LTTA C5 students` meeting in Portugal

I participated in Erasmus + program for the first time and for me the destination was Portugal. When I heard about the possibility to take part in it, I knew from the first second that it was for me. It was an amazing experience and one of the biggest challanges I have encountered in my life. For a ten-year-old it is not so common to travel to a foreign country and stay in a ”new” family for a week.

The first challenge - communication

In Portugal English is a foreign language like in our country. Luckily we have smart phones and Internet to help us- this time it helped as well! Before our trip I downloaded one translation app. As my new family understood Portugese better, I set my app on my own mother tongue and Portugese. This gadget was a miracle maker and made my communication with my new family easier than I could ever hope for.

My family

The family who hosted me was very nice and warm-hearted. In the family there were a mother, a father and two children – the boy called Guilherme was 12 and the girl called Catarina was 6.

Guilerme and I became friends really quickly. Every night we played a ball, competed in computer games or tested out balance on hoverboard. Every night they took me out for dinner and every night it was a new place like a restaurant or a bakery which belonged to my new father. Every time I felt their warmth and kindness because they wanted to offer me the best!

The second challange – local food

Like most of the world doesn’t understand our love towards some type of food, we don’t understand theirs. For me the biggest challenge was to eat chestnuts. In my family they cooked chestnuts as a salty or a sweet dish. Unfortunately I couldn’t eat chestnuts in either way. Too strange for me! Also they have different types of spices which they add to dishes and I must say my digestive system didn’t understand what I was eating and sometimes didn’t want to cooperate with me.

Activities

Our weekly timetable was full of different activities. There were some days we stayed at school and built planes, kites and did some Scratch. We visited different institutions, churches, a castle and many other sightseeing places. My favourite place was the museum of ships where they talked about the history of Portugese ships and their famous travellers. Also we had an opportunity to have a boat trip back to the past – amazing, yes!

Final words

I would like to thank our Portugese families who hosted us and made our stay there so easy and comfortable. Special thanks to the teachers in Portugal- your activities were amazing and taught as a lot. And finally thanks to our own teachers for making this experience even possible!

I really would like to participate in another Erasmus+ project- it was an awesome week!

Uku Saar, Estonia

LTTA C4 students` meeting in Romania

This year spring comes twice, I thought when we stepped out of the plane in Bucharest. With these sweet thoughts our mobility in Romania started and we had a whole week of adventures ahead of us!

When we reached the airport in Bucharest, families were already there to welcome us. It was so nice of them to come and pick us up from there. Going with the families was so easy, because we had had a video call before and we had written to each other as well! No worries at all!

At school

The reception was huge – they had arranged a mini concert and tour in school for us. What I noticed was that 1st graders already calculated using unknown x in their calculations. Oh My God, it is so hard:( What was surprising that lunch was served in disposable packaging and there was a lot of white bread, I mean A LOT :)

We also had a big party where all the hosting families had prepared traditional homemade food and it was delicious! Later we took part in traditional dances and we taught them our traditional dances, too. At the and of the party there was disco. I must say, Romanians love to dance :)

Workshops

We had many interesting workshops. We had to construct a bridge out of spaghetti, drinking straws and wooden tiles. There was a workshop for painting ceramic plates and calligraphy. We dealt with Ozobots and Spheros. The workshops were very creative and made us work in teams, which sometimes was really difficult because we are used to work alone!

Trips

All the participants of this project had the opportunity to try mounting climbing in indoor hall. To achieve your goal a lot of courage was needed, luckily we had our security cables attached.

Another trip was to Transilvania. We visited Peles castle in the Carpathian mountains which was constructed for King Carol. This buiIding was magnificent and breathtakingly beautiful.  The last place was something we all had expected to visit – Dracula’s Castle! Ok, it is referred to as Dracula’s castle but actually it is Bran Castle. The mystery around this castle is because of the Irish writer Bram Stoker and his well-known caracter Dracula, prrrrrrr… There is, however, no evidence that Stoker knew anything about this castle, he was just inspired by Vlad the Impaler. So the mystery solved :)

In Bucharest we visited this historical Romanian Anthenaeum, which is a concert hall. This hall dates back to 1888 and is a symbol of Romanian history. We were really lucky, because Clara’s father, who plays in the orchestra, was so nice and played the violin for us. It was our private concert and it made us feel so proud!

Families

Our house was a small modern private house with a tiny garden.

Most of the time, when we were with families, we spent outside of the house. We went for a walk in the park, played softball, visited museum of optical illusions, pancake cafeteria, escape room and took part in our host girl’s Milena’s hip-hop training.

What was good, we did many things together with other host families. In the evenings, when we had time, Milena taught us some Romanian and we taught her some Estonian words. Some words we learnt were  "la revedere" which means good by, "Bună"-hello, "Pisica"-cat.

Saying Good Byes

In the morning we bached our things and went to old town of Bucharest. We saw many interesting buildings, streets and shops :) And then it was time to leave… There were lots of tears, because we had got close with our family and Clara, and Sofia who were hosting other Estonians. We had to leave, tears in our eyes but warmth in our heart and what’s more important – memories, tons of memories!

Until new adventures Clara, Sofia and Milena

Nele-Liis Kõllamaa, Estonia

LTTA C3 students` meeting from January 27th till february 2nd 2019 in Lleida, Catalonia, Spain

From January 27 to February 2 our Erasmus+ project took Portuguese, Romanians, Italians and Estonians to Spain, Lleida, a city in west of Catalonia. The city welcomed us with its spring wind and wormth. The delegation of families and teachers, who were waiting us, made our arrival very special and it made my heart melt!

It wasn`t just me who felt this way- the students and my colleague were feeling the same way. It was so odd but as soon as we stepped out of the taxi in Lleida, students, without any hesitation, went with their new families, and when we saw them again in the morning, our children where with their new “siblings” like they had known each other for ages. Amazing, yes!

In our case so called universal truth exists-your place of living is not determined by a house you have or exact place you live in. The place you can consider your home really depends on the people you are with and where your heart lies.  It seemed like we had found our second home:)

The whole week was full of surprises and excitement. Everything was perfectly organized, every detail was in its place. What makes me proud of is the teamwork our partners in Lleida are doing. Not only some of the teachers were involved with the project, it was the whole school, and you could see that they were enjoying it. Frederic Godas is so lucky to have all the teachers, students and parents who all work for the same goal.

Talking about workshops then I must say they were versatile, eyeopening, educative and most important enjoyable. Building a catapult or assembling robots and making them move wasn`t as easy as it first seemed. OK, for me it wasn`t but for students everything was playful, fun and they learnt new things effortlessly.

What made the workshop experience even more memorable was the Frederic Godas`s cooperation with the Polytechnic University and museum of Diocesa . The visit to university showed us what really was going on in the lives of the university students. Maybe some of the students already got the idea what to do in the future, what could be their future like in 10 years! The museum, in the other hand, thought history through children`s point of eyes and they were part of a historical expedition.

The most memorable experience of this mobility, no doubt in there, was the concert. The way the children in the choir were singing… It was heavenly! From the fist sound up to the last sound I had goosebumps all over my body. It was so divine and unworldly. It was unbelievable!

So how was our mobility in Lleida? The experience was overwhelming, extraordinary and it felt like being at home! We are so grateful to you all who made this experience possible. Thank you!

AGENDA MEETING IN LLEIDA

Agenda

SKYPE BEFORE MEETING IN LLEIDA.

On the 16th of January we organized a Skype videochatting before the meeting in Lleida. The pupils could meet each other and they had a talk with their parterns.

LTTA C2 students` meeting from December 9-15, 2018 in Castel Frentano, Italy

Students` first mobility took place in Italy. Four students from each partners` schools together with their two teachers had an opportunity to visit our coordinator`s school Istituto Comprensivo Castel Frentano and their wonderful city Castel Frentano.

On the arrival day all the Italian families were at the bus station to welcome us and students were sent to their new families and homes. At first it might have been intimidating and for some students even a cultural shock (at least for Estonians), but as days went by the more natural it all became – it felt like home!

December 10 th

The first day at school was festive: the students` choir welcomed us on the steps of their school (I had goosebumps all over my body, because it was so overwhelming!); the students performed in every partners` own language which made us feel even more welcomed and showed the effort they had put into this process.

One of the most important steps of the day was choosing our project` s logo and mascot. All schools had prepared their best logo and mascot which were displayed for all of us and it was time to choose the best of the best. The winner logo by far was the Italian one, and the winner mascot came from Portugal. The Portuguese mascot Vitro is going to travel from mobility to mobility and be our guide til the end of our project (even further).

The first workshop Getting to know Leonardo by folding a Leporello book also took place on our first day at school. Every student could make their own book choosing the colours and style they liked the best.

December 11 th

The next day we visited Sant`Eusanio del Sangro Primary School where we were warmly welcomed by all the students and teachers. We had two workshops where students could use their hands and some basic knowledge of handicraft. The highlight of the day was lunch. Yes, lunch! Why? Because it was all prepared and served by the mothers of the students and may I say it tasted delicious! Bows and gratitude to you, mothers!

The afternoon was for guided tour in Lanciano. We had a three-hour tour where we visited Torri Montanare, Santa Maria Maggiore, the archaeological path of downtown and Eucharistic Miracle. It all was educative for both students and teachers and the information we got while visiting these places was versatile and catching.

December 12 th

In the morning teachers had a briefing about partners` tasks and students had a guided 3D Vitruvian Man tour. After the tour students had their workshop and had to make their own Vitruvian man using the tools given. It was a mixture of history of art, geometry, handicraft and English.

After lunch there was another guided tour to San Giovanni in Venere Abbey and Trabocchi beach. The pictures and selfies taken on that tour were amazing!

December 13 th

The morning for teachers started with a briefing. This time we talked about evaluation activities, dissemination week, future activities and LTTA in Spain. We had some really hard-working hours with good results and ideas how to continue with the project. At the same time students were having two different workshops. One was Coding unplugged “Vitruvian man in Pixel” or Self Portrait Leonardo and the other was wood workshop. The first was using some digital skills – converting images into numbers and viceversa, and geometry skills; the other involved electrical wood work machines and a keychain by using the machines and materials given..

In the evening we were invited to a concert where music was presented by school` s orchestra. It was also the final chance to meet all the parents and students and give our gratitude and thanks to all who had put a lot of effort into this meeting.

December 14 th

In the morning we used the public transportation and took a train to Pescara. There we visited “Museo delle Genti D’Abruzzo” and had a tour of the museum and a workshop “Video Game Design” using the open source software Scratch 3.0 to design a video game. This workshop was totally different from the others - it was catchy, attractive, innovative. Students had to pay attention to what they were doing - one minor mistake and their work didn`t pay off.

After all this brainstorming it was time for relaxing and shopping. The hours in Pescara flew by too quickly and it was time to go back.

It was the final night at new families and time for packing…

December 15 th

Our pre-Christmas week with lots of surprises, new friends, memories, emotions, experiences was over. Time to say good byes, time for hugs and some tears…

Next stop Lleida, Spain!

FIRST SHORT TERM MEETING (Vinci, Italy)

I.D.E.A.L.`s first short term meeting took place from October 4-7, 2018 in Vinci, Italy. It was our first face to face meeting and had a huge impact on getting to know each other personally. I think it gave us all the realization that our team was hardworking, reliable and most important, we all enjoyed what we were doing!

Why in Vinci? As Leonardo da Vinci is our project `s idol, the meeting place had to be Vinci, his home town. While being in Vinci, we could feel his presence in every step of the way and see things through his eyes - literally see, because we were mesmerized by the landscape in Vinci which represents the deep bond between the master and his Tuscan land.

The days in Vinci were filled with different and interesting activities. We were on the footsteps of Leonardo, trying to understand Leonardo`s complex life and his history more vividly and deeply. We had a guided tour to the 13th century farm house where Leonardo da Vinci’s was born in Anchiano; a tour at the impossible exhibition of Leonardo which is the exhibition of very high-resolution digital reproductions of masterpieces; a tour in the Museum about Leonardo which covers the history of the master both as architect and scientist; a guided tour of Vinci old town gave us the opportunity to visit the places which were connected to Leonardo`s life.

Beside the interesting tours, we participated in a workshop which enlightened us Leonardo da Vinci’ s machines and codes. This workshop allowed us to put ourselves in the shoes of Leonardo the artists, the scientist and engineer, and may I say so- It was extremely challenging and cracked our brains.

The days in Vinci weren`t only about tours and workshops, we had active briefings concerning the project and its steps for the future activities. We had a detailed agreements about participants, who should they be and how should we choose them; we agreed on the dates of the LTTA, partners` tasks and responsibilities; the emphasis was on the policy of privacy and parental agreement before each mobility. In addition we discussed about further collaborative activities like My Maps, Logo and Mascot contest, dissemination week, newsletter, and updating our social media sources.

These four days were filled with work and pleasure at the same time. When it was time to work, we worked, and when it was time to enjoy and relax, we did that as well. It all happened due to our coordinators in Italy- so many thanks to Giuseppina, Luciana and Simonetta, and of course to the Istituto Comprensivo of Castel Frentano who paid our workshop and guided tours.

SECOND SHORT TERM MEETING IN CASTELFRENTANO

I.D.E.A.L. MAP

INTERVIEWS IN CASTELFRENTANO.

ERASMUS + PROJECT - I.D.E.A.L.

Innovating by Doing Experiments by Leonardo is the Erasmus + project which involves five countries. Our coordinator is Istituto Comprensivo Castel Frentano from Italy, partners are Kurtna Kool from Estonia, Scoala Gimnaziala Numarul 5 from Romania, Escola Frederic Godas from Spain, and Agrupamento de Escolas Miguel Torga from Portugal.


The aim of this project is sharing our schools` innovative ideas with our partners` schools. The target group in this project are mainly students from the age 9-12 but no one who is interested in the project is excluded.


As the name of the project says, our great role model is an Italian polymath of the Renaissance Leonardo da Vinci. He was the man whose interests involved invention, painting, sculpting, architecture, science, music, mathematics, engineering, literature, anatomy, geology, astronomy, botany, writing, history, and cartography.


With this project we are hoping to help children rediscover their natural curiosity towards the world and support their eagerness in different project activities in our own and partners ` schools.


Our project is in compliance with changed learning approach; teacher in it is a creator of connectors and a shaper of values and our task is to expand students` critical and creative thinking, analytical skills, entrepreneurship, teamwork, written and verbal self-expression.


The mobilities take place in each partner`s school. The first mobility was in December 2018 in Italy. The next mobility takes place in January 2019 in Spain, following Romania in March 2019, Portugal in October 2019, and the last in April 2020 in Estonia.

FIRST SHORT-TERM MEETING IN VINCI

During the "Short-term joint staff training events" the teachers of the 5 schools had the possibility to meet for the first time in person their partners.
They studied and got information about Leonardo da Vinci and had the chance to get to know the figure of the inventor more in depth, contextualizing his eclectic personality and his work.
Taking part to the several and diversified workshops has been an opportunity to experience in person the activities planned for the pupils, to understand its didactic and methodological value and to plan the appropriate workshop procedures.