From September 15th to September 27th , Shilin Global Geopark rolled out a wide range of science popularization activities to inspire students’ long-term interest in earth science integrated with ecology and culture, and to promote the concept of sustainable development. The activity particularly held at the Shilin Primary School was the most meaningful one.

We first delivered a lecture at the school introducing the geology, landforms and geological history of Shilin to the students. As the local residents, students here are familiar with the Stone Forest, but they may lack the update of their knowledge. In order to broaden their horizons and enrich their knowledge, we tried to make some interpretation panels, brochures and popular science readings avoided the use of technical scientific language, which could give them a deeper understanding of Shilin.

To maximize the results, we also organized an award-winning quiz. We prepared lots of questions related to geology, ethnic culture, traditional customs and scientific knowledge such as “Could you tell me each part of Shilin?” “What kind of element does the Stone Forest contain?” “Do you know who is the most respectable person among Sani people? ” or “Tell me the name of an ancient lake in Shilin.” Additionally, we also provided different awards corresponding to questions with different difficulty levels. In this way, we could inspire students to be more interested in geological exploration, recognize the natural and cultural significance, enhance the awareness of heritage protection and care for the earth.

At the end of this activity, we exchanged our ideas with the headmaster and other teachers of the primary school. During the process of discussion, we listened to teachers’ suggestions and some feedback from students. We hope we could optimize our science popularization activities to benefit more students.