The "Mondo in Valigia" (World in a Suitcase) contest, dedicated to the stories of mothers and daughters in Italian emigration, is enriched by a special chapter thanks to the project by the Nursery School of Carmagnola.

When we think of historical Italian emigration, the image that often comes to mind is that of a cardboard suitcase. Inside those suitcases, there were not just clothes and a few belongings; there were the hopes of entire families and, very often, the courage of mothers and daughters traveling toward the unknown. The deep and touching work created by the Nursery School of Carmagnola is dedicated precisely to the theme of mothers and daughters on a journey.

 

The metaphor of sowing: mothers on a journey and welcoming lands

The project started from the shared reading of the book "Siamo tutti semi" (We are all seeds), chosen as a tool to promote reflection among the children on the value of diversity and the uniqueness of each individual. The central activity was sowing, proposed as a powerful metaphor for motherhood and travel.

 

Just as Italian women in the past crossed oceans and borders bringing their culture and hopes with them, the project emphasizes how every mother guards a seed, capable of putting down roots wherever it finds welcoming soil. The children were involved in an experiential journey, initially sharing the common space of a suitcase, and subsequently using an individual small jar to continue caring for the planted seeds.

 

A bridge between the Italy that left and the one that welcomes

The history of Italian emigration teaches us what it means to arrive in a foreign land and try to flourish. Today, a similar dynamic lives within our school classrooms: the section involved in the project is characterized by a rich cultural plurality, with children of Moroccan, Indian, Romanian, and Vietnamese origin, alongside an Italian-Moroccan child with disabilities.

 

By caring for the soil, the children witnessed the birth of sprouts that were all different from one another, each bearing a unique beauty, much like the individual characteristics of each person. A symbolic moment was the creation of a seed composition in the shape of a heart, an emblem of life, hope, and rebirth.

 

"The earth hosts every little seed"

The children's journey, accompanied by the notes of Angelo Branduardi's song "Si può fare" , ultimately led to the creation of a nursery rhyme following reading and writing activities. The rhymes rework their lived experience, valuing the theme of femininity and the journey of a mom with her little girl "hand in hand".

 

The words written by the class resonate as a hymn to our country's past and present. Whether it is our grandparents who emigrated decades ago or today's new neighbors, the greatest lesson comes from the little ones, reminding us that the earth is the world wherever it may be.

Nursery Rhyme: Seeds on a Journey

Suitcase ready, we're already leaving, hand in hand with mom we go. Inside the suitcase, what will there be? A little dream that will grow!

Little seeds like this, sleeping quietly, hidden here. In the earth we have placed them, spray spray, we have watered them.

They sprout slowly: here they are, all different, what a novelty! With turbans, veils and little braids, they bring stories from lands far and near.

Sweet scents and delicious flavors, dance in the air with new colors. Roots grow in welcoming earth, where every seed feels important.

All together we will bloom, new friends we will become. The world is big, it's true, we know, it doesn't matter where you come from or where you go.

The earth hosts every little seed, embrace your new neighbor too.