Exploring Living Beings in San Rafael de Cortina Swamp in Colombia: A Project to Strengthen Children’s Scientific Thinking and Environmental Awareness
No. 1 (2026-03-13)Author(s)
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Isabel Cristina Martínez JanneInstitución Educativa San Mateo, Magangué (Colombia)ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-2903-610X
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Libia del Carmen Villarreal PérezInstitución Educativa San Mateo, Magangué (Colombia)ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-6727-5059
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Sadith Margarita Prieto ArrietaInstitución Educativa San Mateo, Magangué (Colombia)ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-1042-6097
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Erika Cecilia Vega LeónUniversidad Autónoma de Bucaramanga (UNAB), Bucaramanga (Colombia)ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-3084-3991
Abstract
This article presents a pedagogical experience that seeks to promote scientific thinking and environmental awareness in preschool boys and girls through the observation, inquiry and exploration of a swamp, recognized as a natural ecosystem rich in plant and animal species. The project was framed within the strategy of the Ondas Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology. It aimed to identify, via an inquiry-based methodology, native plant and animal species that surround the San Rafael de Cortina swamp in Magangué, Bolívar (Colombia). The systematization process used a qualitative methodology, which included the observation and description of the children’s attitudes and skills, their experience, and their learning. The results show that the project favored children’s development of scientific skills such as observation, classification, identification of patterns and relationships, and formulation of hypotheses, as well as environmental sensitivity and knowledge of the local natural environment.