Gölcük Nature Park Children Orienteering Experience

Treasure hunt by the lake in Gölcük Nature Park

Gölcük Nature Park, located just south of Bolu, is a nature area built around a crater lake, seemingly designed with children in mind. The presence of the lake represents more than just an ordinary view: it serves as a constant reference point for children throughout the day. As a child ventures into the forest and looks up to see the water, they understand where they are. This is why Gölcük is an extremely reassuring starting point for the 7-12 age group, who are new to orienteering. In our approximately two-hour program, we teach children how to go on a treasure hunt in nature using a map and compass.

Each participant receives their own map and a small compass. Finding the orange-white control flags placed around the lake is the heart of the game. The routes are short and kept close to the lake shore; the child never strays far from the water and the guide's line of sight. The shade provided by trees and the cool air make walking a pleasure, even on summer days.

How the map, compass, and control card work

At the beginning of the program, we all gather around the map. Finding the blue stain of the lake on the map is the child's first discovery; then we mark our location. We explain the map in a gamified way, showing how green areas represent trees, white represents sparse forest, and thin black lines represent paths. Everyone takes turns holding the compass and orienting the map to the north. Then, the control cards are distributed: the child presses the marker on each flag onto their card and moves on to the next point. Thanks to the easy orientation by the lake, the child can try without fear of getting lost and learn to recover by looking at the lake, even if they take a wrong turn. This is the most valuable skill that orienteering teaches children: making decisions without fear of making mistakes.

The list of gains at the end of the two hours is long. The sense of direction improves, the ability to focus increases, and time spent away from the screen turns into a valuable memory. Since we work in small groups, children also learn to listen to each other and make joint decisions. We discuss the topic of respect for nature from the very first minute: not leaving trash, not picking plants, and not changing the position of the flags are the group's common rules.

Information for parents

An experienced guide leads each group, and children are never left unattended during the program. We deliberately keep the group size low so that each child receives sufficient attention. Parents can either accompany the group or wait at the starting area by the lake. It's enough to have closed sports shoes, water, and a hat with you; a light jacket can also be useful since Gölcük is a cool area. If you're planning an unforgettable day in nature for your child, you can create your registration.