More than a project

Last year, as you may remember, the 4th Grade was involved in an eTwinning project with Spain, Lithuania, Turkey and Poland. More then pen pals closed in June 2016. This Christmas we unexpectedly received some wonderful Xmas cards from our Lithuanian pen pals. So, we decided to wish them Happy Easter by sending them some Easter cards that we made in class for them.
We are very glad that we have friends abroad who are thinking of us.

MORE THAN PEN PALS cards exchange - Kizoa Movie - Video - Slideshow Maker

Water and bread

Last Thursday the 4th Grade went on a school trip to Akovos, a small village near Kalamata. We were very lucky because the day was sunny and warm.

Akovos is built on a mountain, in an area with a lot of springs and fresh water.
There is a small elementary school in the village but there are no schoolchildren any more. Just a few old people live there now. The school opened again last summer, this time as a folk museum.

Two young people, Theodora and Alexandros, work in the museum and were our guides. They talked to us about the history of the village. It took its name from the fresh water which is in abundance in this area (aqua= latin word for “water”). They asked us to close our eyes and listen to the water for a moment.

Theodora showed us the museum exhibits, explaining what they were. Alexandros took us to the nearby spring and all the students filled their buckets, clay pitchers and bottle gourds with cold, fresh water, and then carried them back to the museum “the old way” (watch our video to get an idea!).

After that, in the old school’ s yard, a lot took place: ploughing with a wooden plough, sowing, a “carnival” for good harvest, reaping with scythes, threshing with animals, winnowing, grinding with a hand mill, kneading in a wooden tub, and finally taking the bread home to bake. Every student got a role and all the roles were significant.

There was so much to see and do that we all came back to school excited and a little tired!

Thank you Theodora and Alexandros for the great experience! Keep up the good work!

The ESN European Quality Label

Today our school was awarded the European Quality Label for our eTwinning project The European Schools Newspaper (ESN). It was a project that lasted for two years (2014-16). We put a lot of effort into it but it was worth it.
Well done to all our partners! Amazing job!

A party at school

Party time!

Well... actually, the parties were more than one! The students got a party because they earned 1000 points and they deserved it.

They get points every time they remember our classroom rules and keep them. When they break rules... sorry, no points then!



So, at the next party you, too, can sing along:

Let' s get ready for our next party then! Come on, earn some points - you can do it!

The snail

Last Thursday there was a lot of rain and we were surprised to see a snail outside our classroom. First, it was on the window, then on the ceiling, then... we had a lesson with songs, games and activities and we don' t know what happened next!

Just awarded!!

Hello, kids! Welcome back to school and have a nice school year, full of learning and fun!

As far as eTwinning is concerned, I’ d like you to know that our school was awarded the National Quality Label for our project Let’ s write a story! We are all excited and proud and we are willing to go on with our eTwinning projects this year, too!! 

Edit: a couple of days ago we were also awarded a second National Quality Label, this time for our project The European Schools Newspaper. Those two labels are a kind of reward for all the hard work last year.

A field trip to the castle of Methoni

Two days ago the 5^th and 3^rd Grade went on a field trip to the Venetian castle of the town Methoni. 

We went by coach and it took us one hour and a half to get there. The weather was good - a little sunny, a little windy, a little hot, a little bit of everything! 

When we arrived there, we sat at the square near the beach to have a snack and then we took a tour of the castle. We saw the big walls, the emblem of the castle (the lion of Saint Mark), the moat, the canons - even the little colourful flowers and the bugs flying all around us!

We also visited the church and the octagonal tower on Bourtzi, standing in the middle of the sea. The view was wonderful from up there with the waves hitting against the rocks! 

The 5^th graders and their teachers explained a lot of things about the castle and its history and we took a lot of photos. You can enjoy them in the slideshow below.

When we left the castle, we spent some time at the beach, under the shade of the trees, playing, chatting, laughing and having ice cream!  

This slideshow personalized with Smilebox

Art time - fun time

Hi, everyone out there!

Here are my pupils' latest drawings and crafts.

The 1st Grade drew face expressions on small pieces of paper. We love to sing Ears, eyes, nose and mouth - nose and mouth slowly, quickly, being happy, sad, angry and scared. Do you see all our faces?

Then the 3rd Grade painted eggs red - not dyed, painted! Look at the slideshow and you' ll see what I mean!

You can also play with my 3rd Grade' s jigsaw puzzles here and here.

The 5th Grade didn' t have much time for an Art lesson in English as we are too busy with our eTwinning projects. But we have made a few videos and we are going to share them with you very soon in another post!

See you!!

A specialist talks to us about Internet safety

Today at school the 5th grade had the chance to listen to a talk about the Internet and being safe while using it.  You know, technology is a powerful tool but we must learn how to use it and avoid its dangers.

This blog is a tool we can all use to communicate, share our ideas and thoughts, comment on each other' s posts, agree and disagree.

This blog gets better when you participate with your own comments. So, please, do share with the rest of us your impressions from today' s talk at school.

How do I post a comment? 

Do you want to know how much you know about internet safety? Do the quiz! 

Eclipse of the sun 2015

Today at school we watched the eclipse of the sun alive on the internet. To do so, we connected to the National Observatory of Athens.
The moon covered the disk of the sun, creating a solar eclipse that only a small part of the world was able to see.
We were so lucky - and careful, too! We didn' t look directly at the sun because the sun can cause serious eye damage.

3rd grade' s eclipse of the sun 2015

3rd grade' s eclipse of the sun 2015

A midwinter' s performance

It' s been terribly cold lately but that didn' t stop up from going to the theatre for a... summer play. This time we watched Shakespeare' s Midsummer Night' s Dream, which is a funny story about love, couples and pranks.

The characters are:
Oberon -  king of the fairies
Titania -  queen of the fairies
Puck - the mischievous sprite (ξωτικό) who serves Oberon
Lysander -  A young man of Athens, in love with Hermia
Demetrius -  A young man of Athens, in love first with Hermia, then with Helena
Hermia - a young woman of Athens, the daughter of Egeus. Hermia is in love with Lysander and Helena' s friend
Helena -  A young woman of Athens, in love with Demetrius
Egeus -  Hermia’s father 
Theseus -  duke of Athens, engaged to Hippolyta
Hippolyta -  queen of the Amazons, engaged to Theseus
Quince -  a carpenter (ξυλουργός)
Snug - a joiner (ξυλουργός)
Bottom - a weaver (υφαντουργός)
Fluten -  a bellows-mender (επισκευαστής φυσερών)
Snout -  a tinker (γανωματής)
Starveling -  a tailor (ράφτης)

Since it' s Valentine' s Day tomorrow, the day of Love not only for couples but for anyone who feels this precious feeling in their heart, here' s a Valentine' s Day treat for you:

Kids' Athletics

Yesterday, our two P.E. teachers trained the 5th Grade students to take part in the Kids' athletics event that is coming up. Sprinting, endurance running, jumping, throwing/putting... the athletics games will give children the opportunity to make the most of the beneficial practice of Athletics, in terms of Health, Education, and self fulfillment.

E1 class even made a poster.
See below...

The Gods and Goddesses of Mount Olympus

Today at school, our 3rd graders dressed up as ancient gods, goddesses and other heroes of Greek mythology and presented each one of them to their fellow students, their parents and their teachers. The children had worked hard to make their ideas real. Their music and Art teachers helped them a lot and of course their teacher, Miss Eleni. Congratulations to all of them!

What' s this???

Have you ever seen a caterpillar like this? We found it in the school garden next to the hose. It actually looks like the hose! At first we thought it was a toy some kid had dropped - but no! it is 100% a real, living creature. We took photos and videos of it.
Such a strange insect (and a little frightening, too - look at those big eyes*! And isn' t that a sting in its tail?)

*or maybe they are not eyes at all. They could be spots that look like"eyes" to frighten away birds.

Making soap

Miss Irena, the music teacher, likes making things by herself. This time she showed 3^rd graders how to make soap from olive oil. The children were excited and can’ t wait to take the soap home to show their mum and dad!! 

In your Magic Book, you remember Lucy, the girl who likes soap and washing her face. Who doesn’t like soap? Play this hangman game to find out:

Who is it? hangman game » hangman puzzle

 

Look up in the sky and you may see them!

A few days ago, birds like these were flying near our school but my mobile phone had run out of battery and I couldn't t take a video of them. Anyway, watch their remarkable flight formations in this Youtube video and keep your eyes on the sky!

Are you interested in buying the earth?

Two years ago, a Spanish woman, who said she owned the Sun, wanted to collect taxes on it. 
This year a Japanese man says that God gave him the Earth as a present in a dream, so now he is trying to sell it on an auction. He lists our planet as “authentic” and warns bidders there is a “no return” policy on the item. It isn't t a joke! The starting price was ¥69 ($0.86), but now it' s ¥9,889,899,888 ($123,000,000). A real bargain!

But, if the world is going to come to an end, according to the Mayan calendar, is such an investment really worth it? 

Here is what the man selling the Earth answered to a buyer on Yahoo Auctions:

Q: “Hello.  This is a really interesting item! If I buy the Earth, will I become a god?
A: Thank you for your question! This item can’t make you a god. Are you alright in the head? Thank you for your interest.”

The pot calling the kettle black! (= Είπε ο γάιδαρος τον πετεινό κεφάλα!)

Amazing shadow play!

Sometimes ads are better than films.

Are there silkworms in my garden?

This is surely my cat in the video, but what are those white worms eating the mulberry leaves?

 

The entire life cycle of the silkworm from egg to egg:

A visit to the military airport

Last Friday we were given a tour of the Hellenic Air Force military airport in Kalamata, which serves as a training academy for new pilots.
At first, we were treated to cookies and soft drinks and then, in the briefing room, our guide told us what the training of the air cadets is all about.
Our guide explained that it is important for a cadet to speak English because there are pilots from different countries taking lessons there or visiting the airport and they all communicate in English. The tests that the new pilots have to take are also in English! The planes have all been made in America, so everything inside the plane is also in English! (Now you understand why it is very important for everyone to learn English.)
After that, we flew over Kalamata in the flight simulator and our airplane made loops and turns in the sky, which was both exciting and dizzy.
Finally, we saw the falcons, which are used to scare birds away, so that they don' t fly into any airplane engines and destroy them.
Everybody was excited and learnt something new!

Learn about the falcons in these two videos: