The IRRESISTIBLE topic for Finland this year was climate change prevention and accommodation. The 12-year-old pupils at local schools in Jyväskylä prepared video newscasts and made animations to be shown at the Natural History Museum of Central Finland, atop the hill of Harju at the very center of the city. While the permanent exhibits recount the history of the land all the way from the Ice Age and showcase the various species that inhabit the many forests and lakes of the area, the museum was eager to add a new part to their collection.
The new exhibit on climate change includes the thoughtfully prepared videos by pupils from Jyväskylä. As their instructors, a group of 16 student teachers from University of Jyväskylä designed and created the rest of the exhibit. It includes an introduction to what climate change is and what its effects on nature are. More importantly, the exhibit interacts with the visitors. One can check the Carbon Footprint of your breakfast choice, and visiting school groups can make science experiments with the kits provided - for example study the effects of acidification of oceans or extreme draughts brought on by climate change.
The pupil groups visiting the exhibit are invited to think about the effects they have on the environment - short and long term. In this way the new exhibit is beautifully in line with the rest of the exhibition.
The following school year our IRRESISTIBLE project teachers and classrooms may choose to visit and improve the exhibit at the Natural History museum - or to build an exhibit at their own school or library. We're excited to see the new projects that will be more largely based on pupils' work. Nevertheless we're very proud of adding this thought-provoking part to the permanent exhibits at our local museum!