Educational Programs
There are regular programs targeted at all age groups, from preschoolers to adults, designed with the purpose to familiarize children with the culture and the products of Mani and with the CIIEM in general.
For participation in the programs, educational visits and borrowing educational material it is necessary to contact the CIIEM in advance.
Below, there is a list of the educational programs in which visitors can participate and a brief description of each one of them.
Preschool children / Elementary school students
A) “I play and learn”.
In this program our young friends have the opportunity to learn about the products of Mani: olive, olive oil, salt, quail and cereals, and the ways in which they are prepared and processed.
Attachment: a teacher’s dossier
B) “Thrashing”
The objective of this program is to present, in an interactive way, the journey of wheat from sowing to the making of bread, as well as how important this product is for local people.
Attachment: a teacher’s dossier
C) “Travelling with Pafsanias”
With the stories of Pafsanias, a traveller of the 2nd century AD, who travelled to Gytheio, Mani and the whole of Greece, as a starting point, pupils become travellers themselves and learn about modern Gytheio.
Attachment: a teacher’s dossier
Junior High School students
A) “The Girls’ School: a place of education in the past and today”
Through this program, students gain a better understanding of the operation of the Girls’ School as a place of education in the 19th century while, at the same time, they become familiar with the local products and the city of Gytheio.
Attachment: a teacher’s dossier
B) “The neoclassical buildings of Gytheio”
Gytheio is a city with unique architecture, full of neoclassical private or public buildings such as the Girls’ School, the City Hall and the Chamber of Commerce. Students are familiarized with architecture…… And what do they do?
Attachment: a teacher’s dossier
High school and EPAL students
A) “The Girls’ School: a centre of education in the past and today”
Students gain a better insight into the operation of the Girls’ School as a 19th century education centre and, at the same time, they familiarize themselves with the products of Mani and with the city of Gytheio.
Attachment: a teacher’s dossier
B) “Music, dance and songs of Mani”
This program focuses on the dances and songs of Mani. More specifically, students are taught the dance to the song “Stis Manis mas t’ apatita vouna” (On the free mountains of our Mani) and songs such as “I patris mou einai i Mani” (Mani is my motherland) and “Ti ehoun tis Manis ta vouna” (Why are the mountains of Mani sad?).
Attachment: a teacher’s dossier
C) “Exploring the Girls’ School”
Students gain a better insight into the operation of the Girls’ School as a 19th century education centre and, at the same time, they familiarize themselves with the products of Mani and with the city of Gytheio.
Attachment: a teacher’s dossier
D) “Poetry in Mani”
Giannis Ritsos and Nikiforos Vrettakos, who derive their origin from Laconia, are two of the greatest Modern Greek poets. Students familiarize themselves with their works, and in an interactive way, they experience the essence of their creations.
Attachment: a teacher’s dossier
EPAL students
A) “Travelling from the past to the present”
The students are informed about the history of the Girls’ School, and make their own suggestions about alternative ways of using either this particular building or a similar one.
Attachment: a teacher’s dossier
Two-month Educational Activities
Apart from the regular educational programs that run throughout the year, the CIIEM organizes two-month educational activities too.
A) “March 17th 1821”
The program takes place in February and March and is about March 17th 1821, the day when Mani declared war on the Ottoman Empire. In this program, students represent the oath-taking ceremony by the people of Mani in 1821, through theatre games and they are informed about the military and other historic events of the time.
Attachment: a teacher’s dossier
B) “Flying over Mani”
Quails or “ardikia” as they used to be called, were an important part of people’s diet. They were hunted in August, while passing from Mani, during their journey to warmer countries.
This program takes place from the second half of July throughout August. Through games, children are informed about the way in which quails were hunted by women, who played a leading role in this process, as well as the different ways in which they were used in people’s diet.
Attachment: a teacher’s dossier
All the programs and especially those targeted to junior high school and high school students can also be used with adults.
The educational material about local products should be available to all children regardless of age.