SPANISH TEACHERS VISITING SLOVAKIA COMENIUS PROJECT 2012/2014

“Don’t throw it away, collect it and produce” May 2013 – Pilar Garvín & Virginia Iglesias

We visited Rožňava between 20th and 24th of May 2013.

During the visit we could know this small town located in the Slovak area of Gemer, with a past marked by the mining activity, as shown by its coat of arms. The historic Centre of Rožňava is notable for its beauty and the Clock Tower, which we visited and from where we could observe the fabulous landscape with the mountains and valleys that surround the town and that are part of the National Park and Biosphere Reserve “Slovak Karst”, that also includes important gorges and caves. From that point we also admired other important buildings like the Town Hall building, two churches and the Assumption of Mary Cathedral.

To better understand the history of this town and region, we visited the Andrássy Castle in Betliar, with beautiful gardens. This Renaissance palace was built in the original location of the Castle of Bebek and was used by the Andrássy family, one of the richest families in Hungary, with several members involved in politics.

The Count Dionýz Andrássy, with his wife Frantíška, carried out in this area a strong social activity directed to schools, orphanages, the elderly… The palace features rich furniture, household goods and decoration brought from different parts of the world. A small portrait of the King of Spain Phillip IV is also exhibited.

We went to Košice, in the region of Abov. Košice is the second largest city in Slovakia, and the 2013 European Capital of Culture. Our Slovak colleagues booked a tour in Spanish, and we walked the main avenue Hlavna Ulica, where the State Opera House is located; a beautiful park with a music and light show as a night attraction, and the gothic Saint Elizabeth Cathedral, which we visited. This interesting tour let us know the diversity of religions that coexists in Slovakia today.

Back to the region of Gemer, near Rožňava, we headed toward the Ochtinská Aragonite Cave, an UNESCO World Heritage site; as we expected, the visit did not disappoint!

It is said that to know a country, get to know its cuisine. And that is what we did during our trip. Our colleagues showed and recommended typical Slovak dishes based on potatoes, goat cheese, birds, poultry…

In a traditional restaurant in Brzotine, in an incredible natural setting, we tasted typical dishes: “bryndzove”, “hausky”, “pirohy” and lokse”.

We had also the opportunity to enjoy a delicious duck with spices, beet and “lokse” in a very picturesque restaurant in Košice.

We loved the magnificent goat cheese “bryndza”, and the tasteful salads and vegetable soups.

We cannot miss the wonderful pastry, highlighting the fruit cakes and yoghurt and a fabulous cake with poppy seeds.

The school MS Stitnická is one of the five infant schools in Rožňava. The children ages range from 2 to 6 years old. The school has two classrooms for children between 5 and 6 years old, two classrooms for 4-5, one for 3-4 and one for 2-3.

As an Eco-School, we were struck by how we perceived the interest, respect and commitment to the protection of nature. Its facilities has a large deposit and bottle of rainwater used for watering the plants. Its numerous nests built for the birds placed in windows, trees and fences, a small fish pond, the compost, two aquariums with fishes and turtles that promote care and viewing of this animals (inside the school), as well as the numbers of trees, plants and flowers, make this school a place that facilitates the relationship with nature and an incentive to know it better.

The garden furniture, big tyres and well-cared sandboxes, as well as floor games like the hopscotch squares stimulate motor and symbolic play.

The programme of activities started with a visit to the classrooms and a meeting with the teachers. They showed us different activities – motor and relaxation games along with motor tales and music. All the activities are part of the project “The life in the forest”, where children acquire knowledge about fauna and flora, transmitting an attitude of respect, care and improvement of this ecosystem.

We attended a bilingual activity in a group of children of 5-6 years of age, using the digital whiteboard as support to the work with the tale “The Secret Forest of Hansel and Gretel”, where children take part acting as characters and acquiring spatial, logical-mathematical and reading-writing skills.

A visit to the zoo of Košice was very meaningful for the kids, because they could observe the animals and see the difference between living in their natural environment and living in captivity.

The school displayed in aisles, corners and classroom works made by the children and teachers during the year. Works made of recycled materials, other materials coming from nature, paintings, collages… were hanging on the walls or kept in small displays, what let us to see a very LIVELY school. The theme transmits the knowledge about nature and its care: animals, trees, plants, water…

Kids between 5 and 6 years of age performed a tale related to the theme of water, where the main characters, a king and his three princesses, show the importance of water for life. Then, they danced a choreography prepared in an earlier project.

The last day we attended the opening party of the project to cover a small area of the school yard, carried out by the kid’s parents. This opening event was attended by the Mayor and the representative of education in the region, as well as by the families, children and team of teachers. There were exposed some works made by the children with regard to the preservation of the environment and its potential destruction if we do not protect it. Also, some photographs of the stages of the construction of the cover were also displayed. We collaborated to decorate the area together with our Slovak colleagues. At this party, the children danced with tradicional costumes and the school offered a stupendous snack.

The entrance of the school is a very warm area, and where all the information related to the Comenius Project is displayed with regard to the environment, protection of natural areas and non-contamination… and also three characters well known by the children, the “Sylphs of the Water, Forest and Air”, made with recycled materials and other coming from nature. In an aisle they keep all the information regarding past exchanges in the Comenius Project: the Rožňava meeting in December 2012 and their visit to Tres Cantos in April 2013.

We could hardly express all the experiences and knowledge this journey has given us, as well as the cordiality we perceived from the very first moment at this school. The opportunity to observe and participate in the educational process in a Slovak school has given us a broader view of this education level; in addition to work with a common subject, “Don’t throw it away, collect it and produce”, we also saw the various ways to carry it out in the teaching and learning process.

Our Slovak colleagues have guided us in experiencing this country as the best hosts, being involved in all our visits. They have offered us an insight into their customs and the opportunity to be a part of their way of life.

We enjoyed every moment of this experience that have enriched us both professionally and personally.

Thanks to the educational team for treating us with such affection. Special thanks to Kvetka for her support and dedication, particularly with the language barrier. And thank you for showing us a part of this small but wonderful country that we wish to continue to discover. D´akujem pekne, Pilar & Virginia