Dwarf Workshop
Text and photos: Dilek Iusuf
Don't panic, our Dwarves are not gone, they are exploring the underworld! The theme of the lesson was "Underground".
So I learned the vegetables that grow in the ground: potatoes, beets, onions, garlic, carrots and radishes. But also that many animals live underground - for example: the mole, the rat, the skunk, the fox, the rabbit. The last two animals are, of course, already known from the last lesson. We also learned that tap water comes from the ground and that toilet water goes into the ground.
We played moles and dug tunnels in the ground.
Then we watched the story of the giant radish and a video about how the game is played. Because I forgot the specially made radish, I improvised with a yellow scarf, calling it a slightly dry radish.
At the end, because clay is also a special kind of soil, parents competed in modelling cups, mushrooms, planes and butterflies that we will paint or colour during the next lesson.
Romanian language and culture
Text: Eliza van Peppen
Photos: the Grozea family
Don't you remember Santa Claus and his gifts of sweets, chocolates, oranges and tangerines? Last Saturday we also entered, with excitement and enthusiasm, into the magical world of Saint Nicholas, loved and loved by all, but especially by children.
In the Netherlands, children know Santa Claus as Sinterklaas and it is accompanied by Zwarte Piet (Peter the Black). What about other countries? The key question was whether Santa arrives in countries other than the Netherlands. There was a pause, then a cheerful and confident voice announced that Santa was coming to Romania.
We heard the story of Santa Claus and learned that the Santa Claus tradition originated in the story of the legendary and mythical character who existed in the person of the Bishop of Mira (the town was part of the historical province of Lycia; today it is part of the province of Antalya, Turkey), a man of faith, known for his good deeds towards children and the poor.
Now we know that Santa Claus is celebrated in many countries, including the Netherlands, Romania, Hungary, Poland, Germany, France, Italy, Spain. In each of these countries, children get ready, sing songs dedicated to Santa, polish their booties and try to be obedient, because they do not want to wake up on the morning of 6 December with a little nut instead of presents and sweets.
We talked about the similarities and differences between the different customs in these countries. In Romania, Santa Claus appears on a white horse, a reference to the first snow that falls at the beginning of winter. Did you know that in France children leave a glass of wine for Santa and carrots and a little sugar for his donkey? Or that in Denmark Santa Claus is brought by reindeer, with a sack on his back, accompanied by elves, to whom children offer milk and rice pudding? In Slovenia, Santa Claus is accompanied by "Parkel", who puts coal and ashes in naughty children's shoes.
The story of Santa Claus we heard, and a song we sang together:
Talking about Santa's appearance and his episcopal vestments (mantle, mitre, staff, etc.), the children recreated Santa Claus using origami.Starting with the word "Santa", we played with a new letter: "M". We drew it with our fingers in the air, then the children listed other words where we hear this sound.
After dreaming of the presents we want and may receive on the night of December 5 to 6, we played "Bears Sleep and Dance". It's a game of collaboration and auditory memory development. One child is the bear, the others sing and dance in a circle around the bear. At the end, one child offers the bear something to eat and the bear has to guess the name of the child who spoke.
I look forward to seeing you next Saturday, when we will celebrate December 1st, Romania's National Day.
Play and personal development
Text and photos by Raluca Tudorache
Today we had the opportunity to practice various competitive games, but also to reminisce about games of yesteryear.
We started with a blinking contest, which the girls did very well at. They trained their senses later with a game of "Baba Oarba". Then we saw who could be the fastest and who had the sharpest reflexes with the game "There's the pope, there's the pope", as I called it, in which, with the help of music, they had to take seats very quickly, thus selecting themselves until there were no seats left.
Full of enthusiasm I presented them towards the end with the game Mikado-mare, with wooden sticks, knowing how much fun I had playing it when I was their age. It wasn't unfamiliar to them, so things got off to a simple start. It started out promising, but towards the end the class became a drama... real. The girls' competitive spirit proved to be strong. It seems they really don't like losing on points.
The end of the class was spent discussing how important it is to be tolerant, how necessary manners are, and how we all need to understand how to handle a game, because we can't always win, but we can learn from how we feel when we lose, because friendship is more important.
The next Saturday will be spent at the Sejzătoare, at the church, where we will practice different handicrafts, listen to stories and enjoy delicious fast food.
So, we are looking forward to seeing those of you who can make it!
