entertainment

The Forest Explorer Day is not an entertainment program, but genuine nature education in a small format. The focus is on the question of what lives in the autumnal forest — and how to find it: Using magnifying glasses and identification keys, children hunt for soil insects, collect leaves for comparison, identify fungi, and interpret animal tracks in the soft autumn soil. The concept is: discover for yourself, document for yourself, ask questions for yourself. Trained nature educators from the institute, who place every observation in a larger ecological context, provide supervision.

Organizer — One of Germany's Best Bird Conservation Institutes

The Michael Otto Institute at NABU in Bergenhusen is one of the most important research facilities for meadow birds and wetlands in Germany — known primarily for its work on the decline of the Northern Lapwing, Curlew, and Eurasian Oystercatcher. Integrated into the research program is educational work: Throughout the year, the institute offers several themed explorer days (Water Explorer Day, Bird Explorer Day, Forest Explorer Day), each focusing on a different ecosystem. Bergenhusen is located in the southern Schleswig-Flensburg district in the Eider-Treene-Sorge lowland — one of the most ecologically valuable wetlands in Central Europe.

Parents Stay Outside

The Forest Explorer Day is a children's program, not a family event. Parents can drop off their child in Bergenhusen and pick them up after three hours — or use the waiting time for a walk in the nearby Stapelholmer Heide. Group size is limited, so advance telephone registration is mandatory.