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The first week of volunteering was an adaptation week. Terez (from Hungary) and I (from Latvia) were getting to know each other and finding common ground. We were coming up with projects that we would eventually implement.

We met the teachers and learned about how thinks work in the scool. The education system is different from the one in our countries, so it was unusual, but very interesting.

We also, of course, got to know the children. We got used to them, and they got used to us. Despite the language barrier, we were able to communicate. We spent all our time in Śwetlica, where we played games with the children, put together puzzles, drew, made origami, and made collages.

Now we're creating projects, we have a lot of ideas, and I'm sure everything will go well, and after the holidays, we'll get started.

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This week we spent away from school — in Warsaw, attending a training program.

On the first day, we got to know other volunteers from different cities across Poland, learned about each other’s work, what everyone had been doing, and what they were striving for. We were all very different — from different countries, with different values and backgrounds. But one thing united us all: solidarity.

Throughout the week, we discussed our rights and responsibilities, what solidarity means, how to cope with stress, strengthened our teamwork skills, and explored many other topics that will help us in our volunteer work.

It was extremely useful, interesting, and fun. The people who led the training did an amazing job. Thank you to everyone involved.

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This week we started by holding an activity in the Świetlica to get acquainted with the children. We drew cards with our names and favorite things. We also organized various activities there, such as origami and making bracelets.

Of course, there were activities outside the Świetlica as well. We played sports games and made waffles, which we later ate with great pleasure 😋

This week we also began visiting classrooms. We gave presentations to first- and third-grade students about our countries — where they are located, what the capital is, how long it takes to travel there, and so on. At the end of each presentation there was a small educational game that the children really enjoyed.

Visiting the classrooms also gave us the opportunity to get to know the children better and meet teachers who are not in the Świetlica.

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This week was Valentine’s week. In honor of it, we made buttery cookies in the shape of hearts with jam in the middle. All the children tried them, and there were even some left for the teachers to taste. Everyone was delighted!

On Friday, before the holiday, we gave a presentation about how Valentine’s Day is celebrated in different countries.

This week we also started our long-term project about cinema with the fifth and seventh grades. It was an introductory class where we familiarized the students with the concept of cinema and its history.

The week ended with a speaking lesson with the eighth grade, during which we discussed various social topics

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The first activity in Śvetlica was reading. We read the children a fairy tale with pictures about a cat, and then together we made a cat figure out of a cardboard tube. The children listened carefully and were happy to do some hands-on crafting.

The next day, we entered the classroom dressed as queens – wearing crowns on our heads. After that, the children were able to make their own crowns as well.

Cooking this week was mini pizzas. After we made the dough with Terez, ten children spread tomato paste, cheese, and ham on top. Then we cut the pizzas and shared them with all the children and teachers.

We finished the week with a presentation about different festivals around the world. We told them about the traditions, showed them a video, and then asked a few questions. The idea worked well, and we will try to repeat it every week.

As for the classes, we had a lesson on the topic of “senses”. We introduced the children to basic vocabulary and they tried to build sentences. After that, I told them about sign language, showed them some signs, and we played interesting games!

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Story of the week – A Veterinarian at the Zoo. We read the children the story and then gave them a couple of related tasks.

Cooking – chocolate chip muffins! The children added all the ingredients into a bowl and mixed them together, then poured the batter into the muffin cups. After that, Therese and I baked them and treated everyone.

As usual, we had a presentation on Friday. This time we told the children about important and impressive monuments around the world.

This week we also visited the older children’s classes. The topic of the week was movie genres. We asked them to write associations with their chosen genre, and then we introduced ten genres that we had selected. The children chose a genre for their future movie!

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Presentation of the Week: Festivals Around the World. We started with a story about nine festivals that take place in different parts of the world, supporting our presentation with fun videos from those festivals. After that, we played a game: we played music, and the children had to guess which country it came from. We finished with an activity—coloring scary masks from a Hungarian festival that are meant to chase away winter. Later, we hung these colored masks in the corridor.

In the śvetlica, we read a story about what the stars do during the day when nobody can see them. After that, the children had the opportunity to complete various tasks related to the story, and they happily did them.

This week we didn’t bake anything. Instead, we made a fruit salad. We had bananas, apples, mandarins, kiwi, and grapes. The children threaded the fruit onto skewers, creating fun little combinations!

On Friday, as always, we had a presentation. This time we talked about what Women’s Day is and how it is celebrated in different parts of the world.

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Unfortunately, we had to interrupt our tradition in the śvetlica of reading on Tuesdays and showing a presentation on Fridays this week. On Tuesday the screen wasn’t working, and on Friday I spent the whole time outside, playing tag and other games with the children.

But that didn’t stop us from doing art activities! This week we painted with balloons. We also played a drawing game: we draw something for one minute, then pass the paper to the next person, who draws for another minute, and so on around the circle. The results were very interesting and funny drawings.

With the fifth and sixth grades this week, we discussed what a script is and how to write one. They have already started writing their own scripts so they can bring their ideas to life as soon as possible. It’s very intriguing to see what the final result will be!

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This week in class, we began our journey around the world—and we started with Europe. We taught the children some important English words and country names, showed them a fun video song about the flags and capitals of all European countries, and at the end we played a video featuring beautiful landscapes and buildings from different parts of our continent. But the most important part was the map. The children searched for countries on a huge map of Europe. Then they looked for each country’s flag, capital, and some interesting facts about it. Unfortunately, we didn’t manage to cover all the countries, but we chose 12 of them (of course, our countries—Teresa’s and mine—were among those 12 😉).

And what about the świetlica? Everything went well.

Monday: we made stress-relief toys from grains and little balls—of course with funny faces!

Tuesday: we read a moral story, “The Boy Who Cried Wolf,” and did some related tasks.

Wednesday: we simply played with the children and helped the teacher run her art activity.

Thursday: as always, cooking day. This time we made incredibly delicious hot sandwiches with cheese, ham, and ketchup. Everyone loved them!

Friday: there was a school event, so we couldn’t show our presentation. Instead, we just helped the teachers in the świetlica.

We are also decorating the wall on the first floor. This Sunday is World Poetry Day, and to celebrate it, we put up small pockets with poems in Polish and English. Anyone can take one, read it, and get inspired.

And all of this while keeping up with our Instagram!

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This week, during our lessons with the older classes, we explored costumes and set design. We asked questions like “who is responsible for this?” and “how does it work in big cinema?” After that, the children understood and wrote down what they would need during filming.

In the świetlica, we started our week by making dreamcatchers. We found suitable branches in the yard, which we then used with the children to create them. They turned out colorful and decorated with little hanging ornaments.

On Tuesday, as always, we read a fairy tale to the children.

Wednesday was drawing day. We painted spring flowers using forks! It didn’t work right away, but the results were actually quite cute :)

This week, we cooked sausages in dough with ketchup inside. The children asked for seconds, but there was only enough for one piece each.

On Friday, we had a presentation about Easter. We showed the children the different traditions of celebrating Easter, since the Easter holidays are already approaching…

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This week, because of the holidays, we only had three working days.

On Monday, we simply helped the teachers with their activities.

On Tuesday, instead of reading a fairy tale, we showed the children a video story with a moral, “Country Mouse and City Mouse.” After watching, we made sure everyone understood the story and its message, and then we started an activity. We showed the children different items of clothing and food, and they had to say which mouse they belonged to. We also hung the story and the pictures in the corridor.

In class this week, we worked with the younger group. The topic was “How a Book Is Made.” As usual, we started our presentation with vocabulary, after which I explained the stages of creating a book and showed a video about its printing. During the second half of the lesson, we invited the children to become illustrators of their own books. Using paper, text, glue, and colored pencils, they created their own books.

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This week was also shortened due to the holidays.

We cooked with dough again, but this time something sweet: croissants. We cut the dough into triangles, and the children added butter, sugar, and cocoa powder or cinnamon as filling.

On Friday, in the świetlica, we told the children about different kinds of food from around the world, and then together we made an Italian dish out of cardboard: pizza.

In class with the older students, we helped the groups that were behind to catch up on our topic, “cinema.”