Kindergarten Štítnická 337/9/A Rožňava - Slovakia

Lithuania- Slovakia- Spain- Turkey Comenius Project

„Don´t Throw! Collect and Produce!“

Slovak teachers Exchange meetings in

Tres Cantos - SPAIN, Sanliurfa - TURKEY,

Veisiejai – LITHUANIA

2012-2014

Lithuania- Slovakia- Spain- Turkey

„Don´t Throw! Collect and Produce!“

Tres Cantos- Madrid 7.4. - 17.4. 2013

Kindergarten "Foresta" in Tres Cantos, situated 30 km from the capital city of Madrid in Spain, was

the place of our activities during the teachers exchanging week from 07.04 to 12.4. 2013.

The purpose of this exchange was to know more about the school system in Spain, to understand

more about the objectives and aims of pre-primary education in Spain, to participate on the

educational process of the kindergarten and planned project tasks becoming from the project. We

expanded our knowledges about the history, culture, traditions and real life of this area and country

thanks to visiting various cultural and historical places, events and trips.

Three teachers from our school spent very nice time with Spanish colleagues at the kindergarten. We

diskussed about an educational process and daily rutines. We could see and observe a wide

range of educational activities with children from 0 to 3 years old. It was very intersting for

us to see how to work with this early young age of children, because we educate children

from 2 to 6 years old in our kindergarten. Our colleagues show us a variety of activities with

children (the theatre performed by teachers - Princess Colonia , Yoga for kids, little theater

with light show, workshops from waste materials. All activities focused on environmental

education and were suitable for the age of children. We could see a huge enthusiasm and

passion of teachers, working together and preparing devices for education and cooperate on

project tasks.

The school attend also children with special needs. Very good point for us was to see how

close is the teachers participation with a special pedagogist, who is a member of the stuff

and working some days directly at the kindergarten. So, they can together solve and work on

some dificulties in educating children with special needs and some disorders. We miss this

kind of cooperation in our kindergarten.

We visited a theatre performance in cultural heart of the city Tres Cantos with children,

attended workshops with representatives from psychological and special pedagogical centre,

teachers from bilingual kindergarten and had meeting with parents.

Spanish cultural evening , which prepared for us our colleagues at kindergarten was focused

on traditional Spanish dance and tasting local specialties . It was a great opportunity to get

to know the Spanish traditions , culture and cuisine .

During our meeting we have visited the capital city of Spain, Madrid. We took city tours by

bus excursion for cultural and historical sights of Madrid .

Center of Madrid , and the entire Spanish faded imperial glory , the main square Plaza

Mayor, which was designed in 1619 by Juan Gomez de Mora, and here began our tour .

Madrid real atmosphere , however, in the alleys and small squares around the Royal Palace

with beautiful park, which is the official residence of the King of Spain Juan Carlos I , and we

had the opportunity to visit these historical places.

We visited Royal Botanic Garden - Jardin Botanico with beutiful flora and del Prado Museum

where we saw the gallery with paintings by masters of art as Diego Velázquez and Francisco

de Goya .

We have been in town of Colmenar Viejo and Manzanares el Real with the castle and the

National park.

A week has passed like water and we returned home with lots of new , unforgettable

experiences , and knowledge in the personal as well as professional site. The activities we

saw help us to develop our teaching abilities, skills and knowledge , as well as understand

similarities and differences of school education in one of European countries . Big thanks to

all colleagues from Kindergarten " Foresta " in Tres Cantos for their effort and hospitality.

Lithuania- Slovakia- Spain- Turkey

„Don´t Throw! Collect and Produce!“

SANLIURFA- Turkey

Teacher Exchange 23rd March – 28th March 2014

The main idea of the project Don't throw! Collect and Produce! is to lead children to take

care about countryside, protect environment from early young age. Attractive educational,

practical and creative activities for children help teachers´ to create a natural situation for

developing children attitude to nature, countryside with reflection on the future. Project

also give teachers chance to understand priority of pre- primary education , participate in

education process with colleagues from another country during the teachers exchange.

Three teachers from our kindergarten spent working week in kindergarten "Nar Cicegi

Anaokulu" in Sanliurfa-Turkey.

During the week we had possibility of deeper theoretical and practical understanding of

Turkish school system, and the status of pre-primary education curriculum, as well as visiting

cultural and historical monuments of this interesting country with different culture and life.

We could understand and expand our knowledges of history, geography, pre-school and

comparative education. Thanks to the project and teachers exchanging activities we could

develope our personal and professional competences in a lifelong learning process. This

usefull activity during the project has improved teachers´ competences and their

professionalism. We could observe a lot of kinds of educational activities, sense differences

in education and family life in Turkey.

We attended opening ceremony of new playground called „Kids paradise“ in the

kindergarten together with teachers, parents and children from school. We diskussed with

teachers from private kindergarten, bilingual primary school with kindergarten „Doga“,

which we visited during the week. We wisited Directorate of Education in Sanliurfa and

diskussed with representants about our school systems, differencies and priorities in

education.

Our colleagues in collaboration with the Regional Directorate of Forestry in Sanliurfa

prepared very nice eco activity- planting trees with children in the city of Sanliurfa.

This activity has contributed not only to experiential learning and environmental education

of children, but also an expression of friendship between the two nations.

This idea of deep friendship between peoples, countries, cultures and individuals expanding

horizons, and also contributes to building bridges between communities. For all involved

people Comenius gives the opportunity for personal growth, allow it to participate in the

activities of the community, contribute to a better understanding of different cultures,

promotes understanding between peoples and respect for diversity. We could represent our

country, city, school abroad, during teachers exchanging and meetings. We could explore

other nations, nationality, and than teach children from an early age to live together in

harmony and understanding each other, which in turn contributes to the strengthening of

international cooperation and peace in a pro-European society in the future.

During the week we visited historical and important places in Sanliurfa province as Ataturk

Dam situated 23 km northwest of Bozova Sanliurfa Province on trhe river Euphrat, old

Sanliurfa city with fish pond Balikligol and Urfa Castle. We tasted typical Turkish meals, tea

and turkish coffe. Our Turkish colleagues are very kind, warm, hospitable and friendly

people. Big thanks for their effort and hospitality. Despite of differences in culture, traditions

we felt very good in kindergarten and city Sanliurfa.

Multicultural education about

Turkey with Slovak children in

Rožňava

Lithuania- Slovakia- Spain- Turkey

„Don´t Throw! Collect and Produce!“

VEISIEJAI- Lithuania

Teacher Exchange 27the April – 2nd May 2014

The aim of the teachers Exchange was to exchange didactics and methodological

experiences, as teoretical knowledges as practical experiencis among the teacher. To

observe and participate in educational process at kindergarten, to understand Lithuanian

educational system and priorities of pre-primary education in partner´s country.

Four teachers from Rožňava attended techers exchange in kindergarten Ažuolikuas in

Veisiejai. Town Veisiejai is located 18 km to the southeast of the town Lazdijai . It is one of

the few places that is located on a peninsula of Lake Ancia . This lake divides the city into two

parts . Veisiejai is named after the lake Veisiejis , which is located 6 km southwest of the city

. The western part of the city is surrounded by a park of the 18th century and there is a

monument to Ludwig Lazarus Zamenhof ophthalmologist , creator of the artificial language

Esperanto , created just in Veisiejai.

Kindergarten is completely renovated, it has six classes and provides education for 88

children aged from 1,5 years to 6 years. Pedagogical team consists of 13 teachers and 12

other staff , consisting of a special educator , speech therapist and social educators.

Educational process that we had the opportunity to watch and actively participate in it , ran

like us . We prefer to use the opportunity of individual access special educator , speech

therapist and social staff working directly in kindergarten. During our visits , we had the

opportunity to observe the daily schedules of kindergarten . We were involved in various

educational activities focused not only on environmental education, which is the important

part of our project, but also music , physical or art area of education . We could improve

ourforeign language knowledges in disscusions with our colleagues.

In the workshops we worked with waste material , we tried practically art technique „dekupáž“ .

We took part in a friendly mini football game with children of kindergarten and celebration of

Mothes Day with the participation of parents of kindergarten . During our staying we learned and

improve our experiences that have contributed to the development of our professional

responsibilities , we felt very familiar with our kind and warm Lithuanian colleagues .

We have opportunities to learn and visit

the natural beauties, historical places in this

region , taste Lithuanian cuisine. We visited

the Museum in Veisiejai so, we could

compare the history of the two cities and

their surroundings . Natural beauty and

diversity of the natural environment we

could explore on thematical trips. In

Lithuania, we visited Storo Romo Sodyba- centre of agroturism, where we tasted special

organic food , also natural surroundings og Regional Park , in which centre is kindergarten

situated and we vandered in Druskinikai – Lithuanian Spa town .

We are sure that teachers Exchange contributed to the expansion of the horizon in the

field of pre-primary education, learning foreign languages, improve language skills and made

deep friendship between the peoples of two countries of the European Union , which is part

of the vision of projects such as Comenius .