Sciences and history through plants: getting to know the ¨Professor José Badini¨ herbarium, scientific and cultural heritage of Ouro Preto and the region. Viviane Renata Scalon, Isabella Fernandes Fantini

Abstract

Herbariums are also non-formal educational spaces and this project integrated UFOP into schools in Ouro Preto and the region through activities complementary to science teaching. In the project, 9th grade and high school students were offered guided tours of the collection focusing on three themes: “Diversity and conservation of the Flora of MG”; “The art of identifying plants: Past and Future” and “History and research of Medicinal Plants”. Lesson plans and presentation of the proposed themes were drawn up, followed by a selection of educational videos and a selection of exhibits for the guided tour. Once the explanatory folder was prepared, schools in Ouro Preto, Mariana and Itabirito were contacted. The folder was sent via email after prior communication with pedagogical coordinators or directors/teachers. In all contacts we received good receptivity and interest. However, few schools responded positively and scheduled visits. 122 students aged between 14 and 17 were served. Of the visitors, 60% had already heard about the subject “herbarium” before the presentation. After the visit, 100% of people understood what a herbarium is and what it is for and 100% consider the collection to be an important place to maintain. The visit to the collection was the part of the presentation that students liked most (68%), followed by the explanation (22%) and the video (10%). The evaluation of the visit was 89% excellent and 11% good, indicating that the methodology applied was satisfactory and suitable for the intended purposes.