The Educational Innovation in Social Sciences (DIMPA) group of the University Jaume I in Castelló has created several sports around nine natural parks in the Valencian Community with the aim of making these natural environments better known through an educational resource that can be used in the classroom.
The purpose of this research group goes beyond the realm of the school because it is not just an academic subject, it is also an experiential one. Creating positive links with the environment is the responsibility of the whole society if it is to be sustainable. That is why any entity has the possibility to cooperate and especially the media in its publication and reproduction.
The natural parks of Valencia that appear in this first part are the Penyagolosa, the Desert de les Palmes, and the Columbretes Islands in Castelló; Hoces del Cabriel, Turia and the Albufera de València; and Montgó, Font Roja, and Salinas de Santa Pola de Alicante. The publication is part of the project “Valencia Region Landscapes as an Educational Tool for the Sustainable Development Goals” awarded by the Educational Support Office of the Public University of Castellón in 2021. These nine landscapes are a precursor to an ambitious project that will be developed during 2023 with all the biological reserves in Valencia that acquired this status.
Full-color materials are available to anyone interested in the UJI Library and to everyone who has entered into an agreement with this university center. In addition, its reproduction can be ordered from the aforementioned group, which gives it free of charge to all entities and environmental groups that request it. A hard copy is also sent as long as copies are available.
This educational resource is presented in a traditional envelope of a larger size and includes the nine pictures of the natural parks of Valencia mentioned above, as well as a brochure called “5 al Parc” where the five sports are explained in detail with the corresponding solution to be able to perform them. It is complemented by an accurate basic bibliography to increase knowledge of the topic and a map of the country of Valencia with the status of the 22 natural parks found in our independent community.
Mathemagic is a powerful educational resource for raising awareness of the future of the planet. It is multigenerational in nature, adapts to any age and can focus on all issues considered. In addition, its mathematical structure means that it can be used by anyone and it works automatically: you simply have to know how to read and do what is required in writing.
The learning materials were developed by the DIMPA Group, made up of Social Science Education faculty Enrique Ramiro Roca, Jose Vicente Gil Noy, and Sara Prades Plaza, in collaboration with Pilar Gandia Esteve, a mathematics professor at the island’s Environmental Protection Agency.
Images were provided by Eduard Bueno, Jorge Posadas, and Mar Carrera, as well as those provided by VISUALGRÀFIC through various photographic databases. These resources were catalyzed by Roger Pons, President of Júcar Collective, and Juan Josep Canet for their activism and commitment to the environment, as well as other collaborators such as Regina Bañuls, Julia Villaescusa, Carles Carrera, Carme Salas, and dozens of volunteers who experimented with the different games.