BOOK 1- A DAY WITHOUT ELECTRICITY

 INDEX

PART 1: YENİ TURAN PRIMARY SCHOOL (Ankara, TÜRKİYE)

The Beginning: The Day the Lights Went Out

Across the street, Tunahan ran toward his friend, waving his hands. “Ayşe! It’s not just your house — the whole neighberhood is dark!” he said, his voice echoing down the quiet road.

It began as an ordinary Monday morning in the city. The sun was slowly rising, birds were singing in the distance, and children were getting ready for school. Ms. Belgin was preparing her morning class when she noticed something unusual — the classroom lights didn’t turn on.

There were no screens glowing, no computers humming, no coffee machines buzzing. Even the school buses stopped halfway because the traffic lights weren’t working. At first, some younger students laughed and cheered, “No homework today!” But the older ones looked around, worried. They knew electricity powered everything — from bakeries to hospitals — and without it, their town felt completely different.

When the students arrived at school, their teacher Ms Belgin gathered everyone in the sunny courtyard. “Maybe today,” she said with a calm smile, “we can learn something important — how to live and work together without electricity.”

Inspired by her words, the children decided to turn the blackout into an adventure. They split into small mixed-age groups and began exploring creative ideas. Younger children drew colorful maps of the town, marking places where electricity was most important — homes, bakeries, schools, and hospitals. Older students brainstormed how to replace electric tools with simple inventions. One group built a small pulley to draw water from the old well. Another group designed a paper fan powered only by the wind.

When lunchtime came, there was no microwave or stove — so they made sandwiches together, sitting under the trees and laughing as they shared cold bread and fresh fruit. “It tastes like teamwork,” Yusuf said proudly.

As evening arrived, the whole class gathered in the school garden. Without electric lights, the sky glittered with stars. They played games using shadows, sang songs softly, and told stories by candlelight. Ms. Belgin looked around at her students — their faces glowing in the warm candlelight — and realized they had discovered something precious. Even when everything turned off, their imagination switched on.

As the sun rose again the next morning, Ms. Belgin’s students gathered around the classroom computer — still turned off, but now a symbol of how much they had learned. Using paper, pens, and plenty of imagination, they decided to share their experience with their partner schools abroad. They wrote short messages describing what they had discovered. They sent their handwritten letters and photos of their candlelit evening to their friends at Kaunas International Gymnasium.

PART 2: KAUNAS INTERNATIONAL GYMNASIUM (LITHUANIA)

Ideas and Reflections

When the Lithuanian students received the messages from Türkiye, they were fascinated. Their teacher, Ms. Ana, read the letters aloud and smiled. “What would our day without electricity look like?” she asked. The question filled the room with excitement and curiosity. Inspired by their Turkish friends, Ms. Ana and her students began writing their own version of "A Day Without Electricity — Ideas".

Idea 1: Without electricity, our daily routines would be disrupted. We would have to find alternative ways to cook our food, keep warm and communicate with others. Our reliance on technology would be put to the test as we would have to find other forms of entertainment and information. A day without electricity would also make us appreciate the conveniences that electricity provides us with. Overall, a day without electricity would be a reminder of how dependent we are on this modern convenience and how important it is in our daily lives.

Idea 2: Without electricity, we would also be without many of the modern conveniences that we are accustomed to. We would not be able to use our phones, computers, or other electronic devices. This would make communication with others more challenging and limit our access to information and entertainment. On a more personal level, a day without electricity would give us greater appreciation for the conveniences that we often take for granted. We would have to find alternative ways to entertain ourselves. Overall, a day without electricity would be a challenging and humbling experience for many people.