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Poco Loco
Project · education

Workshops

With a map in the forest

Orienteering workshops for children and teenagers. First the map, puzzles and riddles, then a real field game in the forest. We prepare everything from A to Z — for schools, local authorities and forest districts.

Ask about workshops → How it works

A forest more gripping than a screen

Finding a post in the forest is pure joy for children. At our “With a map in the forest” workshops we combine learning with play: participants get to know the map, learn to find their way, and then put their new skills to the test in a field game at the Green Control Points.

The forest stops being a dull place for a Sunday walk — it becomes a game board full of puzzles, hidden corners and nature facts. Children come back tired, proud and with an idea for the next family outing.

We’ve run the workshops since 2022, including with the Poznań County. We handle everything — from the programme and materials, through promotion and registration, to running the sessions in the forest.

22
workshops since 2022
440+
children in 2023–2025
5–16
years — children and teens
2.5–3.5 h
one workshop
How it works

Map first, then the forest

Fun with maps
1

Fun with maps

We start with the learning part. Large colourful maps, map puzzles, brain-teasers and riddles show what a map can tell you: symbols and the legend, trails, distances and scale. Participants plan a route from A to B, look for the shortest and the most interesting option — and barely notice they’re learning.
Field game in the forest
2

Field game in the forest

Then we head into the forest. Map in hand, with instructors alongside, the children look for at least 4 Green Control Point posts and confirm each one with a punch. On the way the instructor turns the forest into a living nature lesson: different kinds of woodland, an anthill, a fox’s den, a woodpecker drumming — and how to use all of it to find your way.

At the end every participant gets a certificate and there are refreshments for everyone. For parents who want to join in, we prepare extra map tasks — because they want to try too.

What they learn

Skills for life

Young people reach for a paper map less and less — yet all it takes is no signal for a phone to stop helping. At our workshops the map stops being a relic and becomes a tool that gives freedom and a sense of safety.

  • Reading a map. Symbols, legend, trails, scale and distances — no guessing.
  • Finding your way. How to orient the map, find yourself in the forest and reach your goal.
  • Planning a route. From A to B, the shorter and the more interesting way — useful in the mountains and when travelling.
  • The forest up close. Types of woodland, plantation edges, gullies, hillocks, landmark trees and animal tracks.
  • Time outdoors. Moving, the thrill of finding a post, and a break from screens.
  • Ideas for family outings. Participants know where and how to use Green Control Points on their own — free of charge, all year round.
Who it's for

We tailor the programme to the group

Ages 5–11

Children

Lots of play, simple map tasks, a shorter course and plenty of nature facts along the way.

Ages 12–16

Teenagers

More independence, route-planning and distance-estimating tasks, and harder posts to find.

Schools and kindergartens

Outdoor lessons

A ready-made idea for a field lesson, sports day or class trip — with a programme, materials and instructors.

Local authorities and forest districts

Workshop series

We run whole series for residents: from materials and promotion, through registration, to running the sessions and the paperwork.

What we provide

We take care of everything

  • A programme suited to the age of the participants and the venue.
  • Two instructors at every workshop, for groups of 15 to 30.
  • Learning materials — maps, puzzles, brain-teasers and task cards.
  • Certificates for all participants, and refreshments.
  • Materials for parents: how to use Green Control Points on your own and why the forest is so good for us.
  • Promotion and registration — posters, social media graphics, forms and rules.
  • Accessibility — routes for people with limited mobility, rest breaks, materials adapted to participants’ needs.
Who runs them

People who live with a map in hand

The workshops are run by orienteering and adventure-racing athletes who compete in Poland and abroad — the team includes a Polish orienteering championship medallist and a licensed mapmaker with over 30 years of experience. We design and build the Green Control Points in seven forest districts, so we know the forest and the map inside out. Above all, we love sharing this passion with children.
Where

At the Green Control Points

Workshops take place at permanent orienteering arenas in the forests of the Poznań County and beyond — where posts with punches wait all year round. We’re also happy to prepare workshops in your area.
ŁopuchówkoKamionkiŻarnowiecPark DziejeRakowniaJezierceKobylnicaLuboń
See the Green Control Points →
Track record

We've been doing this for years

  1. 2021
    We build the first Green Control Points in the Poznań County — in Łopuchówko, in the Zielonka Forest.
  2. 2022
    The “With a map in the forest” series for the Poznań County begins — 4 workshops. We open the Green Control Points in Kamionki.
  3. 2023
    8 workshops and over 180 children. We open the Green Control Point in Żarnowiec and publish the “Forest Seeker” guide.
  4. 2024
    5 workshops, over 138 children. A family orienteering rally becomes a fixed part of Forest Run.
  5. 2025
    5 workshops, over 123 children — and more and more parents who want to join in.

Let's run a workshop for you

Tell us who the workshop is for and where — we'll prepare a programme and a quote tailored to the group, place and date.