C O N F E R E N C E

09:00-09:15 Fascination of Plants and Science Education in Early Childhood Education

Michail KalogiannakisLecturer - University of Crete, Faculty of Education

Department of Preschool Education

09:15-11:15 Psychology of Plants and Their Secret World: Myth or Reality?

Marios PourkosProfessor, University of Crete, Faculty of Education

11:15-11:35 Learning the native plants at the University Campus Marianna Kalaitsidaki

Assistant Professor, University of Crete – Department of Primary Education

11:35-12:00 The garden that we planted …Marina Paterakis, Hro Xolxlidaki, Maria Vavouraki, Katerina Diplaraki,

Valia SkoufouTeachers of the Preschool Education Center “Small Laboratory”

12:00-12:30 Break - Music- “Sharing” - “Promise”

P R O G R A M M E

12:30-12:45 Nature ExploresSofia Kanaki, Marina-Adriana Mbouna, Eleni Stavraka

University of Crete - Department of Preschool Education

12:45-13:00 Travelling to the magical world of plants!Ioanna Liakou, Filoxeni Magdalinou

University of Crete - Department of Preschool Education

13:00-13:15 Experiments to stimulate English city youngsters interest in Plants

Bob Wright Head of Biology at North London comprehensive school

13:15-13:30 Children through four seasonsZacharenia Karampini, Johanna Tzanaki

University of Crete - Department of Preschool Education

13:30-13:45 Exploring the natural environmentMyrto Koumantou, Despina Χatzistavridou

University of Crete - Department of Preschool Education

13:45-14:00 Plants: Our friends!Katerina Agnandi, Konstantina Kourou

University of Crete - Department of Preschool Education

14:00 -… Peripatetic learning in the nature of Gallos Campus with dialogue about the plants - Closure of the conference

Marianna Kalaitsidaki, Marios Pourkos, Michail KalogiannakisUniversity of Crete, Faculty of Education

A B S T R A C T S

Fascination of Plants and Science Education in Early Childhood Education Michail Kalogiannakis

Lecturer - University of Crete, Faculty of EducationDepartment of Preschool Education

The fascinating world of plants is associated with activities from the didactics of Natural Sciences for the Preschool Education in a journey of emotions, sounds and images. The real and virtual seeds that are planted are an effort to try to touch the sensitive hearts of children and ours. Through systematic instructive interventions and collaboration of preschool teachers and students, children study the natural environment in which we live, contact with plants; study the benefits of nature in our lives and ways to protect our environment. In this conference, we share our love for plants and will reflex for all that we have materialised up to today for the plants and the environment. We give a promise for a ‘‘dynamic involvement in love’’ for the plants and the environment in the near future.

Psychology of Plants and Their Secret World: Myth or Reality?Marios Pourkos

Professor, University of Crete, School of EducationDepartment of Pre-School Education, Director of the Laboratory of Psychological

Research and of the Unit of Ecological Psychology and Experiential, Heuristic and Dialogic/Communicative Psychopedagogy

"Love, joy, fear, pleasure, pain, frustration, surprise and even a number of responses to stimuli are observed in the behavior of plants like in the behavior of animals." These are the words of Jagadis Chundra Bose, the first Indian scholar who excelled in modern science and is internationally recognized for his studies in physics, physiology and psychology. Bose, who started developing these claims since the early 20th century until he died in1937 He believed that what we find in man we meet also in plants. These claims have been forgotten by scientists of the Western world and some thirty years later, in 1966, appeared again in the work of American researcher Cleve Backster in New York, a criminologist of the CIA and specialist in lie detection, who totally coincidentally was interested in the "potential" of plants. Backster had the unusual idea of connecting a house plant to his lie detector to see if the plant would respond with a galvanic skin reflex (GSR) to the death of a living organism nearby. Backster reasoned that, should the plant respond, we would have a new crime-fighting weapon; plants could be used as crime witnesses. Long after his first experiments, Backster studied the research findings of Bose, which seemed quite similar to his own. Backster recognized the scientific work of Bose, and mentioned it in his article, titled "Evidence of a Primary Perception in Plant Life", published in International Journal of Parapsychology, vol. 10, no. 4, Winter 1968, pp. 329-348. According to the Backster’s experiments, based on the logic of the lie detector, plants react to threats and thoughts of people reaching the conclusion that they have consciousness, experiencing a wide range of emotions and thoughts and, also, that they can communicate and read human thought. The presentation aims to summarise the research findings of Bose and Backster and the critique that is done. It shows and discusses the life of plants using film material with computer animations, fiber optics and unique time-lapse photography which reveals the magic and private world of plants. It is fascinating how this world seems to be as dramatic, adventurous and full of surprises like animals’ world including and humans.

Learning the native plants at the University Campus Marianna Kalaitzidaki

Assistant Professor - University of Crete - Department of Primary Education

Crete, despite its small size has 1700 different plant species, 170 of which are endemic. Part of this rich biodiversity, we can see here at the University of Crete, Gallou Campus. In the spring months March and April, beautiful surprises are in store for the initiated. Shrubs in full bloom and wild flowers like cyclamen, irises, orchids of the genus Ophrys, and Orchis, one step away from the lecture halls and our offices, await for us to get to know them, to appreciate them and, who knows, may in the future even want to protect them.

The garden that we planted … Marina Pateraki, Iro Chochlidaki, Maria Vavouraki, Katerina Diplaraki,

Valia SkoufouΤeachers of the Preschool Education Center “Small Laboratory”

Our engagement with the 4 elements of nature, Air, Water, Fire, Earth and the involvement of parents in the program of activities of the Preschool Educational Center“Small Laboratory” (in Greek “Mikro Ergastiri”) led to the creation of the project on the subject ‘‘The garden that we planted”. The trees, the plants and the herbs, were certain of the elements that were studied during this project.

Nature ExploresSofia Kanaki, Marina-Adriana Mbouna, Eleni Stavraka

University of Crete - Faculty of Education - Department of Preschool Education

Children were encouraged to plant seeds, experiencing the process of sowing and we chatted to the company about the world of plants. We viewed a short video, and then the children used their bodies to represent the growth of plants. Continuing they were divided into groups where they used visual imaging of nature, and experimented with colour from plants and herbs. Finally the children created a summary activities book.

Travelling to the magical world of plants!Ioanna Liakou, Filoxeni Magdalinou

University of Crete - Department of Preschool Education

We present the actions and effects of plants to the environment and humans. We use the orange tree and its products, demonstrating how to make an orange drink! Endemic species and fairy-tales with plants are also used. We will portray as well as an experiment of colouring flowers and we will show flowers made of paper.

Experiments to stimulate English city youngsters interest in PlantsBob Wright

Head of Biology at North London comprehensive school

Until quite recently, gardening has not been seen as “cool”. Central urban children in England often have no garden. Rich suburban families often have a professional gardener. When children hear Dad moaning about mowing the lawn again, they get negative empathies. In the framework of this presentation we will present some of the ways and simple experiments, we use to provide stimulation in science lessons at different ages.

Children through four seasonsZacharenia Karampini, Johanna Tzanaki

University of Crete - Department of Preschool Education

Children experience the magic of plants through four seasons as they appear in children literature, arts and their experience. The project has the duration of one week and will consist of theoretical and practical activities for kindergarten children aged four to six years.

Exploring the natural environmentMyrto Koumantou, Despina Χatzistavridou

University of Crete - Department of Preschool Education

Utilizing a four-day teaching intervention is a systematic effort to make the children appreciate the natural environment in which we live. Substantially, we bring them into contact with nature, we study the benefits of nature in our lives and how to protect nature.

Plants: Our friends!Katerina Agnandi, Konstantina Kourou

University of Crete - Department of Preschool Education

Our aim is the children's active participation in the educational procedure through experimental and visual activities. More specifically we will initially focus on a discussion of the day, to look at the children's knowledge of this topic. After that it will follow the construction of a poster for the importance of the plants in our lives and of flowers from various materials. It will also finish with a theatrical game about the plant growth and planting flowers.

Contact: Michail Kalogiannakis, Lecturer, Department of Preschool Education, University of Crete.Secretary: Student’s group of the seminar SPA110.Graphics: Konstantinos Νyktaris, Specialized Laboratorial Staff, Drama and Visual Arts Laboratory, Department of Preschool Education, University of Crete.Technical support: Nikos Kapelonis, George Tournakis, Network Group, Faculty of Education, University of Crete.Sponsor: Klapsinakis Bookstore.