Dear Rhian and IPY,I am writing in order to let you know about the most recent IPY Day in Brazil (18/06). I work at two different schools in Brazil: Colégio Neruda, in Araraquara, SP, and Colégio Puríssimo Coração de Maria, in Rio Claro, SP.
At Colégio Neruda, after we discussed the importance of the Poles and climate change, the students made posters to express their impressions and concerns about those matters. We will send some of the posters to students in other countries, with whom they will exchange opinions about mother Earth and what man is doing to it. IPY DAY was a great opportunity for them to learn more about life in the Polar regions and about permafrost, of which they had never heard. The students are now looking forward to the next IPY DAY, and are already thinking about new activities.
At Colégio Puríssimo groups of 15 to 17 year-old students and myself discussed about Land and Life in the Polar regions (based on the information we had got from IPY page), and then they a prepared slide show to teach the younger ones (13 and 14 year-olds) about what they had learnt. It was just great! You wouldn’t believe how interested the younger ones were in the presentation! When it was over, many of them came to talk to me to ask me how they can get involved and help us get more people involved. They decided to form a kind of “environment club”, and are now preparing to take their presentations to other schools and people.
All the best!
Miriam Hebling Almeida
