Introducing Earthquake Preparedness from Early Childhood: The “Earthy and Quaky” Education Program as an Interdisciplinary and Learning Pathway Toward a Culture of Safety

Destructive earthquakes are natural hazards highlighting the importance of introducing disaster preparedness from early childhood. Preschool children require developmentally appropriate educational approaches that connect scientific understanding with experiential, play-based, and participatory learning. This study presents the design and implementation of the “Earthy and Quaky” (EQ) earthquake education program, developed for children aged 3–6 years and implemented in two preschool educational settings in Zografou City (Attica, Greece). The program was structured as an interdisciplinary and progressive learning pathway comprising eight thematic units integrating natural and social sciences, language, mathematics, music and movement, visual arts, puppet theater, simulation, and earthquake drills. Follow-up activities and family involvement extended learning beyond the classroom. The implementation involved 28 children, whose participation, verbal responses, interactions, behavioral responses, and drawings were qualitatively observed. The observations indicated active engagement with concepts, including the Earth’s structure, earthquake occurrence and impact, and self-protection practices. Within the context of this small-scale implementation, the observations indicate that an interdisciplinary, experiential, and activity-based framework can provide a supportive learning context for earthquake preparedness during preschool years. The adaptable structure, low-cost materials, repeated reinforcement, and school–family connection may offer potential for adaptation to other preschool contexts after studying applicability and effectiveness with larger and more diverse samples.