Some aspects of the environmental education project on "Water energy: Rivers", which was implemented in a kindergarten in Greece by Georgios Nakis. More: georgios-nakis.blogspot.com

1. Environmental project inKindergarten
Water Energy: Rivers
Georgios Nakis
( Musician – Kindergarten teacher – M.Ed. )
“Where are you from, little river?”
(a verse from a Greek poem)
georgios-nakis.blogspot.com

2. Project Purpose:
Gradual awareness of children
about the role of rivers in the development of
natural and human environment

3. Project Goals:
To experience the natural environment of the
riverbed
To discover various applications of water energy
of rivers, such as a water mill (a pre-industrial
monument for grinding and washing, still in use)
Observe part of the ecosystem growing in a river
To develop ecological awareness and respect
for the natural environment
To express themselves creatively through the
visual arts drawing materials and images from
the natural environment of the river

4. Teaching process: The project method
The trigger for dealing with the issue was given by the observation of
concentrated rainwater in the school yard.
Phase 1: Planning and starting

5. Reflection A: where does the water that the "puddles"
collect from the rain go?
Children's answers: evaporates / stays there forever / the
plants "drink" it etc.
Development of a discussion on the underground aquifer, after the
relevant hypothesis - reflection on the land that "sucks" water as the soil is
irrigated…
Vocabulary:
Underground Aquifer,
underground lakes,
underground rivers

6. Reflection B: Where does the water in our house's taps come
from? Where do we find the water we drink?
Typical child response: We buy bottled bottles ...
Develop a discussion about man-made drilling in recent years to
provide water for irrigation and water supply (… a large drill that
pierces the ground very deep to meet an underground lake or river)
as well as natural springs where they exist .
Expanding the discussion on the natural drinking water bottling
industries, which follow exactly the same method of drilling and
pumping water from the groundwater aquifer or sourcing it from
natural sources.
Draw a logical conclusion: children seem to recognize the
usefulness of rain for collecting water in the underground aquifer.

7. Recording some of children's views on water use
• to wash our clothes in the washing machine
• to wash our body
• to drink it
• to water the plants
• to swim in the sea

8. Main suggestions for investigation
Examination of the possibility of visiting a natural source
Visit to a river (riverbed environment etc)
Examination of the possibility of observing cases of
utilization of river water energy (e.g. watermill in the area
ect)
Implementation planning of the proposals and possible fields of
connection with the Curriculum for the Kindergarten
This topic is suitable for an interdisciplinary approach as it could serve
objectives related to different scientific areas, such as:
Language (eg poems and texts with reference to the river, new concepts
and keywords, etc.)
Physics (eg the kinetic energy of river waters)
Informatics (eg internet search for hydroelectric dams)
Biology (eg acquaintance with the flora and fauna of the riverbed)
Mathematics (eg grouping-classification of natural materials by the river
etc)

9. Phase 2: Project in progress
1) Visit to a traditional watermill for washing clothes

10. 2) in front of watermill springs

11. 3) Stone watermill (as a museum item)

12. 4) The wheel of the watermill

13. 5) Parallel activities in the watermill
In the folklore museum of the watermill building

14. a message of respect for the environment…
“No detergents!”

15. painting: impressions from the visit, lunch, rest, departure

16. 6) Reading some Greek children's books on water
Π.Μωραΐτου και Γ.Βούλγαρη, (2008): «Νερό», εκδόσεις Άγκυρα
Σ.Γκόντουιν, (1999): «Πέφτει, πέφτει η σταγόνα», εκδόσεις
Πατάκη

17. 7) Artistic approach: waterfall (finger paints)

18. 8) Visit to the river Acheron

19. In front of river springs

20. the river as a means of sport and leisure
(rowing - horseback riding)

21. magnifying glass observations

22. rubbish near the river: a debate on respect for the environment

23. painting on the river

24. transport: ruins of an old bridge

25. game on the river

26. collection of natural materials from the river

27. 9) Artistic approach: riverbed with natural materials

28. 10) Making Tambourine Sticks with woods from the river

29. Phase 3: Evaluation
When the project was completed, the following were
evaluated:
The extent to which the children have found an answer
through their research (eg visit to the watermill) to the
questions they asked during the first phase (eg river
springs)
The different levels of children's creative expression
The overall course of the project (organization, any
problems that may have arisen, attitude of children,
degree of cooperation, etc.), in order to function as
feedback for the better planning of other activities.

30. Suggestions for further investigation
The topic can be further developed by approaching sections such
as:
Hydroelectric dams (visit to a dam in the area)
Fish farms (visit to a unit in the area)
The river as a means of transport (eg riverboats)
River water for irrigation (visit to an irrigation canal in the area)
Reasonable water consumption and saving of natural resources
Fauna and flora in and around rivers
Epirus (northwestern Greece) traditional river bridges
Experiment - construction of a watermill simulation using water
(conversion into kinetic energy)

31. The end
Photo from a related sketch
of kindergarten