As of this school year, Bakar Elementary School is the holder of another Erasmus + project KA210 SMALL PARTNERSHIPS entitled “Skilfull and happy” which, with partner schools, will spend 20 months working on it, from November 1, 2021 to July 1, 2023.
The project team, with the director dr.sc. Tomislav Uzelac-Šćiran, consists of teachers: Maja Babin, Leonarda Ban, Silvija Blažina, Tina Murić, Marina Juretić, Nadija Vidas and Aldena Halilović who is the Project Coordinator.
The goals of the Project are: introducing children and parents to healthy eating and living habits, encouraging them to engage in daily physical activities, encouraging the creativity of students and teachers, cooperation with partners from other countries, opening the doors of the School to action in the European environment, encouraging the active involvement of students from participating schools in activities outside compulsory education and creating the value of EU citizenship.
Partner schools from Spain, Malta and Lithuania are participating in the project. The project plans the mobility of teachers from participating schools.
The project is intended for children aged 8 and 9, ie 2nd and 3rd grade students. At that age in the Republic of Croatia a large percentage of overweight or obese children have been reported. Activities will be conducted in classes,
class teachers, in extracurricular activities and extended stays, through socializing online. Some of the activities will be done by the students
independently, at home, with the support of parents without whose support it is impossible to realize activities and projects as much as they are well designed.
The project consists of activities:
▪ “From the school garden to the plate full of health”,
▪ “Handicraft”,
▪ “Days without technology”,
▪ “I practice, you practice, we practice!”
The goal of the activity “From the school garden to the plate of full health” is to instruct students in the importance organic gardening and improve education for sustainable development in primary school. The students will, along with the teachers, in environment of the school to choose a suitable place for the school garden where they will grow vegetables and spices that will use in everyday life, nutrition at school and at home.
Working in the garden has a positive effect on children by developing work habits, social and motor skills, encourages them to be precise, responsibility, preservation of nature and heritage, strengthens self-confidence and concentration, reduces stress, develops environmental awareness, etc.
Through organic gardening, children are encouraged to take care of their health and learn to live in a sustainable way. School gardens are a solution to overweight children, according to reports from schools that have had gardens, because students improved their eating habits by working in the school garden.
During the implementation of project activities, all partners will publish videos of their activities in the show on a monthly basis Cheers on the YouTube channel.
In addition, during the implementation of the planned activities, a small manual will be created: Gardener and cook “From school garden to a plate of full health ”. It will include garden care tips and recipes for healthy meals. The manual will be bilingual, and it will be designed by students with the help of teachers.
Through the activity “Handicraft” students will independently create objects by recycling and using various natural material. Crafted items will be used in everyday use. Handmade stimulates the child’s imagination, cognitive development, has a relaxing and calming effect, improves the ability to focus attention and focus on the task, encourages perseverance and development, develops coordination.
Conducting the activity “Days without technology”, students will choose a few days each month when they will not use any form of technology. They will spend their free time with various activities that will be offered to them by the teachers or they will devise independently, in their families. He will record his activities in the diary and save the works that were created in the days without technology.
The aim of this activity is to acquaint children with the harmful effects of technology. The activities offered should encourage students and empowered them to design and realize days in which they will spend their free time without technology, and the contents can be found, among other things, in staying in nature, working on the land and in various physical activities.
The project activity “I exercise, you exercise, we exercise!” Is aimed at developing the habit of regular physical exercise to raise the level of health and quality of life.
We started the implementation of the Project with students in January 2022 by surveying students about eating habits, frequency and form of physical exercise, use of technology and determination of body mass index. Implementation monitoring activities will take place through direct observation during the activity and checklists for each activity, which students will self-fulfill.
The “Smart and Happy” team came together and worked to reduce the number of overweight or overweight children threatened. By conducting activities, we want to offer students knowledge and skills for a healthier future. It is important in children to realize that health is the main reason for taking care of the body. We believe that by changing the life habits of children, with the support of parents, to influence the change of life habits of the whole family, ie the whole community.
At the end of the activity with students, we will repeat the survey of students and the calculation of body mass index. Processing results and by comparison with the initial values we will determine the progress and effects we have achieved.
The picture book “Smart and Happy” will connect all project activities into one whole.
Teachers from the partner countries will be guests of the Bakar Elementary School in October 2022. Mobility of teachers, ie travel partners, are planned for 2023 in the following order: February – Malta, April – Lithuania, May – Spain.
The aim of the teacher meeting, during the mobility, is to show examples of good practice and enrich the teaching experience, knowledge and examples of practice that teachers will successfully incorporate into their activities and teaching at school in which they work.
In this way, teachers will actively contribute to the well-being of the whole community of which the school is an important and indivisible part. That will completely the goals of the Erasmus + project “Smart and Happy” will be achieved.
For the “Smart and Happy” Team Nadija Vidas
Link to the project anthem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDuLB9wCcUE
Link to the project youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@skillfulandhappy8431/videos
Coordinators for the project – Bakar Elementary School: http://os-bakar.skole.hr/erasmus/spretni_i_sretni
