For the second year in a row, the Associative Project Explora Región Metropolitana Norte of the Ministry of Science, Technology, Knowledge and innovation, will bring the illustrated story "PichinCO in search of water" to more than 1400 boys and girls from transition levels of Preschool Education and first and second level of Basic Education, belonging to 30 educational establishments of the RM.

“PichinCO in search of water” It's an illustrated story, which not only seeks to raise awareness and educate children about the importance of caring for water from a constructivist perspective of learning, but also to cultivate essential scientific skills and inquiring attitudes in the face of the challenges of today's world. The story is accompanied by a kit of materials to carry out the activities in the classroom, and a Teaching Guide aligned with the National Curriculum that contains five learning experiences designed to enhance scientific competencies, through the inquiry methodology and the Explora competency-based model.

Launch of “PichinCO: In search of water” 

This year PichinCO visited the children of the Paulo Freire School in Cerro Navia and the Los Rulos School in María Pinto, who enjoyed the story of PichinCO, through a storyteller.

The activity was attended by more than 120 boys and girls between both Schools, among them was Emiliano García, student of the Paulo Freire School of Cerro Navia who said "the character I liked was PichinCO, I learned that we have to take care of water"

Arlec Fak, also a student at the Paulo Freire School in Cerro Navia, she also commented that she liked the story and that she takes care of the water by leaving the tap closed when she brushes her teeth.

On the other hand, one of the teachers of the Paulo Freire School, Claudia López, He also referred to the activity: “I loved it, Everything was very playful and striking. The children were expectant with what was being reported and what was coming. The story always kept them captivated, Waiting for what was going to happen next. In addition, they talked about something very important such as the fauna of our country, which is a topic that we address a lot in first and second grade. Having the opportunity to reinforce what I learned in the classroom through a story was fantastic”. 

The activity was attended by various authorities, among them the director of Explora RM Norte, Dr. Mario Chiong, school directors and staff of the Barrancas Local Education Service.

Sergio Reyes, academic coordinator of the Paulo Freire School of Cerro Navia, thanked the invitation to launch PichinCO at his school. "We know that this product is an important intervention, because it is necessary to instill care for the environment and especially for water, from an early age. All the children were very happy, it was a significant learning experience for the students."

In this same line, Sebastián Mardones, Pedagogical Technical Advisor of the Barrancas Local Education Service, He stressed the importance of addressing these issues. “It is crucial to address these issues because the children are in a territory where they have the Mapocho River next to them and they know it from another perspective. The children were very involved and already knew how to take care of water. Living in a drought-stricken area and learning about it through a shoveler is super important.” 

Educator Marlen Farias from Colegio los Rulos in María Pinto, He stressed that this story will help them reinforce what they have worked on in the classroom and raise awareness about caring for the environment from an early age.

Joselin Vargas, educator at the Chorombo Alto School in María Pinto, who with her students and other teachers also attended the launch of PichinCO: in search of water at Los Rulos School, She said that it is important to include the little ones in the care of water and the planet, "The story is very nice, and the boys liked it a lot."

Classroom Deployment

In May, 50 teachers of Early Childhood Education and First Basic Cycle, participated in the training to learn about the methodological framework of the story and how to implement the learning experiences provided in the teaching guide.

During the first day, Dr. Carmen Espoz attended, Dean of the Faculty of Sciences of the Universidad Santo Tomás and scientific validator of the story, who shared her knowledge about the importance of water resources and the need to teach it from an early age.

On the second day, we were accompanied by Dr. Nélida Pohl, Director of Communications at the Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity, who talked about the work of science and how to formulate good questions of inquiry. The day ended with a field activity, directed by Dr. Juan Salazar, Coordinator of the Education for Conservation program of the Network of Bird and Wildlife Observers of Chile.

This product is developed by the Explora RM Norte Project, led by the Advanced Center for Chronic Diseases (ACCDiS ), through the University of Chile and its Faculty of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences.