Don’t have the time to go to a science centre? Is the next big city too far away? Don’t worry, science can also come to you! Over the last couple of months the Project Miradas van has been driving around Central America to engage many children with science through the wonders of the cosmos. The majority of the Central American countries (El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama) don’t have a national UNAWE node yet, so it was about time UNAWE paid them a visit!
Project Miradas: The UNAWE UNESCO Mobile created a colourful van with many astronomy educational resources inside, including the Universe in a Box toolkit and several telescopes. The van stopped by different schools across the American isthmus to organise astronomy activities during one week. After each stop, the Project Miradas team left behind a telescope, binoculars and posters, so the school could set up an astronomy club.
The activities were centred around the Moon, which acted as a starting point to discover the night sky. The same object also served as a way to gain insights into multiple cultural identities around the world and across Central America in specific. Children from the different countries in the region exchanged ‘video cards’ of the Moon – short videos and selfmade coloured cards - to experience how their peers from abroad see our Moon.
With the support from UNESCO and the national UNESCO coordinators, the project is guaranteed to have a long-lasting impact!
Share:
