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Activities in Hövelhof – planting an oak tree and the workshops

As traditional part of our mobilities and as a sign of hope, the last tree was planted during the week in Hövelhof. We had chosen an oak tree.

“THE OAK TREE: QUEEN OF THE FOREST

Trees play an important role in our customs and traditions. In tree symbolism, the majestic oak – the “Queen of the Forest” – stands for strength, freedom, honour, vitality and immortality. The oak is a typical tree under which justice was dispensed for many centuries. The idea was that the properties attributed to the oak would have a positive effect on the justice of the judgements passed.” (Quelle: https://www.uni-muenster.de/Baumerlebnispfad/en/stationen/station4/eiche.html)

“Nature’s air-conditioning system”

  • Trees can transport water out of the ground up to a height of 100 metres – a spectacular physical achievement! Most of the water evaporates through the leaves, thereby contributing to humidity.
  • Trees consume more carbon dioxide (CO2) than the oxygen (O2) they produce. How much a tree can contribute to good air quality depends above all on the diameter of its crown and on how many leaves it has.
  • A 150-year-old beech tree, for example, produces around 11,000 litres of oxygen per day, which is the daily requirement for about 26 people. Every day around 500 litres of water evaporate through its leaves – the equivalent of four bathtubs.

Trees have lots of good properties! They…

  • filter dust and other pathogens such as bacteria and harmful fungi out of the air
  • provide shade
  • reduce wind speed
  • reduce noise
  • produce wood
  • provide fruit
  • create habitats for numerous species of animals and are a source of food for them
  • improve the soil with humus from fallen leaves and dead wood
  • make our towns and cities more attractive” (Quelle: https://www.uni-muenster.de/Baumerlebnispfad/en/stationen/station4/eiche.html)

The workshops

WORKSHOP 1 –  Approved recipes from the beekeeper’s workshop                                  

1. We will make sustainable and reusable wrappers for our sandwiches and covers for dishes from cotton fabric and original beeswax. If possible bring used, clean purely cotton fabric (maybe old shirts (must be woven – not T-shirts), left overs) washed without fabric conditioner. We will provide some material for you.
2. Best recipe for fresh lipid balancing cream. If possible bring your empty cream jars to refill. In any case we will provide small glass jars for you.
Maybe an apron would be fine in order not to spoil your clothes with hot wax or oil. 
WORKSHOP 2 – Make your own scrub
Make your own scrub. Everyone knows the smell and taste of coffee, once it’s brewed, people like to throw it away. Of course, compost or plant fertilizer, so it can also be recycled. But has anyone tried to make a scrub with it? No, let’s go now. We use coffee in the sense of “no waste” to produce organic peeling. For the best result, we only need good substances: some olive oil and coffee, some cinnamon oil to intensify the scent.
WORKSHOP 3  – make seed balls and a bee hotel
In this workshop we make seedballs and a bee hotel in a tin can. We talk about how you can grow your own vegetables and translate their names into your languages.
WORKSHOP 4 – Sports “Body and brain”

We’re going to experience how body and brain work together.This workshop will be about individual and cooperative games and exercises.
WORKSHOP 5 – the carbon footprint of food – working on the computer
In our workshop we look for the carbon footprint of food. We will use “scratch” to program an application, that displays the CO2-emission-values of various foods. Any experience in programming is not necessary.
WORKSHOP 6 – Experience Nature                                                    
Our project: We would like to enjoy a nice walk through the forest.Two points of interest are a very special tree and the “Bifurkation”
WORKSHOP 7 – Textile Art “Do it yourself”
Let’s pimp up old and boring shopping bags with textile printing!We will design boring shopping bags with textile pencils and coloursaccording to your own taste.At the end of this workshop you will have a unique bag that you canproudly present to others.
All you need for this workshop is creativity!