Pirilampos (The Fireflies) – An educational workshop on fireflies combining the arts and sciences

Abstract

Pirilampos was a five day workshop about fireflies. It was aimed at children aged between 5 and 12 years, and was held in the Museum of the Biscaínhos, Braga, Portugal. The objective of the workshop was to introduce fireflies to children in the perspective of science, plastic arts and dance. The project was innovative in involving collaboration between instructors in the sciences and arts, enabling the children to develop multiple skills. The art school Arte Total and the Associação Portuguesa dos Pequenos Investigadores, both based in Braga, Portugal, were responsible for the art and science components, respectively. Pictures are displayed to illustrate outcomes based on different approaches to the theme, and a video recording of the public performance on the last day is shown.