Mario Lodi, centenary of the great teacher and writer

2022-02-13T11:48:23.964Z

"Happy Birthday teacher!" The centenary of Mario Lodi, enlightened teacher and great writer for children, the author of 'Cipì', a timeless classic of children's literature, is celebrated on February 17, the inaugural day of the celebrations ... (ANSA)

(ANSA) - ROME, 12 FEB - "Happy birthday Maestro!"

The centenary of Mario Lodi, enlightened teacher and great writer for children, the author of 'Cipì', a timeless classic of children's literature, is celebrated on February 17, the inaugural day of the celebrations, with a series of initiatives dedicated to the most small and with the return to the bookstore of his most important titles.

Friend and inspirer of Don Milani, Mario Lodi, born on February 17, 1922 in Vho di Piadena, in the province of Cremona, and died on March 2, 2014 in Drizzona, also in the province of Cremona, arrested twice for having participated in the resistance, until from the beginning of his teaching career he has developed a deep pedagogical commitment to a new school, initially drawing inspiration from the educational methodologies of Célestin Freinet and then becoming an exponent of the Educational Cooperation Movement.

Among the numerous prizes and awards he has received, the honorary degree in Pedagogy of the University of Bologna, the International Lego Prize in 1989 and the Unicef Prize - On the side of children in 2006 for having dedicated his entire life to children's rights. .

Among the most important authors of children's literature, of the numerous books he has published some have been made with his students such as 'Cipì' which returns to the bookstore for Einaudi Ragazzi in a precious edition with a preface by the author, illustrated by the children of Vho .

And sixty years after its publication, he continues to be the champion of curious children.

With the sparrow Cipì and his partner Passerì, the protagonists of the story are a cat, a daisy-poet, many other sparrows and butterflies.

And above all the sun, the clouds, the rain, all of nature with the eternal cycle of the seasons.

The book narrates the discovery of the world with the dangers and obstacles that the protagonists face with only the vital force of the highest human values: friendship, solidarity, freedom.

And perhaps for this reason everyone likes it, yesterday's children, today's children and even adults.

Born from a pedagogical experiment in a first grade of Vho in 1961, Cipì is an invitation to free the gaze beyond the window.

'La Mongolfiera', which also returns to the bookstore again for Einaudi Ragazzi, with illustrations by Angelo Ruta, was born in the 1970s in a class of 18 children who imagine an imaginary flight to discover the world, a dream journey that becomes an instrument learning and growth.

And for the centenary there is also 'Cipì e Bandiera on stage!

(Einaudi Ragazzi), curated by Giorgio Scaramuzzino.

Unearthed in a drawer by Cosetta Lodi, the writer's daughter and then dusted off and refurbished by a man of the theater like Scaramuzzino, Cipì and Bandiera appear together today in a '

And 'There is hope if this happens at the Vho' also returned to the bookstore for Laterza, the diaries that retrace his experience as an elementary teacher between 1951 and 1962, which have become a fundamental reading for all those who care not only. the school but more generally the fate of the new generations.

As Tullio De Mauro recalled: "in the school that Mario lived and which he proposes, there is no place for children considered more gifted or for those judged to be less gifted, but for children each of whom has a particular potential to cultivate and develop and put into practice. common".

The Organizing Committee of the celebrations, on February 17, dedicates an entire day to the launch of the centenary with two online events: in the morning live video on the social channels of 'With children' and the appointment "Silence! Children speak "and in the afternoon (from 17.00 to 19.00) on those of the Casa delle Arti e del Gioco-Mario Lodi, with a greeting in connection with the greeting of the Minister of Education Patrizio Bianchi, the presentation of the main initiatives scheduled for the whole of 2022. And then a dialogue with several voices on the theme "The worlds of Mario Lodi", extracted from the film 'Starting from the child: Mario Lodi' by Vittorio de Seta and a theatrical performance by Giorgio Scaramuzzino.

Among other events, on March 15th at Palazzo Pirelli in Milan, the

inauguration of the Trees exhibition, organized by the Lombardy Regional Council in collaboration with the Casa delle Arti e del Gioco - Mario Lodi, which can be visited until 26 April 2022 and on 18 March the study conference 'Starting from the child: the school of Mario Lodi ', organized by the Lombardy Regional Council in collaboration with the organizing committee for the centenary celebrations, the University of Milan-Bicocca and the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart of Milan.

On 23 March at the Bologna Children's Book Fair the 'Meeting of the Masters of Writers', in collaboration with Ibby Italia.