EDUCATING AT THE SOURCE

Teacher: Juliana Mendes Vasconcelos Niquini Ribeiro
School: E. M. João Muniz
City: Congonhas - MG
Country: Brasil
Project: The Lagoinha Spring: Preserving Life

”The largest river in the world is the stream that runs through the backyard of my house”. This quote took on an important meaning for the 5th grade students at the Dom João Muniz Municipal School in Congonhas, the interior of Minas Gerais.

Coordinated by their teacher, Juliana Ribeiro, the students developed actions for the preservation of Lagoinha, a spring that is the main source of water in Jardim Profeta, the neighborhood where the school is located.

Before starting the project, Juliana discovered that the children thought of Lagoinha as a leisure area and a meeting spot. She built on the children’s sense of pleasure in visiting the place to inspire positive environmental awareness.

In the computer lab, with the support of the Aprende Brasil portal, the group started doing research on topics related to water on our planet. They found out that one of the most important resources for life is becoming more and more scarce and inaccessible.

After a field trip, the students became more aware of the environmental problems in Lagoinha. Because of this visit – and the successful environmental preservation projects studied in the classroom – the children decided to take action.

Through actions like removing garbage and planting native trees, they involved the community, raising awareness about the importance of Lagoinha.

According to Juliana, the students were extremely satisfied with the results. The work that started at a spring is going to flow down the most important river in the world: the one that flows between all of us.