From March 17 to 21, 2025, as part of the project activities of the Public Institution for the Management of Protected Parts of Nature and the Ecological Network of Virovitica Podravina County, and through the implementation of the project Development of the Tourist and Recreational Center Jezero–Hercegovac–Ružica grad, KK.06.1.2.03.0002, acronym TRC, a five-day pilot outdoor school program titled Natural and Cultural Heritage of Virovitica-Podravina County was held for students of Vladimir Nazor Primary School from Virovitica and Koprivnički Ivanec Primary School.

On the first day of the program, students attended a presentation about the TRC project and the activities of the Public Institution, as well as a presentation on the Cultural Heritage of Virovitica-Podravina County. They also explored the contents of the park surrounding the Visitor center the Drava Story. The day continued with a guided walk along the Drava LIFE Educational Trail, using birdwatching equipment, followed by the presentation Fairies, Elves, and Other Mythical Creatures, and a reading of The Legend of Buga and Jan, delivered by staff of the Public Institution. On the second day, the participants visited the Homeland Museum in Slatina, the Church of St. Joseph, and Landscape Architecture Monuments in Slatina – including the park behind the county assembly building and a mammoth tree. The field trip concluded with a visit to the TRC project area near Orahovica Lake, where they explored Ružica grad, Lake Hercegovac, the Church of the Discovery of the Holy Cross, and Mihalović Manor in Orahovica. The third day began with microscope workshops and science experiments, followed by a tour of the multimedia exhibits and the main exhibition area of the Visitor Center. In the afternoon, the students took a bike ride along the Drava River, learning about the area’s biodiversity. They also attended presentations on the Natural Heritage of Virovitica-Podravina County and Poisonous Organisms. On the fourth day, participants visited the Visitor center Križnica and explored its features with expert guidance from the Public Institution staff. In the afternoon, they visited the Petar Preradović House of Interpretation in Grabrovnica.

The Outdoor School program concluded on the fifth day with a knowledge check, where students completed worksheets on the Natural and Cultural Heritage of Virovitica-Podravina County and took part in a quiz. Throughout all five days of the program, the students, accompanied by their teachers, also carried out their regular school activities.