Storytelling is used as a tactic to give voice to the river and the challenges its waters are facing. Through the presence of a storyteller, the river’s tales unfold, carrying with them the intertwined lives of all beings connected to the water.

Here, we present the first “water mixes”, collaborative works created by pupils from Karlsgarten School in Berlin, crafted for children in Brazil and Indonesia. These mixes include ingredients from the Floating University and reflect a shared curiosity across continents.

On Children’s Day, October 12, 2023, in São Paulo, we delivered letters from Berlin’s Floating University students. During the workshop, participants recorded their impressions on postcards, which were later sent back to Berlin to be shared with the Floating Kids.

In a fall 2023 workshop at the Floating Kidsuni, stories of the Saracura River (Brazil) and the Citarum River (Indonesia) came to life through a mask performance.

As participants listened, they captured their impressions on postcards, blending elements from both rivers. In their creations, the two river stories flowed together, forming a single, shared narrative.

Imagination took flight: the Saracura bird from São Paulo and the monkey from Indonesia met in the minds of the children. As the audience listened, they began to reflect in their own ways. Personal memories, emotions, and associations surfaced. In this shared space of attention, the stories of the rivers merged with those of the listeners, creating unexpected connections, moments of insight, and a deeper sense of belonging to the larger ecological web.