Domestic · İğneada
İğneada School Trip: A Guide to the Birdhouse Activity and Nature Education
The İğneada school trip is a nature and social responsibility programme in which students get to know the longoz forest on site, take part in activities at Lake Mert and hang birdhouses they have made themselves on trees in the forest. It can be done from Istanbul as a day trip or as 1 night, 2 days. For teachers, the biggest benefit is that it combines environmental awareness with a concrete activity, and students come back having done something that leaves a lasting mark.
Why İğneada?
School trips are often focused on museums and historic sites. İğneada offers a different learning space: a living ecosystem. Because the longoz forest, lakes, dunes and the sea are all together here, students can directly observe the parts of an ecosystem and the relationships between them.
In TatiliYakala's catalogue, this programme is described as one of the rare programmes that combine environmental awareness and social responsibility outcomes with a concrete activity. Students hang the birdhouses they have made in the forest themselves.
How does the birdhouse activity work?
At the heart of the programme is the birdhouse activity in the hotel garden. Students build the birdhouses in groups, then walk to the longoz forest and hang them on trees. This activity:
- Requires manual skills and teamwork.
- Creates a natural opportunity to talk about birds' need for shelter and their role in the ecosystem.
- Gives students the experience of making a tangible contribution to nature.
- Leaves a memorable story that stays with them after the trip.
Links to lessons
Science and biology
Ecosystems, food chains, habitats and biodiversity can be observed directly in the longoz forest. You can talk about how living things adapt to their environment through water-loving trees, lake plants and bird species.
Geography
The formation of the longoz forest, the water table, coastal plains, lakes and dunes all overlap with geography topics. On the map, the Black Sea coast, the Istranca (Yıldız) Mountains and the border region can be covered together.
Social studies and values education
The birdhouse activity makes the values of responsibility, cooperation and environmental awareness concrete. Why protected areas matter can also be opened up for discussion.
How the programme runs
Day trip programme
According to the catalogue programme, the day runs as follows:
- 06:00: Departure for Kırklareli
- 07:30: Traditional Turkish spread breakfast in Silivri
- 12:00: Buffet lunch; activities at Lake Mert (horse riding, canoeing, pedal boats, obstacle courses)
- 14:00: Building birdhouses in the hotel garden; the Longoz Forests and hanging the birdhouses on trees
- 18:00: Departure for the return journey
- 21:00: Arrival
1 night, 2 days programme
On the overnight programme, you stop at İğneada Lighthouse on the first day, build birdhouses and walk in the longoz in the afternoon, and in the evening there are marshmallows around the campfire, a disco and karaoke. The second day includes a barbecue party and lake activities at Lake Mert. The catalogue lists the accommodation as the İğneada Resort Hotel & Spa; availability is confirmed once the date is finalised.
Which lake activities are included in the package is specified in the quote according to group size. For details, see the İğneada tour page, and for our other school programmes, our school trips page.
Preparing before the trip
With students
- A short presentation: Prepare students with a few images explaining what a longoz forest is and why it is protected.
- Bird species: Introduce a few birds that can be seen in the area; students can try to spot them on site.
- Observation notebook: Each student notes three plants, two birds and one lake they see.
- Rules of conduct: Discuss the national park rules, staying on the trails and not leaving litter beforehand.
With parents and the school management
- Complete the trip permissions in line with the current regulations of your school and the directorate of national education it reports to.
- Find out about students' health and any special needs in advance for the lake activities.
- Share the programme times and contact details with parents.
Student packing list
- Waterproof, comfortable walking shoes
- Spare socks
- A coat or raincoat suited to the season
- A hat and sunscreen (in summer)
- Mosquito repellent
- Water bottle
- Observation notebook and pen
For more detailed preparation by season, see the article When to go to İğneada. To get to know the forest itself, the İğneada Longoz Forests guide is a good start.
Back in the classroom
A small project after returning from the trip makes the students' experience last. Using the notes in their observation notebooks, the class can prepare a poster of the longoz ecosystem. Students can share photos of the birdhouses they hung and research which birds the houses might shelter. Hanging similar birdhouses in the school grounds is a lovely way to carry the activity into everyday life. Work like this shows parents the educational value of the trip in a concrete way and strengthens students' environmental awareness in the long term.
Frequently asked questions
Which age groups is the İğneada school trip suitable for?
The programme is among those recommended for school groups in the catalogue. We finalise the details of the activities according to the age group together with you at the quotation stage.
What do students do in the birdhouse activity?
Students build birdhouses in the hotel garden and then go to the longoz forest and hang them on the trees themselves.
Is the İğneada school trip a day trip?
It can be done as a day trip or as 1 night, 2 days. On the day trip programme, departure is at 06:00 in the morning and you arrive back at around 21:00 in the evening.
Are the lake activities included?
The catalogue programme includes horse riding, canoeing and pedal boat activities. Which of these are included in the package is stated in the quote, depending on group size.
