TITLE : “Raising and enhancing volcanic risk awareness among children at schools - Project
with young students (7 and 10 years old)”
CONTACT : Jesús M. Ibáñez, University of Granada
The present activities are undertaken by UGR partner in collaboration with INGV-CT, INGVOV, University of La Laguna and University of Colima. For this purpose, UGR has selected some
elementary schools in different places in Spain, Italy and Mexico:
the first one is in Granada (Spain), a region without volcanic activity, but seismic activity
(three schools),
the second one in Canary island (Spain), a region with volcanoes, but without activity now
(four schools, two Gran Canaria island without historical volcanism, and in Tenerife with several
historical eruptions),
the third one in Bilbao (Basque Country, Spain) a region without volcanic and seismic activity
(one school),
the four in Catania, the nearest big city to Etna volcano (two schools in Catania city and other
in Zafferana (a village very close to many lava flows of Etna),
the fifth in Naples area, close to Vesuvius and Campi Flegrei volcanoes (three schools).
the sixth one in Colima (Mexico) with a very active and explosive volcano in the nearby area
(two three schools).
With the younger students (7 years old) a drawing session was performed. Children were
asked “What it is for you a volcano? Please draw it.”
In the drawing procedure we permitted that the 7 years old pupils could write their name in
the drawing since all of them will be part of a poster that will be disseminated in several places,
including their school.
With older kids (10 years old) a very simple questionnaire has been presented: “What it is for
you a volcano?; How a volcano is generated?; Do you consider a volcano as dangerous?; Do you
believe that an eruption can occur in whatever place?; do you know a name of a volcano; How a
volcanologist work?”. Additionally children were asked to draw a volcano. UGR is analyzing the
answers. This questionary was anonymous since the objective is to evaluate the basal knowledge and
not to compare the level of the pupils.
As a third stage UGR selected from them a subset of 16 students from the different schools
for the city of Granada. With these pupils, they prepared special activities together with the Science
Museum of Granada “Parque de las Ciencias”. These activities are diverse such as simple eruptive
models, use of computers and web-links to know about volcanoes, make an interview of some
researchers that work with volcanoes, watch some videos and get some information on MEDSUV
project: general description, experiments planned and videoconferences with the researchers. These
activities will be done in May, 2014 (days 13, 14, 20 and 21). This experience will be performed in the
other places in a near future.
With the analysis of the answers and the draws UGR will prepare several conclusions in order
to improve the transmission of the volcanic hazard and theatre to the society, including the
importance and the results of MED-SUV project.
The figure illustrate all draws done in one of the schools of Granada with pupils of 7 years
old.