Is there a buzzing sound where you are?

The ‘Ökosau’, a kilogramme of rice, toothbrushes and plenty of seeds – that’s what the 13-strong team from Mittweida University of Applied Sciences had packed in their luggage on 4 June for a special mission: to get children excited about science at the ‘Experimenting in the Park’ event. The Wilhelm Ostwald Park there is the perfect place to introduce children to nature and science.

Right in the heart of the park stood the HSMW’s Children’s University tent and hands-on activity tent. Over 400 pre-school and primary school children dropped by and learnt, almost without realising it, how bee researchers go about their work. With questions such as ‘Is there a buzz around you?’ and ‘Where do wild bees find their breakfast?’, the children were able to use simple materials to practise, in a hands-on way, how the insects nest and how they can be better supported.

Professor Röbbe Wünschiers, a member of this year’s Großbothen team, said afterwards: “It was brilliant to see just how much primary school-aged children already know about honeybees. But the fact that there are still around 500 species of solitary wild bees in Germany came as a surprise to most of the pupils. This made our nesting tube game all the more fun for them – a game that required patience and dexterity, just like the life of a mason bee. By the end, the ‘Ökosau’, our wish-collecting piggy bank, had been filled with lots of good wishes for the bees.”

In the Children’s University tent, the children learnt through four interactive lectures how they themselves can create a bee-friendly ecosystem. In the hands-on tent, they were able to put this into practice, do some crafts or join the children’s round table to discuss what children and adults can do to protect the habitats of bees and other insects. To finish off, everyone received a bag of seeds and an apple grown locally – and in a bee-friendly way.

This was the second time the HSMW had been on tour for the ‘Experimenting in the Park’ event in Großbothen. “I’m delighted that this year, as a team comprising the Children’s University and the ‘Eine Uni-Ein Buch’ project, we were able to go on tour together with the Biotechnology and Chemistry Department and that the children were able to learn so much,” says organiser Robin Biebl. “We’ll be back again in 2026.”

Alongside the HSMW, numerous other organisations took part in ‘Experimenting in the Park’ with exciting hands-on STEM activities. The event format was launched back in 2017 by the Gerda and Klaus Tschira Foundation to spark an early interest in science among children and foster a lasting love of discovery and research.

“In search of the best house… – And why we’d rather not rely on fairy tales” is the theme of a special edition of the Children’s University to mark the Night of Sciences at the HSMW on Friday evening, 20 June, from 6 pm until midnight. It takes a closer look at the fairy tale of the Three Little Pigs, who build their houses out of straw, wood and stone. In the end, only one house remains standing… But what, if anything, is still true about the story today? During the session, the children will take a very close look at various building materials and carry out experiments with them.

No registration is required for this Children’s University session. The lecture lasts three-quarters of an hour and will be held twice: at 6.30 pm and 8.00 pm, both at the Centre for Media and Social Work, Bahnhofstraße 15.