The First LTTA Meeting of the project in VOLOS

Thessaly-Greece

from 25-29 April 2018

 

 

Project Title: Now Our World- I take the first step to protect life

Project number: 2017-1-PL01-KA219-038614_4

KA219- Cooperation for Innovation and the Exchange of Good Practices. Strategic Partnerships for Schools Only.

 

Two members of Spain, Portugal, and three members of Turkey and Poland (the co-ordinating country) were present in the meeting as well as six members of the host country. It was our first LTTA meeting. All countries were introduced to the Greek headmaster and colleagues. All partners were guided to our schools’ laboratories: physic, computer and technology. After that we had a tour guide of the city and a visit to the Town Hall where we guided and met the representative of the major.

In school, each partner presented a video or power point of cultural manners. We, also, as a host country, presented the history of our Mount Pelion, its people customs, habits through the years, the mount variety of herbs and its use in medicine.

Due to the fact that our project has to do with the environment and its protection, we visited Makrinitsa, half an hour from Volos, where we watched a video in the Environmental Centre of the village, about herbs and water, the basic source of life.

All partners exchanged cultural manners leaflets to be given back to schools and inform the whole school society. Then we did the logo competition. Children from each school presented their two logos and spoke about the way they thought of doing them, as well as the manner. After that they voted in groups and the winner was one Greek logo, which is going to be on our website, according to the decision in our meeting in Ankara. A poster competition took place by students showing their posters and explaining the way they thought and did them. Also there were presentations on Alternative Sources of Energy by students. Leaflets were given to each school to bring back and inform the whole school community. We all, teachers and students, experienced and took part in traditional Greek dances shown by Greek students. Children and students filled a questionnaire about saving energy and water. In the end of our project we all have to fill another questionnaire and compare prior and after thoughts and manners. Study the results and come to decisions about the protection of the environment, that is our goal. They also wrote in classes mottos about: Saving the Earth and the Environment, showing their tips for each month of the calendar on how to stop global warming. Collecting empty batteries at schools that are dangerous for the environment was also a very important topic of discussion. And it is what we do in our school, as well as planting trees and flowers that can every one see around the school yard. Also we care about animals as we have a cat and a little aquarium made by two used big plastic bottles. Two little goldfish are fed by the roots of two tomatoes.

Greek students with the chemistry teacher made a soap making workshop for all partners. The teacher explained the way she does that on her lesson with students and the ingredients she uses.

At school all teachers were informed by the coordinator country about the website, e-twinning and computer use for that. We came to an agreement how to fulfill the mid-report.

In Gatzea, another village of the 24 in Mount Pelion, we all visited an Olive Oil Museum. There we had the chance to observe on display old equipment and tools that people used for oil production. We also watched a video and then students had to do a workshop on that. On that way they learnt everything about oils and oil production. They made many posters by using materials from the museum and it was a very productive work of them which they enjoyed a lot.

We celebrated “The Earth Day “which was on 23rd of April, but we had to celebrate it in Greece, according to our decision in Ankara. For this reason we moved to Kalambaka, another town in Thessaly. There we had a workshop in the forest, guided by the people from the museum and by the help from a Labrador that was there to find truffle and different mount mushrooms. When we found them, we observed a spaghetti and mushroom way of cooking in the forest. That was our lunch which we all enjoyed a lot because it was after our effort and wandering in the forest. And of course it was for all of us the best way of celebrating “The Earth Day.”

In Kalambaka also we had the chance to visit a Digital Museum and observe a unique geological phenomenon about the creation of the giant rocks of the town with the monasteries on the top. "Suspended Rocks", "suspended in the air" or "in the heavens above" as people say. This is included on the UNESCO World Heritage. It is a home to six orthodox monasteries that are built on natural sandstone rock pillars. The rock creation and the sea that was there million years ago turning later to a lake, we watched on the video in the museum. So as continuing to celebrate ‘The Earth Day” we were fascinated by this geological metamorphosis. By the different layers of the Earth and by the human’s appearance in the Earth through the years.

The last day of the meeting all teachers and students completed an evaluation form in order to assess the impact of the project meeting. Apart from that individually in each school a survey on each school staff (non-Erasmus teachers) can be carried out (questions have been made by the Greek team).

The main activities and results of project will continue existing in the common school blog, website, eTwinning, Erasmus+ platform, leaflets given out in city libraries, on the internet, collection of best activities, memories book. This way teachers and students will continue benefiting from our Erasmus project activities and results in the future