Learning with HALI: Personification as a Gateway to Geoscience for Young Learners

The Schülerforschungszentrum (Student Research Centre) at the University of Applied Sciences Nordhausen (SFZ) is part of the MINT-Regionen Thüringen (Thuringian STEM Regions) initiative – a project by the Thuringian Foundation for Technology, Innovation, and Research (STIFT), supported by the Thuringian Ministry of Education, Science, and Culture. The program fosters regional STEM networks to promote science education in schools and beyond.

Since joining the SFZ, I have expanded this commitment to include geoscience topics by launching various geo-educational activities and establishing new collaborations. Northern Thuringia's landscape, economy, and cultural history are deeply shaped by salt and gypsum mining, making these materials a natural starting point for our outreach.

In November 2024, in collaboration with K-UTEC Salt Technologies AG and the National GeoPark Kyffhäuser, I led a full-day project—repeated three times—for the three fourth-grade classes (65 pupils) at Franzberg Primary School in Sondershausen. The program included crystal-growing experiments and activities highlighting the local geological and economic significance of salt.

To engage our 9–10-year-old audience, I created a plush toy in the form of a personified halite crystal, named Hali, which became the project’s narrative centrepiece. Follow-up evaluations five months later confirmed that personification is a highly effective didactic method in geoscience education, enhancing understanding and enthusiasm among young learners. Thanks to the positive response, the project will be replicated in Autumn 2025.

The Hali’s project is still at the very beginning and will not end with Hali: Additional mineralogical figures and their histories are being designed. Stay tuned!