Lowicz (Poland): 15.-21.5.2016

Project meeting at Polish school on the topic Art and Craft:

We already knew one another so the children communicated on Facebook even before the visit and the teachers planned together and stayed in touch via e-mail. At the same time we prepared presentations about arts and crafts in our countries and reproductions of our famous paintings.

Everybody arrived at Lowicz on Sunday. On Monday, the guests received a warm welcome in the school gym where they could enjoy several performances, like children dancing Polonese and a folklore group singing and dancing. The delegations exchanged small presents. There was a guided tour around the school led by Polish students. Then, the whole group was received at the town hall and sat with the mayor of Lowicz. The mayor explained interesting facts about Lowicz and introduced the life of the town to the guests. After lunch there was a photo hunt in mixed teams around Lowicz. We visited several places connected with arts and crafts and we learned about traditional paper cut-outs and folklore costumes. The children spent the evening with their hosts and the teachers socialized and discussed the upcoming week in a local restaurant.

Tuesday was already a busy day and full of experience. First, we went to an open-air museum in Maurzyce, where we could see two different kinds of villages and how people lived and decorated their houses. In the afternoon, after lunch, we looked closer at the art of "spider" decorations and paper cut-outs in the local museum in Lowicz. Everybody had a chance to try a simple cut-out and get inspired by professional pieces. In the evening, the children had a dance party in the school gym where they had a lot of fun.

Wednesday was dedicated to the presentations of art and crafts in different partner countries. However, in the morning, the guest had a chance to attend a mass in the local church. Afterwards at school, we watched videos, pictures and slideshows about painting, embroideries, wood carving and much more. Then, before and after lunch, the children, in mixed groups again, rotated in various workshops prepared by teachers from all partner countries and tried different types of art techniques and handcraft. Italian teachers introduced painting on T-shirts, Bulgarians taught embroiding, Czech team was making handmade jewellery out of beads, fabrics, wooden bracelets and so on and Polish teachers presented paper flowers and embroideries. Children but even teachers could try various activities and keep their products. The products were then displayed in school corridors for everybody to admire.

On Thursday, the whole group visited Warsaw where we visited several interesting places including the Tomb of an unknown soldier, Old Town, city walls, Museum of miniatures and the cultural centre where there is a beautiful view of the city from almost 200 m above the ground. It was a trip for the whole day and we came back before 8 pm.

The whole group spent Friday at school. In the morning, the students worked with pictures from all the partner counties. First, they tried to put together all pictures in a form of a jigsaw puzzle and then, they were connecting the names of authors with pictures and countries. In the meanwhile, the teachers attended observations of classes. Afterwards, the students went to play various sports: basketball, volleyball, badminton and since the school has a great sport fields, they could try running or other sport activities. The Polish teachers also introduced the Polish educational system to the rest of the group.

After lunch in school canteen, the teachers evaluated the progress of the project and planned further meetings and activities. Children were drawing pictures inspired by the artworks of artist from partner countries. Polish school collected and displayed the work at their school. They also put the art techniques together in an inspiring brochure.

In the evening there was a farewell barbecue with horse riding and a lot of fun in the playgrounds. We said our goodbyes, there was a lot of hugging, presents and also some tears.

Saturday was the day of departures and the guests left with a grateful feeling after another successful project week in Lowicz. Local newspaper informed the community about the meeting, you can read the articles (in Polish) here.

Czech Republic (Prague) II.: 15.-19.5.2017

Project meeting in The Czech Republic on the topic Book:

Before the meeting on the topic Book, the pupils were writing reviews on the books they read and would like to recommend to their peers. The hosts were getting to know their guests and they started planning their week in Prague.

During the weekend, the delegations arrived and spent some time with the host families.

On Monday, the guests were introduced on front of the whole school, received small presents and watched dance performances. After, the pupils lead the visitors around school and the children played some games to break ice and get to know more. In the afternoon, after lunch in school canteen, the children went to a spots field to play their favourite games and do sports, the weather was nice and since the school doesn´t have its own sports field, it was a good idea to visit another school.

Tuesday started with the treasure hunt around the centre of Prague in mixed groups, we visited the City Library, historical Strahov Library and several other places connected to literature and writers. Students in mixed groups were fulfilling some tasks on the way. After lunch, everybody met together to present favourite or national authors and acted short sketches based on the stories from books or played videos they prepared at home. Afternoon was dedicated to workshops connected to writing and language. There was a workshop on guessing various foreign languages, comparing the vocabulary and finding similarities and differences. Another teachers showed the students different kinds of alphabets (Russian alphabet - Azbuka, Arabic, Greek and runes) and the students were trying to write messages using those. One workshop was about the history of writing and using various writing tools and two others offered language games, either charades or word games similar to Scrabble (Bananagrams, Appletters and Pairs in Pears).

The next day, Wednesday, we visited bookbinding workshop SKOBA where the owner explained the technique of binding books and showed us the tools and machines. Then, everybody had a chance to bind their own simple book. To entertains the groups between visiting the small Skoba shop, there was also a comic book workshop and chemistry experiments with secret writing. In the afternoon, the teachers were informed about the specifics of the Czech school system and pupils in international teams started writing stories using specific words they were given. Due to the beautiful sunny weather, the whole group moved to a park then and while pupils continued in their work, teachers discussed what needs to be done to fulfill the project application.

During Thursday morning, the pupils were creating audio books from their stories and teachers observed lessons according to their choice. After lunch, teachers met to evaluate the project meeting and the project in general. There was some free time to get ready for the evening when there was a farewell barbecue with all guests, host families and teachers from the hosting school. Apart from eating, there was singing and dancing the song and dance we learned in Smolyan and it was great to see how music connects people from all around Europe. Students played volleyball, basketball and danced some more and even without organizing them and mixing into groups, they had fun together as one big Erasmus family.

On Friday morning, the students presented the audio books and there were many original ideas on the topic Erasmus+. The guests added some greetings into the school´s chronicle and after, the pupils used the notebooks they bound on Wednesday and created their own chronicles with photos, memories and messages to take home. After luch we said our goodbyes and the guests spent the afternoon with their host families. The first guest started leaving already during the night, somebody stayed till Sunday.

Czech school will collect the reviews and audio-stories and share it with the partners. The pupils will have a chance to compare their work with their peers from partner schools.

Altamura (Italy): 2.-8.10.2016

Project meeting at Italian school on the topic Food and Lifestyle:

Before meeting in Italy, the students explored the topic food and prepared presentations about typical national meals as well as healthy snacks teenagers normally eat. It took a lot of culinary art to get it all done.

After the arrival into Bari and continuing to Altamura, everybody was accommodated in families and received warm welcomes. Children had an opportunity to get to know one another a bit more although they already communicated via e-mails and Facebook.

On Monday, the whole delegation was introduced to the school and there were several stunning performances prepared for the guests. We saw medieval drummers and performers in costumes, excellent school choir, dancers and musicians. Small presents were exchanged and the week was started in a good mood and sunny weather. Local channel was present and at lunch we could already see ourselves on TV (you can watch the report here).

After lunch in the families and teachers in a local restaurant, everybody met again and went to school. Everybody admired beautiful decoration of the school, connected to the topic Food. Later, children played volleyball in national teams and the teachers met and the Italian school system was introduced to them. Children spent the evening in the families and tired teachers in their Bed and Breakfast.

Tuesday started with school tour and then the whole group left for a visit to a local farm, where we tasted home made products and learned and tried how traditional cheese is produced. The owners explained and showed us everything and guided us around all parts of the farm. The best thing was that the students could actually try to make the cheese and did the work on their own.

In the afternoon, there were presentations (PowerPoint, Prezi, videos) about national meals, healthy meals and detailed recipes were also described. We had a chance to exchange cooking ideas and later, each team prepared cold meals for everybody to taste. The Italians had bruschettas and other typical delights, Bulgarians prepared cold sandwiches, the Polish brought pickled vegetables, homemade jams and pate and the Czech team cooked traditional Christmas potato salad. Everybody left full and and happy.

On Wednesday morning we had a great chance to visit local baker's factory and meet the owners from the family Forte. After a presentation, the delegation visited the factory and saw (and smelled) the delicious bread in its birth. Afterwords, everybody was given a pack of freshly baked bread and left on a school bus back to have lunch at home.

After lunch, the students worked on computers to create an international and healthy daily menu and in the evening, there was a pasta making workshop. Grandmas and mothers of some students came to school to demonstrate complicated ways of making traditional pasta shapes but also biscuits and focaccias freshly baked in an outdoor oven. Students enjoyed rolling , cutting and shaping many different kinds of pasta. Again, nobody left hungry.

Breakfast on Thursday was held at school and the headmaster's assistant from the Italian school talked to the students about eating healthy. Teachers from all countries then demonstrated several interesting experiments with food. There was a lava lamp made of water, oil, and fizzy tablet, inflating balloons with baking soda and vinegar, coke and mentor volcano, lemon providing electricity, burning cinnamon, extracting DNA from a banana, various experiments with food coloring and much more.

Before lunch, the teachers observed different classes and talked with the teachers.

Afternoon was a bit cold but we got warm by running around the town in a treasure hunt. We visited many baker's shops looking for special food items and took pictures of various things connected with eating. The teachers visited the town hall shortly and had a dinner in a sea food restaurant.

Friday was rainy but when the group arrived to Matera, the sun came out again. The visit in historical town was very interesting. After lunch, the teachers evaluated the project and planned the visit to Smolyan. In the evening, the daily menu by the students was presented and the farewell party with rich choice of Italian meals and sweets could start. Interviews for a local newspaper was given and it was time to say goodbye again and look forward to the next meeting in Bulgaria.

The Italian school will compile a Cookery booklet including typical food from the regions and tips for easy and healthy cooking written by pupils and share it with the partner schools. They will also collect scientific experiments from the workshop in a brochure which will serve as a databank of teaching techniques.

Smolyan (Bulgaria): 20.-26.11.2016

Project meeting at Bulgarian school on the topic Music:

Music was the next topic of our project. Between the visits in Italy and Bulgaria, we tried to deal with the topic from different points of view and all schools were working hard on rehearsing or recording their musical performances. Students communicated with their hosts and everybody was looking forward to the next visit.

We arrived on Sunday and received a warm welcome from our Bulgarian partners. The welcome bread was delicious. On our way to Smolyan, we visited Plovdiv shortly and continued to the mountains where we met the host families and teachers were accommodated in the hotel.

The delegations were received at school on Monday and we had a chance to meet our hosts in typical costumes and watched stunning performances of various dances, music and singing. The guests were introduced and exchanged presents and then, we had a chance to walk around the school with guides and have lunch in the school canteen. After, everybody received a welcome at the town hall and were informed about the town of Smolyan. In the afternoon, we visited the Planetarium. We found out, that in 1977, a Bulgarian song was sent to space. For more information, watch this video.

On Tuesday, the day started with a Rhodope bagpipe workshop lead by a great musician Krasimira Churtova. We listened to her playing but we also had an opportunity to try playing the bagpipe ourselves. After the workshop, teachers observed some lessons and children played various sports in the gym. After lunch, the children started working on the first outcome of our visit and in mixed teams, they were composing text about Erasmus+ on the melody of "We are the Champions" by the Queen. Teachers were feeling creative, so they composed their own song on the melody of "We Will Rock You" by the same band. Everybody rehearsed for the show.

The next day started with interesting lessons, where Bulgarian and foreign teachers worked in groups and together with children, they learned either to sing a Bulgarian song or to dance a traditional dance in the circle. Before lunch, there was time to rehearse to dance and sing together as well as practice the songs composed by the students.

After lunch, students were composing music in special computer programmes in mixed groups. And in the end of the day, teachers met together and learned about the Bulgarian system of education.

In the evening, the teachers went to have dinner in the hotel and suddenly, they were all dancing in the circle and singing the Bulgarian song in the restaurant. The topic of music really accompanied us the whole time!

On Thursday, the group went to the Regional Historical Museum of Smolyan and after lunch, there was a treasure hunt around Smolyan with several tasks connected to the topic Music on the way. We visited many interesting places and in the end, everybody met in the Cathedral of Saint Vissarion where the volunteer organization Pure Hearts talked about their work and sang for us. We could experience the unique acoustic of the building.

In the evening, there was the final show, where all outcomes of the meeting were presented. Each country presented their video or presentation of their songs in native languages, students together presented the songs they composed on computers and sang the songs on the melody of "We Are the Champions". The teachers also presented their song and everybody played a musical (or rhythmical) instrument. We also danced and sang what we had learned and the school and the host families could see what we had been working on for the whole week.

After, there was the farewell party with food and drinks and sharing ideas among teachers, students and families. The students had a disco as well.

Friday was the day out of school. We visited the village Shiroka Laka and the National School of Folk Arts. We walked around the school and there was a stunning show of the students from the school. In the end, we danced together again.

The group visited the ski resort Pamporovo and had lunch on the tower of Snejanka. On the way home, we also visited the National Astronomical Observatory.

The teachers had the last dinner, evaluated the project so far and planned further steps.

Saturday was the day of departures, we said our good byes and went home.

After the meeting in Smolyan, the results were put together and the Bulgarian school compiled a CD with all the musical outcomes.

Prague (The Czech Republic) I. : 15.-21.11.2015

Project meeting at Czech school - on the topic Film

Each school has created introductory videos about their countries, cities or towns and school culture. You can watch all videos here.

The hosting school was decorated in the topic "film", guests were matched with the hosting families and the students started communicatiing. During the weekend of November 14.-15. everybody arrived and the families prepared programme for their hosts.

The first day, there was an official welcome in the school gym where the whole school was present. Our guests got bags with our project logo designed by one of our students and small presents and informational materials. All delegations were introduced and a school tour guided by students followed. To get to know one another better, there were socializing activities and ice-breakers prepared in th gym again and the students participated all together. After lunch in the school canteen, everybody took a walk around the area close to the school. In the end of the day, the students created badges with their names and left with the families to their new homes. Teachers had a short meeting where they planned dates and topics of all meetings and later on had dinner together and discussed the upcoming week a bit more.

On Tuesday, it was a national holiday so the school was empty and free for us to use. In the morning, each country presented a short part of their movie in the original language and the others guessed, which country the movies come from. After that, the students were divided into mixed groups and each group got one of the movies and their task was to dub the scene on their own, guessing what the story is about or making a completely new content. They were using iMovie application, it is easy to work with. We watched the brand new versions of our movies. Some of the dubbed movies were really good fun. After pizza lunch we prepared five movie worksops and each group took part in four of them. We managed to organize the afternoon thanks to the parents of Czech students. The kids could try drawing storyboards, make a reportage with a lady, who works for Czech Television, learn about animation, try expressions on the camera and have fun while doing pantomime in various costumes.

Wednesday started in the city centre, children and teachers in mixed groups walked around the main sights of Prague and learned about the film history of the places too. In Prague, many big production movies were shot and on our way we fulfilled tasks connected with the topic. There was some music video shooting on the Charles Bridge or taking pictures in James Bond style in front of the Natioanl Museum. After school lunch there was more fun. Each group of students picked one movie genre and they were to prepare a short scene to perform and shoot in front of a green screen in given costumes and props. In the evening, everybody met at a bowling evening, hosting families and teachers included.

On Thursday, we returned to school, children tried various sports and teachers visited classes according to their preferences. After school lunch, teachers met and discussed the way of picking students for the visits, project logos and other important things. Students went back to computers and iMovie application and cut the scenes from the previous day. With the help of ninth-grades, who used advanced programme to key backgrounds to the green screen materials, the students added sounds, titles and cut their movies into intended forms. In the afternoon, when the children left, teachers and parents had the opportunity to join a volleyball game.

The last day started with an excursion in the studios of the Czech Television. We could visit three different places thanks to Czech students' parents. One international group visited the news, another one learned about reportage and the non-hosting students went into the main building of the institution and walked around various studios. The students were allowed to try various activities like standing behinds cameras, use reading-device or costumes. The afternoon was free for the guests to spend with their host familes and get ready for the final party. The teachers discussed the project meeting and planned further. In the evening, the teachers, students and the host familes were invited to a farewell dinner and the different genre movies were played for everybody to enjoy. Then, a big Hollywood party started and many children of different ages from our school joined the dance in movie costumes. The delegations were given a farewell present and we said our goodbyes. Each delegation was also given a flash disc with all the outcomes from the visit.

During Saturday everybody left and we are already looking forward to our next meeeting in Polish Lowicz. Check out the pictures from the visit here.

We are going to meet five times.The first and the last meeting is going to be in Prague and the other schools will be visited once each. For the detailed plans for each visit see below.