Vis Archipelago Geopark in the STEM Energy Expedition: from the secrets of rocks to life in a drop of sea

During August, the Vis Archipelago Geopark participated in the SPONGENIOUS STEM Energy Expedition – OPO! Island by Islandprogram, which featured workshops for children dedicated to science, exploration, and learning about the natural world around us.

We held a total of four workshops – two in Vis and two in Komiža, where children explored two topics closely related to the natural heritage of the Vis Archipelago through hands-on work, observation, and discussion – geology and marine biology.

At the "Secrets of the Vis Archipelago Rocks" workshop, we learned about different types of rocks and their characteristics. The children first observed them with the naked eye, comparing their color, texture, and composition, and then used a petrographic microscope to look inside them. This allowed them to see minerals, crystals, and structures that remain hidden at first glance, discovering how much rocks can tell us about the geological history of our region.

The second workshop was dedicated to marine life and the relationships between organisms. We observed a drop of seawater under a microscope, discussed plankton and other inhabitants of the marine ecosystem, and built a trophic pyramid, illustrating the food relationships in the sea.

Throughout the workshop, we followed how energy is transferred from tiny organisms at the beginning of the food chain, through sardines and anchovies, all the way to larger fish and marine predators.

One of the most interesting conclusions we reached together was the answer to the question: who is actually the "strongest" in the sea?

The answer is – plankton.

Although these are tiny organisms that we often cannot see without a microscope, plankton is at the very foundation of the marine food web. Without it, numerous other marine organisms would have no food source, and the entire ecosystem would be disrupted.

That was precisely the main message of the workshop – in nature, the smallest and seemingly unnoticeable things often play one of the most important roles.

By participating in the STEM Energy Expedition, we once again showed how important it is to enable children to experience science not just through theory, but also through exploration, microscopy, observation, and their own discoveries.

We would like to thank the organizers of the SPONGENIOUS STEM Energy Expedition – OPO! Island by Island program for the invitation and the opportunity to introduce children on Vis and in Komiža to a part of the rich natural heritage of the Vis Archipelago.