Deutsche Schule Athen (DSA) – Greece
Introduction & Presentation of the Kindergarten
The Kindergarten and Preschool (Vorschule) of the Deutsche Schule Athen (DSA) form the foundation of the school’s German educational pathway in Greece. As the only German school abroad in Athens, the DSA follows the educational standards of the Federal Republic of Germany and offers a child-centered, play-based learning environment in which German is the language of communication and instruction.
The Kindergarten and Preschool currently accommodate around 135 children between three and six years of age, organised into nine groups – six mixed-age Kindergarten groups (ages 3–5) and three age-homogeneous Preschool groups (ages 5–6). Each group is supervised by two educators, supported by additional staff for German language learning and afternoon care. In total, the pedagogical team consists of 23 educators.
Educational leadership is provided by Gabriele Wensky, who has been heading the Kindergarten since 2012. Her long experience in early childhood education, both in Germany and abroad, has shaped the Kindergarten’s strong focus on creativity, independence, and intercultural understanding.
Daily life at DSA Kindergarten follows a structured yet flexible routine, combining free play, creative activities, and guided learning. The situational approach (Situationsansatz) underpins the educational concept, allowing children to explore topics arising from their own experiences and interests.
The Kindergarten’s spacious classrooms, creative ateliers, and large green outdoor areas offer ideal conditions for experiential and project-based learning. These spaces provided the perfect environment for implementing the Creative Story-Tellers (CST) project, encouraging children to express their ideas about sustainability through storytelling, art, and play.
Introduction / Start
The implementation of the Creative Story-Tellers (CST) project at the Deutsche Schule Athen (DSA) began with an internal training session in June 2024, during which the pedagogical team was introduced to the concepts of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the project’s aims, and the idea of using storytelling as a tool to strengthen children’s awareness of sustainability.
Following this introduction, the educators took part in a hands-on workshop to explore first ideas on how sustainability themes could be brought into daily practice in an age-appropriate, playful, and creative way.
At the beginning of the new school year in September 2024, each Kindergarten and Preschool group chose one SDG to focus on for the year, allowing every team to design activities that reflected the interests and experiences of their children.
At the end of September 2024, the DSA team invited Anna Haas, an early-childhood expert from Salzburg with many years of experience in implementing the SDGs in preschools. Her training session offered practical inspiration and encouraged staff to experiment with new approaches.
To involve families from the outset, the Kindergarten organised an information evening for parents on 1 October 2024, presenting the CST project and discussing the opportunities and challenges of exploring sustainability with young children. Parents were also invited to participate later in the year in the planned Co-Design Labs.
Through these steps, the DSA team set itself several local goals: educators wanted to learn more about sustainability education and how it can be embedded naturally into early-childhood routines; to discover storytelling as a way for children to express their own ideas and emotions; and to experiment with new pedagogical tools and creative digital techniques that make abstract topics tangible. At the same time, they aimed to strengthen teamwork and professional exchange within the staff, build closer cooperation with parents, and encourage children to recognise their own ability to contribute to caring for their environment.
By October 2024, the groups had begun introducing their chosen topics in a playful and exploratory way, combining stories, discussions, art, and outdoor activities that would later feed into the storytelling outputs presented at the SDG Fest.
Topics / SDGs Chosen
When the new school year began in September 2024, each group in the Kindergarten and Preschool of the Deutsche Schule Athen selected one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to explore throughout the year. The topics were chosen collectively by the educators, based on the children’s interests, the group’s daily routines, and the wider school environment.
The selection resulted in a colourful variety of themes that reflected the diversity of the DSA community:
- The Mice Group focused on SDG 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production. Together with parents, they explored how toys, books, and everyday objects can be reused and shared rather than thrown away. This led to the creation of a “Tauschbörse” (exchange fair), where families could trade toys and books, promoting the idea of sharing and mindful consumption.
- The Owls Group and Penguins Group both worked on SDG 15 – Life on Land, discovering the world of forests and their inhabitants. The children learned about animals, trees, and the importance of protecting natural habitats. Using stories, songs, and art projects, they developed a deeper appreciation for the balance of life in the forest.
- The Bunnies Group and Cats Group focused on SDG 1 – No Poverty, developing empathy and social awareness. The Bunny Group collaborated with the organisation AMURTEL to collect clothing for babies and expectant mothers, while the Cat Group explored what it means to “help and share”, creating collages and drawings to visualise ideas for reducing poverty and supporting others.
- The Dolphins Group explored SDG 16 – Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, focusing on children’s rights and participation. Through role play, storytelling, and class discussions, the children learned about fairness, peace, and how they can express their opinions respectfully.
In the Preschool section, the learning themes built on the children’s growing curiosity and readiness for more structured projects:
- The Hedgehog Group concentrated on healthy nutrition, exploring food origins, the food pyramid, and the value of eating well – closely linked to SDG 3 – Good Health and Well-being.
- The Lion Group combined SDG 12 and SDG 15, engaging in recycling projects such as making their own paper and learning about the environmental cycle of materials.
- The Bear Group took practical action by creating a small school garden, planting vegetables and starting a composting project to better understand nature’s cycles.
The team of German language support (Deutschförderung) also joined in, contributing a project on insects and their ecosystems, connected to SDG 15 – Life on Land, exploring biodiversity through stories and observation activities. Each group introduced their chosen SDG through playful exploration, picture books, songs, and storytelling sessions, ensuring that complex ideas became tangible and relevant to children’s everyday lives. “It was fascinating to see how quickly the children grasped the idea that even small actions can make a difference, they began reminding each other to share, recycle, and take care of nature,” Gabriele Wensky reflected.
Co-Design Labs
The Co-Design Labs at DSA turned out to become the heart of the CST implementation. From January to May 2025, educators organised several workshops in which children and parents worked side by side to transform the chosen SDG topics into small stories, artworks, and joint activities. Some groups carried out more than one session, allowing them to deepen their ideas over time.
The central question was how complex or abstract topics could be made accessible in a way that encouraged children and parents not only to talk about them but also to look for solutions together. The answer lay in the co-design approach, a creative and participatory process in which everyone, young and old, contributes ideas on equal footing.
The sessions took place in the classrooms. Each lasted about one to two hours and combined elements of play, dialogue, and art. During these encounters, children often became the teachers, explaining to their parents why sustainability matters and what they had learned in their groups. Together they exchanged ideas for a better future, wrote and drew messages to trees, and imagined who could help to care for the planet.
Activities included:
- developing artwork through drawing, painting, etc.
- creating animals, natural scenes, or everyday objects from recycled materials
- recording sound and voice clips for simple digital stories
- designing posters and collages expressing wishes for a sustainable world
Everything unfolded in a relaxed and joyful atmosphere filled with curiosity. The results were as diverse as the groups themselves, ranging from picture books and small exhibitions to short performances.
Beyond the creative outcomes, the Co-Design Labs had an important social impact. They brought families, educators, and the school community closer together, creating stronger bonds of trust and mutual appreciation. Parents gained deeper insight into the educational work of the DSA team, while educators experienced meaningful support and exchange with the families. The shared experience of learning, creating, and reflecting together became a lasting expression of partnership between home and school.
Produced Stories (Published Online)
“The Story of Cleanland”
Mouse Group (SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production)
The Mouse Group introduced their story “The Story of Cleanland”, a playful tale about keeping the world clean and avoiding waste. The children created imaginative characters such as “Mülli Müller,” who loves to eat trash, and the “Clean Mice,” who work together to make their land beautiful again.
In the second part of “The Story of Cleanland”, the Mouse Group brought their tale to life using the ChatterPix app, which allowed children to animate their stuffed toys and give them voices. The story follows “Mülli Müller” and his friends as they clean up a world covered in trash and discover how to care for nature again.
Through dialogue and imagination, the children explained what recycling means, how to sort waste, and why protecting the environment makes their world a happier place. The project combined digital storytelling, environmental education, and creativity, showing how even young children can communicate powerful messages about sustainability.
“Banana Ben on a Big Journey”
Hedgehog Group (Preschool, SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production)
The Hedgehog Group created a stop-motion film telling the story of Banana Ben, who travels from a plantation in Ecuador all the way to Athens. Through Ben’s adventures, the children learned about the long journey of food products, from harvesting and packaging to shipping, selling, and finally arriving at home.
The story raises an important question: Why do bananas come from so far away when we could grow food locally?
By following Banana Ben’s journey, the children explored themes of global trade, transport, and sustainable consumption in a playful, creative, and age-appropriate way.
Story: “Save Us – Voices from the Forest”
Owl and Penguin Groups (SDG 15: Life on Land)
In their stop-motion film “Save Us – Voices from the Forest”, the children created animal figures and gave them their own voices. The story tells of animals calling for help as their forest is destroyed by pollution, roads, and fires.
Through their script and narration, the children expressed empathy for nature and a strong message of hope: people can protect the forest through love, care, and cooperation. The film is both touching and powerful, showing how children can become advocates for the environment through storytelling and creativity.
“Small but Mighty: Our Insect Friends”
German Language Support Team (SDG 15: Life on Land)
In this creative storytelling project, the children made their own insect puppets and used them to explain why small creatures are so important for nature. Through dialogue and performance, they showed how ladybugs protect plants, butterflies pollinate flowers, and bees make honey. The story ends with a clear message: even the smallest animals play a big role in keeping the world alive. The educators supported the children in writing and performing the story, which became a joyful way to practice language while learning about biodiversity and environmental care.
“Why Do We Sleep?”
Dolphins Group (SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions)
The Dolphins Group explored the idea of peace through the theme of sleep – a metaphor for calm, safety, and balance. In their video “Why Do We Sleep?”, children shared their own thoughts about why people sleep, what dreams mean, and how rest makes us feel secure and happy.
The educators used the children’s voices and drawings, turning them into comic-style visuals combined with recorded quotes and guiding questions. It was the team’s first experiment with digital storytelling, and it beautifully captured the children’s imagination and understanding of peace in their everyday lives.
“What is sustainability?”
The Lions Group explored the meaning of sustainability through a playful role-play recorded by the educators. Children acted out a lively discussion, asking what “sustainability” really means and why it matters.
Their dialogue shows how deeply they connected with the topic: protecting animals, saving water, reducing waste, and caring for nature so that future generations can enjoy the world too.
The recording blends humour and insight, turning complex ideas into a joyful exchange of voices and imagination. A perfect example of how storytelling helps children understand and express sustainability in their own words.
“Our Forest Habitat”
Penguin Group (SDG 15: Life on Land)
The Penguin Group explored the theme of forests and their importance for life on Earth. In a simple yet powerful video, the children acted as reporters, interviewing each other about why forests matter and how they can be protected. The educators recorded the children’s voices and questions, creating an authentic “child’s perspective” on environmental protection.
Although the team had never worked with digital tools before, the result was a meaningful and creative introduction to digital storytelling and sustainability education.
“Sabine the Bee”
Lion Group (SDG 15: Life on Land)
Using the MyStorybook app, the children created a digital story titled “Sabine the Bee”. The story follows Sabine, a friendly bee who travels through gardens and meadows, teaching others about the importance of pollination and protecting nature.
Through colorful pictures and short texts, the children explained how bees help flowers grow and why taking care of insects is essential for a healthy planet. The use of a digital storytelling tool allowed them to combine creativity, environmental learning, and early digital skills in one joyful project.
SDG Fest
On 30 May 2025, the Kindergarten and Preschool of the Deutsche Schule Athen celebrated their annual SDG Fest, marking the culmination of a year of learning, storytelling, and creativity within the Creative Story-Tellers project.
The event transformed the Kindergarten and garden area into a vibrant exhibition space where each group proudly presented the results of their work. Children performed songs about helping, sharing, and caring for the planet, while parents and visitors explored various stations prepared by the groups, featuring experiments, crafts, posters, and digital stories.
Throughout the morning, the digital stories and short films created with tools such as ChatterPix, MyStorybook, and stop-motion animation were shown on screens, allowing families to see how their children had combined art, language, and technology to express ideas about sustainability.
The celebration brought together more than 400 participants, including children, parents, siblings, grandparents, and colleagues from across the school community. The atmosphere was joyful and full of pride as families saw how much the children had learned and created.
A particularly touching moment was when all groups joined together to sing their song “We Help, We Share”, which had become a kind of anthem for the project. The event not only showcased the outcomes of the CST activities but also strengthened the sense of community, shared responsibility, and optimism that had grown throughout the year.