LITHUANIA
May, 21st-25th 2018,Panevezys ,Sauletekis' progymnasium in Lithuania
For Second Learning Teaching and Training Activity, all partners met in Lithuania.
On Sunday, 20nd May of 2018, all partners arrived in Panevėžys city. Panevėžys is the fifth largest city in Lithuania.It is a green and attractive city.After a long journey,all partners were welcomed and they rested in the Romantic Hotel.
On Monday 21st May of 2018 a bus took all the groups from the hotel to the school. The school director, teachers and students welcomed the groups with Lithuanian traditional style. While entering the school students offered the groups bread and salt. In Lithuanian, bread and salt means that you are my friend. Students sang their traditional songs and danced. A student played a traditional instrument. The headmaster gave some information about the history of school and the city Panevezys. The groups were separated two groups and visited classes and school. Then each group presented their national children games.
After lunch a bus took the groups to Anyksciai to make traditional bread. There was an old bread house which was 120 years old. Some information about the history of rye bread was given. And then the groups learned how to make bread. Also every one made their own bread. While a woman was cooking their bread in a stone oven, the groups played the games which was used to play long years ago by Lithuanian children. Then the groups went to horse carriage museum. They got some information about the development and the aim of the ancient horse carriages. On the return way to hotel the groups took a short walk in the forest and they enjoyed the landscape.
On Tuesday 22nd May of 2018 a bus took all the groups from the hotel to a kindergarten. Students' ages were between 4 and 5. They prepared a mini show for the groups. Pupils gave the groups some handmade presents. When the groups went to school they visited classes and students played some educational games. After classroom visits the coordination meeting was hold.
After lunch the groups visited City Hall. They met the deputy of mayor. He gave some information about the history of Lithuania and Panevezys . He was the responsible for educational department of Panevezys. He mentioned about their educational projects which has been carried out.
Then the groups made a guided tour in the city center of Panevezys. The groups visited not only important companies of Panevezys such as Glassremis, art glass studio, and Midene, artistic ceramics company but also factories in which they got information about progressing. They made varieties objects from clay soil.
On Wednesday 23rd May of 2018 a bus took the groups to a nature school of Panevezys. This nature school provides informal environment education. The school is opened to everyone who is interested in environmentally, friendly life and those willing to learn more about taking care of animals, plants and longing for closer contacts with nature. The bus took the groups the school and Zina, the English teacher, made a workshop about the Nature School. Then she had the groups played some educational games such as bingo, letter game, word game, matching game and whisper game.
After lunch time the groups went to eco-based foot park and walked through the forest without their shoes. It was a difficult parkour but they had great time. A bus took the groups to Birzai which is a city in Northern Lithuania. It took about 70 kilometers to reach Birzai. The groups walked through the longest Lithuanian footbridge across a lake. After that the groups visited the castle and the most famous and largest sinkhole in Lithuania, called Cow's Cave. After eating a tasty dinner in Birzai, the groups went to hotel.
On Thursday 24nd May of 2018 A bus took the groups to school. The groups played educational team game such as answer the question and Vilhelmina Raubaite, the drama teacher, explained how to use dances in education. Also she taught the groups dancing fiesta. The groups dramatized a short theatre. After the lunch a bus took the groups to Siauliai district which was the hill of crosses. The groups went shopping and bought some souvenirs. A bus took the groups to school to show a fiesta dance concert. The groups enjoyed much while dancing a new cultural dance.
On Friday 25nd May of 2018 a bus took the groups to school. Rasa Kupryte, psychologist, had the groups play games and explained the groups how express emotions through games. Then the project team divided two groups. One group attended fractals workshop and the other group attended zentangle workshop. After the reflections of all week Algirdas Gedeikis, the school director, handed out a certificate of attendance to each participants. Each partner left for preparation of farewell party. At seven o'clock the partners tasted delicious Lithuanian meals and they danced traditional Lithuanian dances in company with professional dancers until night.
Many thanks to Mr Algirdas Gedeikis, the principal of the school, Virginija Gugaite, the school coordinator,Virginija Zickaite,Vilija Lizdeniene,Zina Girdvainiene especially for organizing these great days but also to everybody else who helped to make these a success.