Terra is ill
The siren of an ambulance sounds in the distance. Teacher, can we go and have a look? In the meantime, some of the pre-schoolers run to the window to peer outside. The rest follows excitedly. The ambulance parks right in front of the school. Two paramedics roll out a stretcher with 'Terra' on it. Terra is a blue sitting ball covered with paper continents and a sad smiley face. The patient is rushed inside.
Terra is sick' is the diagnosis of Laura the sun, played by a yellow face-painted teacher. Behind the sitting desk another teacher takes the role of Terra the globe. 'What's wrong with me?' asks Terra.
Dirty smoke
A story about the earth being sick suddenly makes a theme like global warming very tangible for the young audience. You can read the concern on the faces of the pre-schoolers. The kaMOShibai story Terra is ill is full of development goals that we gratefully strive for', says teacher Caroline. ‘We talk about feelings, empathy and the basic attitude of showing care and respect for nature.’
Laura pulls out her magnifying glass and takes a closer look at Terra. ‘I see cars and planes, people chopping down forests and burning them down, and masses of cows farting and burping. All of these cause nasty clouds of gas," she says.
Another teacher divides the notice board in two. On the left side grey smoke clouds are hanging up, on the right colourful bicycle attributes. The teacher shows two pictures: an aeroplane and a skateboard. ‘Which side does this belong to?" she asks, holding up the picture of the plane.
‘To the side with the dirty smoke,' is the chorus in the kindergarten group.
Creative elaboraton
After the play each class group goes back to its own classroom with its teacher. There, blue balloons are brought out and with papier-mâché they are being transformed into little Terra's. Other classes make bicycle flags or play climate memory. The higher classes are studying the causes and consequences of climate change.
‘Now that the pre-schoolers know very well which means of transport make Terra sick, they suddenly become little ambassadors,’ laughs Herwig De Praitere, the school's director. We hear more and more often from parents that children object when they get into a car.
With the kaMOShibai stories, the teachers do not only work on the development goals. They also use them to highlight the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Improve education, awareness and human and institutional capacity for mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning of climate change'. That's what SDG 13 says. Check!
Tip
In the kaMOShi guide to the story, you will find all the development goals and SDGs covered in the story. In addition, you will find possible occasions to tell the story, key questions to make the preschoolers think and a lot of other ideas to get started with the story.
Erasmus+
During an Erasmus+ project, the kindergarten showed teachers from Slovenian and Cypriot schools how it uses the story 'Terra is ill’ to make the topic of climate change recognisable for the preschoolers.
In the fun example 'KaMOShibai connects across borders' you can find out more about this exchange.
A report by Always Hungry (2022)
The schools' information
GBS Kindergarten Blauwe Poort
Halenplein 11
8500 Kortrijk
GBS Kooigem
Kooigemplaats 23
8510 Kooigem
