eTwinning “ S.O.S.: Save Our Sea” - Part 6

 

The month of April was marked by an online meeting between all partners to play the Kahoot quiz game simultaneously. This quiz had already been created with contributions from students of all schools, based on the environmental videos each school had studied and then shared with the other partners through their collaborative presentations.

Before the meeting, all students had reviewed the presentation material in order to answer the questions correctly and quickly, aiming for high scores. Our students were divided into six mixed teams, including learners from both participating classes, and each team received one tablet.

At the start of the session, following the customary greetings and a brief discussion of recent news, the winning project logo was announced. It had been chosen through voting by students, parents, and teachers from all participating schools. The announcement was met with sustained applause, as this logo had received exceptionally high preference compared to the other ones.

The signal to start the game was then given, and the students, after entering the special game code, began answering the questions displayed on the screen simultaneously, consulting with their team mates for each answer. They showed great interest and focus, competing to climb as high as possible in the ranking. The winning team came from a school in Spain, and their victory was celebrated enthusiastically by all schools, demonstrating how passionately everyone had engaged in the game.

The conclusion is simple: a playful approach stimulates students’ natural curiosity, ignites excitement, and gives real meaning to learning!

eTwinning “Do you need me? Because I need you” – Part 6

 

April was the month in which we focused on “special” activities. Each school had the opportunity to present a pet-related action, initiative or project, which reflected the values and philosophy they wanted to share.

Guided by the principles of inclusion and respect for all living beings - and in connection with the Panhellenic School Day for Animal Welfare in Greece on April 4th - our students participated in an online interview with the unique veterinarian in Greece who builds special wheelchairs for pets with mobility issues. 

They learnt about the process of designing such wheelchairs, the factors that influence their construction, and even watched videos of real cases, including the surprising story of a turtle that received its own tiny wheelchair.

The children then interviewed the veterinarian, asking insightful questions that he answered with enthusiasm, sometimes even pleasantly surprised by their curiosity. To conclude, he gave them a virtual tour of his workshop, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the innovative work being done.

Using the notes they had taken during the presentation and the answers from the plethora of questions they had asked the veterinarian, our students created an infographic highlighting the Q&A points that impressed them the most. By adding suitable visuals, they were able to share their findings with the partner schools and spread important information about pets with mobility challenges.

In the end, our students had a unique experience: they gained knowledge, developed sensitivity, awareness and an expanded perspective on how creativity and compassion can change animals’ lives. Through sharing what they had learned with our partners, our learners became voices advocating for pets with special needs. 

 

International Children’s Book Day - School library activities

 International Children’s Book Day is the perfect spark for creativity. Celebrated every April 2^nd , —the birthday of the beloved storyteller Hans Christian Andersen—,  it invites children to step into stories, imagine without limits, and transform reading into a playful, hands-on adventure.

Established in 1966 by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), the day shines a spotlight on the magic of books and their power to inspire young readers. Each year, a different country takes on the honour of sending a special message to children everywhere, accompanied by an illustrated poster.

This year, the Netherlands was entrusted with this role, represented by the award-winning author and poet Rian Visser, who shared her beautiful poem “The Language of Images.”

At our school, we marked the day with creative library activities for 4^th- and 5^th-graders.

In the 4th grade, the poem was read aloud while the students kept their eyes closed—free to picture the images painted by the poet’s words through the lens of their own imagination. This exercise reminded us that literature comes alive only when the reader actively participates in shaping its meaning. This was followed by a discussion, and the students were asked to transform their inner visions into drawings, with each one being a unique interpretation of the verses.

As the poet herself concludes in her final lines:

“…These words belong to you

even though they came from me”.

In the 5th grade, the activity took on a different twist. After reading the poem, the students explored the variety of ways in which books enrich our lives—sparking off imagination, enhancing our creative thinking and opening new worlds. The learners were invited to create visual metaphors for books such as a lighthouse showing the way, a match igniting creativity or a window to the outside world. Through their illustrations, they captured the symbolic light books bring, the values they nurture, the horizons they broaden, and the inspiration they offer , making us see the world with new eyes.

Because, after all, books are like the magical fairy dust of stories: they can lift us up and make us fly!