10.03.2023
Discovering the world of caves

This week the students of the Montessori Academy moved into the world of caves.

They learnt about the different types of caves in Poland and around the world and how they are formed. They found out what kinds of underground objects we can visit in our country. These include: caves, adits, mines, merchant cellars and military buildings.

They learnt about the dangers lurking underground and in the mountains, during expeditions and explorations. They saw where the name karst comes from and the specific nature of the karst phenomena that form caves in sedimentary rocks.

During the presentation, using the caves of Kielce's Kadzielnia as an example, the pupils were able to see what work is done to turn the cave into an underground tourist route. It turned out that some of them already knew the Kadzielnia caves well, as they had visited them with their parents.

We talked about why caves should be protected and how people use them in different parts of the world. There were also interesting and intriguing adventures from the life of a speleologist, such as exploring a hole in an asphalt road, a close encounter with a nest of crawling reptiles, or 'diving' into a waste dump in Ponidzie.

Being a speleologist also means various privileges: like the possibility of naming discovered caves and parts of caves, the 'privilege' of washing muddy equipment in the bathtub at home. It's also the opportunity to collaborate with various scientists and organisations, and to have a bit of fun with maths when it comes to drawing up cartographic plans.