The ‘Da-Nach-Da’ Project

The 'Da-Nach-Da' Project is an interactive educational material designed for primary schools to teach about the connections between our daily lives and climate change.

Long Description

The ‘Da-Nach-Da’ (‘Here-To-There’ or ‘There-To-There’) project is a teaching material, designed for 3rd and 4th grade of primary school. Its aim is to prepare pupils to face the challenge of climate change. While climate change is a growing concern it is currently neglected in the educational system. Due to its invisibility it is difficult to connect daily habits with the environmental circumstances.

The goal of this educational and interactive material is not only to enable children to make these connections, but also to explore and experience them visually, physically and cognitively. This experience is created through the usage of several wooden, partly mechanical elements (inspired by the Rube Goldberg machine) that interact with each other when placed closely together. These elements form stories which illustrate the connections and show the longterm impact of small actions.

This innovative educational material is cost-effective and gives children the opportunity to become an active part in the lesson. Through the usage of other disciplines such as math, writing and reading, children are able to stay concentrated and learn about climate change from various perspectives. Thus encouraging imagination and reflective thinking.

The model has been successfully tested in three different schools in Vienna and received positive feedback from the teaching staff. With the help of your program I will be able to reach more schools and transform the way children learn about this important issue.