5 DIMOTIKO SCHOLEIO NEAS SMYRNIS,

ATHENS,

HELLAS

“THE SEVEN WONDERS OF OUR REGION”

WONDER 1: THE HIGHEST PLACE IN OUR REGION

MOUNTAIN PARNITHAThe 1st wonder of our region is Mountain Parnitha. It is a mountain of Attica , north of Athens, with a total area of approximately 300 sq km. It is covered by pine trees in the lower and fir trees in the higher parts. Several days of winter it is covered by snow.

It is an area of outstanding natural beauty and has joined the network Natura 2000. Part of the mountain is the National Park.

On top of it, is the Casino of Parnitha ( Mont Parnes ) , which can be reached either by car or cable car. The mountain has canyons, many streams and caves.

Some of the rarest birds in the country, 158 bird species , 39 species of mammals and also 29 species of reptiles and amphibians live on the Mountain Parnitha. Parnitha is the only region of Greece where the red deer (Cervus elaphus) are in good numbers and is the only natural population. There is also a remarkable population of Cretan wild goat (Capra aegagrus cretica).

The flora of the mountain includes pines, fir trees, willows, poplars , etc. On the mountain there are also many bushes and more than 1,000 plant species. Many of them are rare and endemic , such as the bluebell of Celsius, the red tulip , the red lily, etc.

The great fire in the summer of 2007 hit severely the National Park.

Since then many actions have been implemented and continue to be implemented, which help to rebuild the burnt fir forest and ecosystem restoration .

Our pupils visited Mountain Parnitha, got information about the fauna and flora of the mountain and took

photos …

made paintings …

Red deer

bookmarks …

posters with photos they collected from books and magazines…

wrote texts about their visit on the mountain …

On October 14, 2013, we visited Mountain Parnitha. We learnt a lot of things about the food chain and how the animals in the forest camouflage to protect themselves from their enemies. We also collected stones and described their shapes and colours. Finally we made necklaces with natural material we collected in the forest. We had a great time and learnt a lot of things about the forest and its fauna and flora.

and made a myth of their own about how the mountain got its the name …

Once upon a time, in Ancient Greece, a young girl decided to go for a walk in the forest. Her name was Parnitha and did not believe in the 12 Gods. She arrived in the forest where there were a lot of big, high, green trees and sat under a plane tree. Then the tree started singing and after a while the tree spoke to her. Parnitha couldn’t believe her ears. The tree tried to persuade her to believe in the 12 Gods.

- May I ask you a question my fair lady? Do you believe in the 12 Gods?- No! the girl answered.-Why not? I believe in them! I have seen them! Follow me!-Where? Parnitha answered.

The little girl did not really want to follow the tree. She preferred to sit in the forest all day to enjoy nature, the trees, the flowers, the animals of the forest and above all to breathe oxygen and protect the environment.

Then the tree was transformed into goddess Diana, the goddess of hunting. The goddess was on a red deer. The girl was amazed and told Diana that after that she believed in the 12 Gods. Then Diana named the forest after the girl; PARNITHA!!!

and made a model of the mountain with clay.

Watch some videos about the mountain, the red deer and the cave on Mountain Parnitha.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bq1zi0j2klU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9T6rPn4Dwn4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=da-YM8bp_yg