Comenius Comenius ‘Cultural Jigsaw’ ‘Cultural Jigsaw’ Project 2011 - 13

Barney Bear’s Baltic Adventure!

Barney Bear looked at his atlas. “I loved going to Turkey, but I think I’ve found the perfect place for a brand new adventure”, he thought. “I shall ask my friends, Mr Byrne, Mrs Bloor and Mrs Eyden to go with me this time…”

Here they all are at the airport ...

… before setting off for …

… Liepaja in Latvia!Barney looked at his map to see where it is…

On the first morning of their visit, Barney and his friends arrived at our twin school…

It’s called Liepajas 8 Vidusskola

Barney wondered how he would climb up all the steps. Fortunately, some kind children helped him

out!

However will I get up there?

Thanks, girls!

Mr Byrne!

In the entrance hall, there was a welcoming message on a large screen

Next to it was a Peace Pole just like the one at Woodheys!

They all went for a short tour of the school and saw some classrooms…

Barney enjoyed looking at the pupils’ work

For example, a map showing the four major regions of Latvia

… and some interesting facts

about solar energy…

He saw a Maths lesson …

… and some lovely artwork

He admired photos of all the top students on the main corridor.

At the end of September, everyone in Latvia celebrates Mikelis Day. In England, we call it

Michaelmas Day

In Latvia, a popular

tradition for Mikelis

Day is to carve

vegetables into

interesting shapes

and display them

beautifully.

For example, like this…

… or how about these?

Barney and his friends decided to have a go!

They concentrated very hard!

… and they were all very pleased with the results!

Looking at all these vegetables made Barney very hungry! He had a nice meal and a drink at school

That afternoon, they all went for a walk around Liepaja

There were lots of interesting old buildings …

… and wide streets with tramlines, but the trams looked quite different from the ones in Manchester!

“Why are there musical notes on the pavements?” asked Barney.

It’s because Liepaja is a very musical place. You follow the notes to discover all the interesting

places around the town.

A special song tells the history of Liepaja. These sculptures are based on the words of each verse.

It certainly was a musical place – Barney’s friends went to a fantastic concert in a beautiful old

German church. And they posed in front of a Rock Café!

The tour around the town included a craft centre. Barney loved watching these ladies making

baskets and weaving textiles.

There was a display of Latvian national costumes in the craft centre

What beautiful colours!

Mrs Bloor and Mrs Eyden took Barney to see the market in Liepaja. He loved looking at all the food!

After all that walking, his legs were sore, so he had a lovely snack in a café.

He had a bit of a surprise on the way out, though!

I wonder if we’re distant cousins?

Back at school, it was a very special day. Children all over Latvia were performing a

special Olympics display at exactly the same time. Barney was very impressed!

Then it was time for dancing! Barney and his friends enjoyed watching and learning

Mr Byrne certainly seems to be enjoying himself!

Barney made friends with three of the dancers!

Barney listened carefully while the teachers from the four Comenius countries made plans for the

future of the project

They watched the short film that Luke, Scott and Joshua had made about Woodheys!

Mrs Bloor, Mrs Eyden and Mr Byrne wrote down lots of ideas for the next visit in March, 2013

That’s when all the teachers from the other countries are coming to visit Woodheys!

At the weekend, everyone went on a trip to the region of Kurzeme in western Latvia.

First they went to the countryside …

… and then to a fantastic beach

I do like to be beside the seaside!

They visited a lovely town called Alsunga where there was a special Mikelis Day festival

A group of ladies dressed in national costume sang folk songs

Wow – just look at those socks!

… and Barney made another friend!

Soon it was time for everyone to have their lunch!

A lady showed them how to make special carrot and potato pies…

Barney’s pie was delicious!

There was a special drink made from grain and sour milk to go with the pie

… but I have to say that this drink made from honey tasted much better!

Next, it was time to watch some folk dancing in the town square

Afterwards, they visited the widest waterfall in Europe and admired the beautiful autumn colours

The next day, there was a treat in store – a trip to Lithuania!

Liepaja

They went to the seaside again, but just look at that sky…. and that rain!!

Thank goodness I took my umbrella!

They visited a town called Klaipeda and saw some fascinating sights!

The day ended with some amazing Lithuanian food!

My goodness - these potato dumplings are bigger than me!

On the last day in Liepaja, everyone sang the Comenius song specially composed by Mr Byrne. What a proud moment for him - it sounded great!

There was even more enjoyment when Mr Byrne taught a music lesson to one of the classes!

At last it was time to leave Liepaja and go to Riga, the capital city, before flying home

Riga is also a very musical place

As well as music, it is famous for its wonderful architecture …

…its history …

… and its lovely food!

“ Here are our Comenius friends”, says Barney. “They are looking forward to

meeting you all next March!”