Last Thursday the 4th Grade went on a school trip to Akovos, a small village near Kalamata. We were very lucky because the day was sunny and warm.
Akovos is built on a mountain, in an area with a lot of springs and fresh water.
There is a small elementary school in the village but there are no schoolchildren any more. Just a few old people live there now. The school opened again last summer, this time as a folk museum.
Two young people, Theodora and Alexandros, work in the museum and were our guides. They talked to us about the history of the village. It took its name from the fresh water which is in abundance in this area (aqua= latin word for “water”). They asked us to close our eyes and listen to the water for a moment.
Theodora showed us the museum exhibits, explaining what they were. Alexandros took us to the nearby spring and all the students filled their buckets, clay pitchers and bottle gourds with cold, fresh water, and then carried them back to the museum “the old way” (watch our video to get an idea!).
After that, in the old school’ s yard, a lot took place: ploughing with a wooden plough, sowing, a “carnival” for good harvest, reaping with scythes, threshing with animals, winnowing, grinding with a hand mill, kneading in a wooden tub, and finally taking the bread home to bake. Every student got a role and all the roles were significant.
There was so much to see and do that we all came back to school excited and a little tired!
Thank you Theodora and Alexandros for the great experience! Keep up the good work!
Akovos is built on a mountain, in an area with a lot of springs and fresh water.
There is a small elementary school in the village but there are no schoolchildren any more. Just a few old people live there now. The school opened again last summer, this time as a folk museum.
Two young people, Theodora and Alexandros, work in the museum and were our guides. They talked to us about the history of the village. It took its name from the fresh water which is in abundance in this area (aqua= latin word for “water”). They asked us to close our eyes and listen to the water for a moment.
Theodora showed us the museum exhibits, explaining what they were. Alexandros took us to the nearby spring and all the students filled their buckets, clay pitchers and bottle gourds with cold, fresh water, and then carried them back to the museum “the old way” (watch our video to get an idea!).
After that, in the old school’ s yard, a lot took place: ploughing with a wooden plough, sowing, a “carnival” for good harvest, reaping with scythes, threshing with animals, winnowing, grinding with a hand mill, kneading in a wooden tub, and finally taking the bread home to bake. Every student got a role and all the roles were significant.
There was so much to see and do that we all came back to school excited and a little tired!
Thank you Theodora and Alexandros for the great experience! Keep up the good work!
