Information in general:

It is going to be 15 years this year since the Toulcův dvůr has been founded. This center of an environmental education is situated in a historical and natural unique area of Hostivař. Special-interests Union and after-school programmes - Toulcův dvůr take care of the buildings and close-fitting lots. The Union is created by four non-profit organizations which give to this place eventful contents and a present look.

      This is a project that serves as an environmental educational training center and it increases a public ecological awareness as well. Toulcův dvůr aims its visitors, there are about 40,000 yearly, towards a principle adoption of permanently tenable life. The project has three main piers in the local concept such as ecological, social and cultural. “Emphasis on the culture comes from a location of this beautiful place. It directs us into an old tradition revival, recognizing our ancestor’s arts and crafts, and to other cultural activities. We perceive that as a little shard of an education as a whole in the wider chain of events, “ says Rostislava Křivánková, director of the center.

            The biggest aimed group are families, children and young people. The Center works with these groups since their young age. The youngest children come with their parents into the nursery center, older children come into the kindergarden and there are a lot of after-school activity courses for the older ones. A few thousands of children attend environmetal educational school programmes. Aim of these programmes is to complete the school syllabus by practical ecological education that goes on in unavailable conditions for schools. The activities are provided to the children by experience learning, children themselves look for causes and solutions to ecological problems and obtain a courrage in taking an action to benefit the nature, “ the director explains the idea. The programmes use elements of the problem solving and project doing courses, emotional, art-educational, craft and dramatic education. The programmes broaden an emotional perception and an imagination of the children. The programmes teach the children how to perceive in the chain of events and how to stimulate the children to activities and a creative genius.

      The Hostivař area represents a relaxing zone for families and for a lot of Prague citizens. There are a lot of animals at the farm as well. “This is the question of a unique and comprehensive exposition of Czech original breeds domestic animals,” presents the four-legged inhabitants of the farm a Noah’s ark project coordinator Lenka Skoupá. There is also a special type of a cow called česká červinka. There is less than one hundred cows in the Czech Republic. This cow česká červinka has already brought two calves up at this farm. A lot of people think that only animals living in the wild are endangered. But a whole cattle breeding and efforts for maximum benefit of the cattle pushed the original breeds back, “ explains the situation Lenka Skoupá.

The Farm

Noah’s Ark – the farm project.

Noah has collected one couple of each animal species on his boat at the time of flood. He rescued that way the animals from death. Human action threatens species variety preservation nowadays in the wild more than any other flood. There is a similar situation with the domestic animals in the Czech Republic. The original breeds are being replaced by cross-breeds of a high-utility. These animals bear stress better and large-scale production technologies. Individual breeds of domestic animals and their genofond disappear. These breeds belong to Czech cultural landmarks and we are directly responsible for their preservation and passing on next generations.

The project Noah’s Ark originated with an aim to support the breed and a national breed propagation. This project is being realized by a member organization called Special interests Union Toulcův dvůr – Union called SRAZ. Exposition of the original domestic animal breeds originated at the farm. There are Czech breeds at the farm such as poultry, rabbits, goats, sheep, pigs, horses and bees. All these animals are qualified by cattle breeders. These animals participate at expositions and are listed in the utility check.

The aim of this project is to keep all the animals in corresponding rooms with sufficient room to run in and with a maximum regard to a welfare.

The farm is used within the scope of the environmental-educational programmes where children get a close connection with individual animal species. The children obtain knowledge spontaneously concerning the right animal care. The lectors explain differences in the animal needs to the children. There is an instructive path at the farm which is used especially by families in their leisure time.

The project “Noah’s Ark” is unique within the Czech Republic. There is no other place with so many species of the Czech breeds of the domestic animals. The whole project was involved into National programme by-law of the genofond preservation. That is the proof of a highly-social importance of this project. The original Czech breeds disappear not only from the farms but also from peoples’ awareness. We want to change this situation. We believe that we make the public to care about our breeds and help to preserve them,” announces her wish the coordinator Lenka Skoupá.

The Semínko kindergarden

The kindergarden is situated in a calm part of the area Toulcův dvůr with its garden. The kindergarden conception comes from the Scope programme for kindergarden education and from School educational programme. Its goal is to satisfy physical and mental needs of children and to provide their healthy and harmonious development and to put foundations for the customs of such a life. The life which will be a prevention against social-pathological features and is going to correspond with preservative development principles.

Class programme is made up to enable a child’s experience at the first place and to contain experiences coming from all the five kindergarden educational branches. “We emphasize a harmonious child personality development, a regular outdoor activity, we lead the children to be self-sufficient and active. We develop moral characteristics in a relationship with plants and animals,” explains her vision Magdaléna Kapuciánová, the kindergarden director. The children regularly attend the farm, they observe domestic animals, their cub development, they recognize herbs and plants. Then they take care of the plants. Nutrition is also an aim of our interest. The nutrition is made especially out of organic products. It is biologically balanced and it helps to children to get used to a healthy life style. The kindegarden used to participate in a few international projects and has prepared couple of seminars in the past.

Written by:
Jakub Moravec – PR, press manager
moravec@toulcuvdvur.cz