Comenius 2011 - Troubadours United

Comenius project 2009-2011 1

TROUBADOURS UNITEDCONTENTS

Introduction

Hornindal Skule, Hornindal, Norway

L’école de la Bajatière, Grenoble, France

Escola Mowgli, Reus, Catalonia

Agrupamento de Escolas de Cinfães, Portugal

IV Circolo Didattico ‘Tommaso Fiore’, Gravina di Puglia, Italy

Ligoniel Primary School, Belfast, Northern Ireland

Amberley Primary School, Newcastle upon Tyne, England

Martikkalan Koulu, Lapinlahti, Finland

Vieremä Kirkonkylä Koulu, Finland

Happy Troubadours’ card game

Troubadours’ flag game

Comenius project 2009-20112

This booklet has been created by the pupils and staff of the 9 schools who form the Troubadours United project. This Comenius partnership of schools was formed in 2009 with the aim of sharing indoor and outdoor games that are popular in each others’ countries. For the last two years our pupils have been

trying out the games and for this booklet two games from each country have been selected. We have also shared some information about our countries and schools which you might find interesting. We hope that you will enjoy playing our indoor and outdoor games as much as we have.

As the coordinator of the project I would like to thank all my Troubadour United colleagues for their help in compiling this booklet. It has been a marvellous journey together and a rewarding outcome.

To the Troubadours United coordinators I would like to say

Kiitos ystävätObrigado amigos

Gràcies amicsMerci les amisGrazie Amici

Tusen takk venerDíky, kamarádi

Thank you friends

Idar Holen from NorwayMaryse Eyraud from France

Pere Moyano and Iban Porta from CataloniaDulcie Costa from PortugalRosalia Petrocelli from Italy

Neal Sheppard from EnglandRaija Pasanen, Marita Kiiski and Anni Juntunen from Finland

Claire Hilman

Northern Ireland Project Coordinator

Claire

A special thank you goes to our colleagues, Petra Pavlikova and Jitka Pechova, from the Czech Republic, and their work in preparing the application for the partnership, Unfortunately the school in the Czech Rebublic had to withdraw from the project before completion.


Nor

way

Norway

Area: 385 000 km²Population: 4.8 millionCapital City: OsloOfficial Language: Norwegian and SamiNationality: NorwegianNational Day: 17th of May, Constitution DayAnthem: Ja, vi elskerMain religions: Christian: Lutheran.Currency: KronerHighest Point: Galdhøpiggen 2469 mLongest river: River Gloma 600 kmLargest lake: Lake Mjøsa 368 km²

WHERE IS NORWAY?

Norway is in the north and west of Europe. Its neighbours are Sweden, Denmark and Finland. Together they make up the Nordic countries.In summertime the midnightsun shines all day in the north.

Norway is famous for its long coast with lots of islands and beautilful Fjords.Norway has lots of big glaciers and lovely waterfalls.

THINGS YOU MIGHT LIKE TO KNOW ABOUT NORWAY.

Our flag has a Christian cross. The cross is blue outlined in white and on a red background. We got our flag in 1821.

TWO FAMOUS THINGS ABOUT NORWAY

We have oil in the North Sea.

We have many beautiful Fjords.


HORNINDAL SKULE

Hornindal School has 175 children. They age from 6 to 16 years old, from 1st to 10th grade. There are about 25 teachers and assistants working in our school. The school was built in 1974.

This year, 2011, we are going to build a new big sports hall on the school site.

Hornindal School has taken part in three Comenius projects since 2004, and we enjoy working with our “Comenius family” very much!!

Our school is situated in the municipality of Hornindal and beside the beautiful Hornindalsvatn or Hornindal Water, the deepest lake in Europe, 514 m deep. The population of Hornindal is approximately 1,200 people. Our school is in Grodås, it is the main village in Hornindal and it is at the east end of Hornindal Water.


INDOOR GAME: SPOON GAME

1. The children stand in a circle. Place spoons on the floor in front of each child but make sure you have one spoon less than the number of children.

2. When you start playing music the children walk around the spoons with their hands up behind their head.

3. When the music stops they must each try to get a spoon. The child that doesn’t get a spoon is out of the game. Then you remove another spoon and play more music. When it stops, the children must try to get a spoon again. Continue this until there is only one spoon and two participants left.

4. Play the music again and when it stops the winner is the one that gets the last spoon.


OUTDOOR GAME: ALTERNATIVE RELAY

In this relay everybody can participate. Nobody knows what they are going to do before they meet at the stadium. 168 pupils and teachers took part when Comenius visited the school.

These pictures are from some of the legs.

1st grade started. They used a scooter to move to the exchange.

The next participants had to blow the ping-pong ball to the exchange.

This participant has to run with a balloon between his legs to the exchange.

When the pupils with the balloon are coming to the exchange the pupils in this leg pricked the balloon with a needle and run off into the woods to pick flowers. They brought the bouquet to the exchange.

Finish!!

Next time nobody knows what the are going to do in the Alternative Relay.

We always keep it a secret and we are changing the legs everytime.


OUTDOOR GAME: ALTERNATIVE RELAY

Fran

ce

FranceWHERE IS FRANCE?France is in western Europe. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the Mediterranean Sea to the south. It shares a border with Belguim, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Spain and Adorra and so it is like a crossroads at the heart of Europe.

The European Parliament is located in Strasbourg. Liberty, Equality, Fraternity is our Motto.

THINGS YOU MIGHT LIKE TO KNOW ABOUT FRANCE

Area: 674,843 km² Population: 64 millionCapital City: ParisOfficial Language: FrenchNationality: FrenchNational Day: 14 July, Bastille DayAnthem: La MarseillaiseMain religions: Christian, IslamCurrency: Euro (€)Highest Point: Mont Blanc 4,810mLongest river: La Loire 1,013 km Largest lake: Lac du Bourgey 44.5 km²

The blue and red are the colours of Paris and white was the colour of the nation in the time of kings. At the time of the revolution of 1789, the white was inserted between the colours of Paris as it was the city where the revolution began.

TWO FAMOUS THINGS ABOUT FRANCE

The TGV (high-speed train) has reduced distances not only within France but also to its neighbours: Great-Britain, Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, and soon Italy.

France is a nation of research and innovation but also art, fashion, culture, history and architecture. In November 2010 the French Gastronomy was added by UNESCO to its lists of the world’s Intangible Cultural Heritage.


“L’ÉCOLE DE LA BAJATIÈRE”

Our school is in the city of Grenoble in the southeast of France, it is one of the main cities of the Rhone-Alps region and is famous for its beautiful setting at the heart of 3 alpine mountain chains: Belledonne, Chartreuse and Vercors.

Grenoble is the flattest city in France and it sits at an altitude of 213 meters. It has a remarkable university and a large scientific community which give Grenoble a cosmopolitan feel. It is a city that is constantly on the move.

Les Bulles de Grenoble are the cable cars that take people from the valley floor up into the mountains

Les bulles Grenoble

The Comenius project is an opportunity to share experiences, competencies and friendship. It is a way to explore different approaches and interpretations in our different schools. It allows us to share wishes and to move forward.

Our Comenius moto is the AIM is the ROAD.

Our little school “L’école de la Bajatière” is in a suburban area.

We have 125 pupils from 6 to 11 years old and 5 teachers in primary school and 91 pupils from 3 to 5 years old and 3 teachers in preprimary school

Each teacher is in charge of one level and teaches every subject.

The Headmasters are also in charge of a class.School time is from 8:30 to 11:30 am 1:30 to 4:30 pm


INDOOR GAME : RAINBOW GAME

We collected the chestnuts and we do some art and craft activities.

We invented the rainbow game.

First you draw rings of colour like an archers target. Each colour can correspond to a number (or a geometric shape) so that it becomes a mathematics game.

In our game you put your chestnut on the outside of the rings and flick it to the centre. You score points depending on where the chestnut lands e.g. if it lands on the yellow ring you score 5 points, if your chestnut lands in the centre you score 30 points.

You can decide the points and colours for your own game and you can make different rules e.g. if you land in the yellow ring you have to sing a song, or if you land in the centre you run on the spot for 1 minute.

This game can be played indoors or outdoors and combines many areas of the curriculum.

In autumn we look for and collect natural treasures like our traditional chestnuts.


OUTDOOR GAME: MEMORY GAME

You also have to make cards to match each ofthe pictures squares on your board game.

One side of each card will show the same picture as on the board, as well as the name in English. The back of each card will show a related vocabulary word, for example, “cow” and “milk” and a short English sentence, for example, “I like milk.”

You need to make a list of the cards with their vocabulary words and sentences. Before you start the game you have to hide the picture cards in the playground.

The teacher can be the leader and can check the answer on the list of vocabulary words and sentences. You play the game in teams, you can have 2 to 3 players in a team.

RULES

1 The team rolls the dice.

2 The team moves its marker the number of squares indicated on the dice.

3 If the square has instructions, the team follows the instructions. If the square has a picture, the team goes into the playground and searches for the corresponding picture card.

4 Once someone on the team finds the card, they call the others. The team memorizes the English word or sentence on the back and then leaves the card back in its place.

5 The team returns together to the board game and presents the English word or sentence. If the team has forgotten it, they must go back to the card and look again.

6 The team who reaches the last square first wins.

You need to make a board game like this one with picture squares and instruction squares for example, ‘move back 3 spaces’. You can use your own symbols.


Cat

alon

ia ~

Spa

in

Catalonia~SpainWHERE IS CATALONIA?

The flag of Catalonia is called La Senyera. It has four red bars on a golden background and was adopted as the official symbol of Catalonia in 1932. It is said that the four red bars were made by the French king ‘Charles the Bald’ after a battle when he spread his fingers in the blood of the nobles and drew four red stripes on his golden shield.

Area: 32.107 km²Population: 7.5 millionCapital City: BarcelonaOfficial Language: Catalan and SpanishNationality: SpanishNational Day: 11th SeptemberAnthem (song): Els SegadorsMain religions: Christian, CatholicCurrency: Euro €Highest Point: Pica d’Estats (3142 m)Longest river: Rio Ebre, 910 kmLargest lake: Estany de Banyoles 12 km²

THINGS YOU MIGHT LIKE TO KNOW ABOUT CATALUNYA

TWO FAMOUS THINGS ABOUT CATALUNYA

Sagrada Familia: The Sagrada Familia is the symbol of Barcelona and one of the most famous buildings in the world. The building of the church began in 1882 by Antoni Gaudi, the architect, and it is still to be completed. The work conducted by Gaudi was declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 2005.

Castells: Castells are towers made from people or ‘human towers.’ They have traditionally been built at festivals in Catalonia for over 200 years. Teams of people called ‘castellers’ compete to see who can built the tallest tower. Hundreds of peope can be in a team and some towers have been 10 stages high. In 2006 the building of Castells was declared by UNESCO to be part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Catalonia or Catalunya (in Catalan) is a European and Western Mediterranean country, it is constituted as an autonomous community of Spain. It is located on the northeast coast of the Iberian Peninsula, bordered to the north with France and Andorra, to the west and south by Spain and to the east by the Mediterranean Sea.


ESCOLA MOWGLI

Our school is in the north of the city of Reus, Catalonia. We are located in a quiet place surrounded by beautiful trees and fresh air.

Our school is 46 years old and we currently have 238 children attending, the youngest is 3 and the oldest is 12.

Our school opens at 08.30 in the morning and finishes at 16.30. We stop for lunch from 12.00 to 15.00 for the youngest children and from 13.00 to 15.00 for the oldest children.

Last year we opened new facilities that improve the quality of teaching; new classrooms, a computer suite, a library and administration offices.

In the same way that we believe the Library is an important part of the development of children, the realization of this European project has given an added dimension to the work of our school. Gràcies amics.


INDOOR GAME: SEVEN LIVES

This game can be played indoors or outdoors.

The game ends when only one person from team A remains in the centre. Team B has seven throws to get the team A player out. If they don’t, the

team A wins but if they do team B wins.

In this game, team B must try to eliminate team A with a ball. They throw the ball from one side to the other and try to hit members of team A.

Team A should try to dodge the ball, but when they are hit they are out.

There is an exception: if the ball bounces on the ground before touching the player they are not out. Also if someone in team A catches the ball they earn a life and can save a team member who has been put out.

You need a large space to play this game, a hall or gym is best. Divide the gym into 3 sections with cones. The central section must be the widest. Divide your players into 2 teams, A and B. Team A is placed in the center section, between the cones, and team B goes either side of team A.


OUTDOOR GAME: PACMAN

This game uses the coloured lines that mark games in the playground.

All players are placed on the different lines of colours, this determines the track they have to follow e.g. white or blue or yellow. No one can leave the coloured lines, all have to run on them.

Some participants with special T-shirts are "COMECOCOS” (pursuers). They try to catch and ‘eat’ the other children, they are called the "COCO" (persecuted).

If the Comecocos catch someone, they change the T-shirt and swap the roles, from Comecocos to Coco.

Important rule: if you have swapped roles you can not touch the one who caught you and

swapped roles.


Portu

gal

PortugalWHERE IS PORTUGAL?Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is located in south western Europe in the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east. The Atlantic archipelagos of Azores and Madeira are part of Portugal.

THINGS YOU MIGHT LIKE TO KNOWABOUT PORTUGALArea: 92,090 km²Population: 11.5 millionCapital City: Lisbon, LisboaOfficial Language: PortugueseNationality: PortugueseNational Day: 10th June, Portuguese

Communities’ DayAnthem (song): A PortuguesaMain religions: Christian: Roman CatholicCurrency: Euro (€)Highest Point: Pico Mountain- 2,351mLongest river: Rio Mondego – 227kmLargest lake: Barragem de Alqueva 250 km²

The Portuguese flag is a rectangular bicolour unevenly divided into green and red. The armillary sphere and Portuguese shield are centered over the colour boundary. On June 30th, 1911, after the downfall of the constitutional monarchy, this design was officially adopted for the new national flag.

TWO FAMOUS THINGS ABOUT PORTUGAL

During the 15th and 16th centuries, Portuguese sailors were at the forefront of European overseas exploration, discovering and mapping the coasts of Africa, Asia and Brazil.

In 1922 Gago Coutinho and Sacadura Cabral made the first flight across the South Atlantic Sea, from Lisbon, Portugal to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. They made the crossing in a small float plane without any navigation instruments.


AGRUPAMENTO DE ESCOLAS DE CINFÃES

The Agrupamento de Escolas de Cinfães is a group of schools whose headquarters is in Escola E.B.2,3, General Serpa Pinto. It is in Cinfães, a small town in the north of Portugal.

Cinfães is surrounded by a rare and beautiful landscape of hills and valleys.

Down the hills runs the Bestança River flowing into the magnificent and eternal Douro River.

Our group of schools comprises of Pre school, Primary and Secondary schools, which also cater for vocational and adult education. There are 250 children in our Nursery schools, 600 children in the primary schools and 700 pupils on roll at the secondary school, E.B.2,3 de Cinfães, 85 of them attend Vocational Training and 300 attend Adult Education. Classes start at 8.30 a.m. and finish at 5.30 p.m.

We have lots of extra-curricular activities.

It was great to participate in this Comenius project. Thank you Troubadours for the unforgettable time we spent together.


INDOOR GAME: THE RING GAME

This is our indoor game. All you need is a small ring and a group of players.

1. All players in the circle put their hands together.

2. One player, player A, carries the ring around the circle of players.

3. Player A “secretly” drops the ring into the hands of one of the players in the circle and continues around the circle.

4. Player A will challenge one player in the circle, player B, to answer the question, “Who has got the ring?”

5. If player B is successful in guessing who has the ring, they become the new carrier of the ring. If player B is unsuccessful they must do a forfeit, for example sing a song or do 10 press-ups.

6. Either player A or player B will restart the game (see 1) depending upon whether player B has been successful or not.

A

A

A AB B


OUTDOOR GAME: THE SCARF GAME

This can be played in any space, both indoors and outdoors. All you need is a scarf and a group of players.

1. The players form a circle.

2. One player, player A, goes around outside of the circle whilst singing “The scarf is on the hand, but it’s going to fall to the ground”, before dropping the scarf behind someone, player B, in the circle.

3. Player B picks up the scarf and chases after player A. Player A runs around the outside of the circle aiming to get to the space vacated by player B before being touched.

4. Whoever is unsuccessful goes in the middle of the circle and all the other players say “go to the nest”.

5. The game restarts with the successful player, either player A or B, running around the circle and dropping the scarf.

6. The player in the middle of the circle watches and when the scarf is dropped tries to catch it. If the player is successful they leave the “nest” and are replaced by the player that didn’t notice the scarf behind them.

7. Whoever is unsuccessful goes in the middle of the circle (see 4) while the successful player restarts the game (see 2).


Italy

ItalyWHERE IS ITALY?Italy is a country located in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia along the Alps. To the south it consists of the Italian Peninsula and the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. There are many other smaller islands in the Mediterranean that are part of Italy.

The Italian flag is called Il Tricolore in Italy. It is a tricolour featuring three equally sized vertical stripes of green, white and red, with the green at the hoist side.

THINGS YOU MIGHT LIKE TO KNOWABOUT ITALYArea: 301.336 km² Population: 60.5 millionCapital City: RomaOfficial Language: ItalianNationality: ItalianNational Day: 25 April Anthem : Fratelli d’Italia Main religions: CatholicCurrency: EuroHighest Point: Monte Bianco 4,810 mLongest river: Rio Po 652 kmLargest lake: Lago di Garda, 369.98 km².

TWO FAMOUS THINGS ABOUTITALYThe Colosseum, originally the Flavian Amphitheatre, is an elliptical amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome. It is the largest amphitheatre ever built in the Roman Empire. It is considered one of the greatest works of Roman architecture and Roman engineering.

Saint Peter’s Square is located directly in front of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican City, the papal enclave within Rome


IV CIRCOLO DIDATTICO “TOMMASO FIORE”

Our school is in the small town of Gravina in Puglia in the southern Italian province of Bari. Our town is very old. The name comes from the motto given to the city by the Emperor Frederick II, in Latin it is “Grana dat et vina” which means “It gives grain and wine”.

This is the Gravina Bridge, it is 37m high, 90m long and 5.5m wide. It connects the two banks of the river Gravina. It was built around 1686 and has survived many earthquakes. Originally it was for people to cross to and from Gravina but in the middle of the 18th century it was transformed into an aqueduct to bring water to Gravina.

Our school is located in the edge of town and our pupils come from the town of Gravina and the surrounding countryside. We also have pupils from different countries. Our school is called IV Circolo”T.Fiore”. It consists of two Primary schools and three Nursery schools.

We have 92 teachers and 897 pupils. In each primary classroom there are 3 teachers and in each Nursery school there are 2 teachers.Primary schools open from 8:15 a.m. to 13.15 p.m. and Nursery schools open from 8:15a.m. to 16.15 p.m.

The Comenius project has been a great experience to let our pupils learn about the European Union and to create a common cultural knowledge. It is a way to share activities and make friends. Our Comenius moto is “Unity is Strength”


INDOOR GAME: THE CHAIR GAME This game can be played by a group of children.

The chairs are arranged in a circle facing outward.

Players go and stand behind the chairs then they sit down.

When the music starts to play the players walk around the chairs. When the music suddenly is stopped everyone must race to sit down in one of the chairs.

The player who is left without a chair is eliminated from the game and one chair is also removed.

The music resumes and the cycle repeats until only one player remains, they are the winner.

The game starts with any number of players and a number of chairs but one fewer than the number of players.


BURST THE BALLOONS: OUTDOOR GAME This game can be played indoors or outdoors.

The players are arranged in a semicircle and a balloon tied to their ankle.

When the music starts the players try to burst their friend’s balloon.

If the balloon is burst the player must go out of the game.

The players left try to burst the remaining balloons to win the prize.

Here is the winner!


WHERE IS NORTHERN IRELAND?

Northern Ireland is in the northeast of the island of Ireland and is on the western edge of Europe. It is part of the United Kingdom although it is often thought to be part of the Republic of Ireland.

It is also called Ulster which is the ancient Celtic name for this part of Ireland.

The Northern Ireland Flag or Ulster flag is based upon the St. George’s Cross of England and includes the Crown to represent the Queen, the 6 pointed star is to represent the six counties of Northern Ireland and the Red Hand of Ulster.

Nor

ther

n Ir

elan

dTWO FAMOUS THINGS ABOUT NORTHERN IRELANDThe Giant’s Causeway is an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns which were the result of an ancient volcanic eruption. Most of the basalt columns are hexagonal in shape. It was declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1986

The HMS Titanic ship was built in Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland. In its day it was the largest ship ever built but unfortunately it sank on the 14th April 1912 during its maiden voyage. The shipwreck of the Titanic was discovered in 1985 at a depth of 4 km. Many books, films and documentaries have been made about this famous and tragic ship.

Northern Ireland

Area: 13,843 km²Population: 1.7 million Capital City: BelfastOfficial Language: English, Irish and Ulster ScotsNationality : British and Irish National Day: 17 March St Patrick’s DayAnthem (song) : God save the QueenMain religions: Protestant and CatholicCurrency: Pound sterling (£)Highest point: Slieve Donard 848 m

Longest river: River Bann 129 kmLargest Lake: Lough Neagh - 392 km² the

largest freshwater lake inthe British Isles

THINGS YOU MIGHT LIKE TO KNOW ABOUT NORTHERN IRELAND


LIGONIEL PRIMARY SCHOOL

Our school is situated in the north of Belfast and on the side of Squires Hill. This means our school is high up and we have great views over the city and the countryside. We can see the famous cranes of Harland and Wolfe, the mountains of Mourne, Belfast Lough and the Irish Sea.

Our school opens at 08.45 in the morning and finishes at 14.00 for children aged 4-7 and 15.00 for children aged 7-11.

Our school is 44 years old and we currently have 146 children attending, the youngest is 4 and the oldest is 11. We are one of the few schools in Belfast whose pupil numbers have increased over the last 10 years.

We are lucky to have a very large playground with many toys and games.

We promote the International curriculum in our school and have just received the International Schools Award.

We have enjoyed being part of the Comenius project and sharing our games with our friends in other countries.

Our school is in Belfast, the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. Belfast became famous in the 18th century for the Irish linen industry and in the early 20th century it had the largest and most productive shipyard in the world. The recent times of conflict, called the Troubles, have been replaced by calm and sustained economic and commercial growth. Today, Belfast is a centre for the arts, medical research, industry and higher education with its famous Queen’s University. The city skyline is dominated by the huge cranes, Samson and Goliath, in the Harland & Wolff shipyard.


INDOOR GAME: SPEEDY CHAIRS

3. The teacher calls out a times table question e.g. 2 x 5.

4. The child who is ‘on’ and the child in the chair have to shout out the answer to the question as quickly as they can.

10

5. Who ever wins can move onto another child.

6. The losing child sits down or stays seated.

You can keep a tally of how many chairs a particular child can get around without having to sit down.

The game can be played with any questions that have 1 word answers,

e.g. What Is 3 + 19?

Who discovered Tutankhamen’s tomb?

What animal has a trunk?

This is our indoor game. All you need is a class of children. You have to be fast on your feet and to think just as fast.

1. Choose a child to be ‘on’.

2. They then go and stand behind another child’s chair and hold the back.


OUTDOOR GAME: PARACHUTE


1. Lay your parachute on the floor.

Each child holds a handle.

2. Each child is given the number 1, 2 or 3.

3. Lift the parachute in the air and if your number is called you must run underneath the parachute while it is in the air and back out again before it falls to the ground. Repeat for different numbers.

4. When the game is over, drop the parachute to the ground. You can vary the game by using letters, sounds, colours, animals etc instead of numbers.


Engl

and

EnglandWHERE IS ENGLAND?

England is one of four countries that make up the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Britain is an island in the north west of Europe and is separated from the continent by the English Channel. England is made up of green fields and woodland with a “backbone” of higher ground formed by the Pennines.

Area 130,410 km²Population 49 millionCapital city LondonOfficial language EnglishNationality BritishNational Day 23rd April, St George’s DayAnthem God Save The QueenMain religions ChristianityCurrency Pound Sterling (£)Highest Point Scafell Pike 978mLongest river River Thames 346kmLargest lake Lake Windemere 14.7 km²

THINGS YOU MIGHT LIKE TOKNOW ABOUT ENGLAND

The flag of England is the St. George’s Cross. The legend of St. George slaying the dragon dates from the 12th century and St. George became the patron saint of England in the 13th century. The red cross appeared in the Holy Crusades.

TWO FAMOUS THINGS ABOUT ENGLAND

The City of London is situated on the River Thames and has a population of 7.5 million people. It has many buildings of historical interest, including the Tower of London and Buckingham Palace. Many tourists come to London to enjoy the many shops and theatres found here.

England is the home of The Beatles, the iconic 1960’s pop group.Their songs continue to be sung around the world today.


AMBERLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL

Amberley Primary School is located in the small town of Killingworth, which is to be found on the outskirts of Newcastle upon Tyne in the north east of England. Killingworth developed as a mining community, but nowadays its inhabitants work in offices, shops and factories around the Tyne valley.

From our school we look down upon the urban Tyne valley in the south and up to the Cheviot Hills in the north.

Amberley school provides education for children aged 3-11 and currently has about 360 pupils on roll. The majority of children live within walking distance of school. We have a head and deputy and 15 assistant teachers. Each class has a designated teacher, who delivers all of the lessons in the curriculum.

All children love playing games and now we have more games to enjoy. Our children have found we already share many games even though they have different names and small differences in the rules. It would appear that games do not recognise national boundaries.


INDOOR GAME: BEETLE

This game can be played with a group of three to five players.

The aim of the game is to draw a beetle.

You have to throw the dice and draw the different parts of the beetle but you have to do it in the correct order.

You roll a dice and try to roll a 6. When you get a 6 you can start the beetle by drawing the body.

Now you can add the head but you need to throw a 5

Next you can add the legs but you need to throw a 4. You need to throw a 4 six times because there are 6 legs.

After you have a head you can add the antennae and eyes. You need to throw a 2 for them. You need to throw a 2 four times because there are 2 antennae and 2 eyes.

Each player in the game takes a turn rolling the dice.

The game ends when one player has drawn a beetle with all the parts, they can shout Beetle.


This is a good game to play in the playground.

It is best with about ten to twenty players.

Choose one player to be ‘on’, call them Player A. They start the game by chasing the other players.

When Player A catches or “tags” another player they link together by holding hands and then they chase the others.

When they tag another player they join hands and we have a chain of 3 players.

When the chain tags someone else instead of becoming a chain of 4, they break up into two chains of 2.

The game continues in this pattern until everyone is “tagged”.

OUTDOOR GAME: THE CHAIN GAME


Finl

and

Finland

THINGS YOU MIGHT LIKE TO KNOW ABOUT FINLAND.Area: 338,430 km²Population: 5.4 millionCapital City: HelsinkiOfficial Language: Finnish and SwedishNationality: FinnishNational Day: 6th DecemberAnthem: Maamme lauluMain religions: Christian, Evangelical Lutheran

and Orthodox Currency: Euro (€) Highest Point: Halti 1324 mLongest river: Toriojoki, 570 kmLargest lake: Saimaa 1377 km ²

WHERE IS FINLAND?Finland is located in Northern Europe and it is one of the Nordic countries. Its neighbours are Sweden, Norway, Russia and Estonia. Almost a quarter of Finland is on the northern side of the Arctic Circle.

The cross in the Finnish flag represents our Christian heritage and Finland’s commitment to the Nordic tradition. The colours come from Finnish nature; white represents the snow and blue represents the lakes and the sky.

TWO FAMOUS THINGS ABOUT FINLANDIn Finland men and women are equal. The Finnish women were the first in Europe to get the right to vote in 1906.

Santa Claus (we call him Joulupukki) is from Finland. He lives in Lapland and every Christmas he leaves Finland to give presents to children all around the world and to spread good will.

There are two schools

from Finland in

the project, Martikkalan Koulu and Vierema.


MARTIKKALAN KOULU

Martikkala School is located in the district of Lapinlahti which is in Eastern Finland approximately 450km north from Helsinki. Our school is surrounded by the Finnish landscape of hills, fields, forests and lakes. Väisälänmäki is one of the national landscapes of Finland and a national treasure and it is close to our school. Many famous Finnish artists have painted here e.g. Eero Järnefelt and Pekka Halonen.

Our school includes preschool and primary school pupils and at the moment we have 24 students and 2 full-time teachers. The students are aged between 6 and 12. The school day begins at 9.05 a.m. and finishes at 1 p.m. or 2.45 p.m. Almost all our students come to school by bus.

The Comenius project has opened for us doors to Europe. We have learnt that our Comenius friends play the same games as we do and we have also learnt some new games which have brought joy to our school days.


INDOOR GAME: LAYERED SANDWICH

Form a circle with chairs. Everyone sits on their own chair. Agree that everyone will move clockwise.

The game leader (teacher) asks all those students who are wearing, for example, a grey shirt to move forward to the next chair. Other students remain on their own chairs.

Next the game leader asks all those students who have got long, blond hair to move forward by two chairs. Thus the students will have to sit on each other’s laps and this is how the layered sandwich is formed. Remember to hold on tight so the sandwich stays together.

Only the student who has the asked quality moves. Thus somebody who is in the middle or on the bottom of the sandwich may move forward but the rest of the students in that sandwich stay where they are.

For example:

J those children who have a catmove forward by five chairs.

J those students who come to school by bus - move forward by two chairs.

Students can make up the qualities that move the students.


OUTDOOR GAME : PURKKIS – “THE CAN”

This is our outdoor game, it is like hide and seek with a ball.

You need a ball which we call “the Can” and a place with good hiding places e.g. school yard.

Choose a good place in the open for the ball and all the players gather around it.

Choose one player to be the guardian of the ball.

Another player kicks the ball as far as possible and all the players (not the guardian) run and hide.

The guardian goes and brings the ball back and yells

“The can is home!”

The guardian starts seeking the hiding players.

When the guardian spots someone he runs to the ball, puts his foot on it and calls out the name of the player they have spotted. The player who has been found comes out from hiding. At the same time the player who has been spotted tries to run to the ball and kick it before the guardian calls out their name.

The players who have been found can be rescued and can go hiding again if a hiding player manages to kick the ball away yelling “Everyone’s rescued!” before the guardian calls out their name.

The game starts again from the beginning when everyone is found and the person who was found first becomes the guardian.


VIEREMÄ KIRKONKYLÄ SCHOOLOur school is situated in eastern Finland. Vieremä is part of the Upper Savo area. Our school is in the centre of the village of Vieremä. In southern Vieremä there are lots of lakes and beautiful lake landscapes. In the northern part of Vieremä there are broad uninhabited areas.

Our school was built in 1968. We have 120 pupils at our school with classes from Grade 1-6. We also have a special class. The youngest pupils are 7 and the oldest are 12.

Our school opens at 6.30 in the morning. The youngest pupils also have a chance to have daycare before school which starts at 8.00 or 8.50.

School finishes between 12.00-15.00 pm. Daycare is also provided till 17.00 pm. It is for the youngest children and for the pupils who have special needs.

We have two playgrounds. One is in the front of the school and the other is behind the school. There are climbing frames and swings in the playgrounds. In the wintertime the pupils like to slide in the playground and build snowcastles.

We also have a sportfield next to the school. In the wintertime there is an ice-skating rink next to the school.

We also have a huge sports hall together with our secondary school and upper secondary school.


This game can be played indoors and outdoors.

Choose one player as a colour leader.

Other players go behind the line

(10 metres away.)

INDOOR GAME: COLOUR GAME

The leader doesn’t watch the other players and starts to say things like:

”Who has red in his or her clothes can come three Bear steps forward.”

The leader can choose a new colour and can decide what kind of steps the others can take.

Steps can be called: Chicken steps

Bear steps

Jumps

Giant steps

The player who reaches the leader first, will be the new leader.


OUTDOOR GAME : PESÄPALLO OR NELIMAALI

Pesäpallo or Finnish baseball is a Finnish national game.It is a very popular school game. Nelimaali or four bases is a school version of Pesäpallo

fourthbase

Playing area: you can draw it on the ground or mark it otherwise.

firstbase

third base

second base

waiting area battingcircle

Team A are fielding and pitching, team B are batting and scoring runs.

One player in Team A is the pitcher, they throw the ball to the player in team B who has the bat and is standing in the batting circle.

They have three chances to hit the ball.If they hit the ball, they can run to the first base, then to the second and so on.

If they do not hit the ball, they go to the waiting area and can run if and when the next player hits the ball.

Team A is catching the ball and throwing it to the pitcher as fast as they can.

When the pitcher catchs the ball, all the players that are not at bases are burnt or out of the game and they have to come home.

If team A catches the ball before it bounces then team B is out.

If the player in team B reaches the fourth base the team gets a run.

The game goes on until there are three players out (or more if agreed).

Then the teams change places.

You can play Nelimaali in your playground. You need 2 teams of players, a bat, a ball and gloves for catching if you have them. Here is how to set up the playing area.

firstbase

third base

second base

waiting areabattingcircle

one playeris pitcher

team B is batting, everyone waiting their turn

Team A is catching the ball

Team A

Team B

PESÄPALLO


INDOOR GAME: HAPPY TROUBADOURS CARD GAME

Paris

yksikaksikolmeneljäviisi

Happy Troubadours is a card game played with special packs of 48 cards. The cards are grouped into 8 sets of 6 cards. Each set represents a country from our Troubadours United project.

The 8 countries are France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Finland, Norway, Northern Ireland and England.

In each country’s set there are 6 cards representing;

the capital city

a famous place

the national flag

how to say ‘Thank You’ in the language of the country

a famous person and

counting to five in the language of the country

The idea of the game is to collect a set of cards from one country, for example all 6 cards from France.

6 cards are dealt to every player. The remaining cards form the “Go fish” pile in the centre of the table.

Play starts with Player A on the dealers left. They ask for a certain card to start building towards a set. Player A can ask any of the other players but they must already have one card from the set they are trying to build.

If the other player does not have the card, Player A must take a top card from the Go Fish pile and the player to their left, Player B, continues the game.

The game can be played by 2 to 8 players.


Player B can now ask for a card from any player, for example, ”Do you have the capital city of England?” If the player asked does have the card they must give it to Player B.

Player B can now ask again for another card.

The first player to make a set of all 6 cards from a country places them on the table and they score 8 points. The game goes on until the other sets are made with each set scoring points from 7 down to 1 for the last set put down. The person with the highest score wins the game and scores can be carried on into the next game.

Different schools can make their own ways of asking for the cards.

One school tried this way.

When asking for the card the player had to ask for the name of the card, for example,

“Do you have the capital city of Italy?” or

“Do you have the numbers one to five from France?”

The other player has to give back the answer.

“No I do not have “Rome” or

“Yes I do have the numbers un, deux, trois, quatre, cinq.”

We hope you enjoy making up your own rules.

Thank you to our Troubadour friends in L’école de la Bajatière, France for inventing this game.


OUTDOOR GAME: THE FLAG GAME

You need 2 sets of flags from foreign countries.

Attach the flags from one set to chairs and place the chairs in the playground, leave space for players to run between chairs.

One player is ‘on’, Player A, and they keep the second set of flags.

The other players run to a chair and stop.

They identify the flag at their chair.

Player A stands in the centre of the chairs and chooses a flag from their set at random, they could close their eyes to chose. They hold up the flag and shout the name of the country.

Any player standing at the chair with that flag is eliminated and must go and sit beside player A.

The game continues. The players run to stand beside a different flag and Player A chooses a new flag and tries to eliminate more players.

The game ends when only one player is left.

You can remove chairs to make the game more difficult

Thank you to our friends in Amberley Primary School for first thinking of this game.


You need 2 sets of flags from foreign countries. We play our game with the flags from the Troubadour United countries. You can decide how many flags you want to use but between 4 to 8 flags is best. Show the players the flags and name the countries.

We play our game with the flags from the Troubadour United countries. You can decide how many flags you want to use but between 4 to 8 flags are best. Show the players the flags and name the countries.

Documents

Comenius 2011 - Troubadours United