Usually we prepare our activities with the kids week by week trying to combine creativity, movement, culture, fun and new things for them. Usually we have an idea which will be the topic of the week (music, theater, drawing, animals, dancing, sports...) and we develop specific activities and games for each day. We use our skills and tools we have of our training and work and personal experienceswith kids to create our timetables. We work all together in this process which starts with a brainstorming in our living-room :).
One week our project team offered us an "educators week":a week completely planned by the educators with their own activities.
I will explain you how it was in Vila Raluca with the small kids:
In my Vila the educators are so good with crafts so we did quilling and crochet.
I've never done quilling before so all the kids teach me to make beautiful flowers.
We also played games, sang romanian songs and they teached me to dance romanian traditional dances like hora:
And there was a special activity: cooking sarmale, a traditional romanian plate.
Oh, no... sorry... it´s just revelion. In fact I was really confused for weeks if it is "rebellion" or "revelion" or something else between.
"What is the name of your new year´s eve?"
"Rebwfvlielion."
"Aaaah, okay."
For me, it was very interesting, because I didn't just joined a romanian "Silvester", I joined a romanian Silvester with a spanish tradition. A tradition with grapes, and you have to eat a special number in a special time. But see yourself (4:40 min):
So we, Dada and me (Miriam was in Germany),
did this with our children of all houses, which was funny. Because the
children stay at home at this special day, we made this tradition
seperated in every house and following not at 12 o'clock. At 12 o'clock
we went to the city center with the big children of Vila Marian. For
Slobozia, a more or less little town, the professional firework was very
nice. Directly after this, the kids and youngsters wanted to go back to
the house... and there they celebrate a little bit (and a birthday by
the way) before they went to sleep or the computer...
So much for that. If you want to celebrate the New Year's Eve in Slobozia, you have to go to a club or bar. So we drove to our local favourite pub to dance the whole night to Manele. Normally a few of them don't like Manele, the modern gipsy music, but I guess it's like the "modern folk music" of Germany: When you're drunk, you can have a lot of fun with it! My favourite quote of this night, after we asked if we can drink our bottle of champagne in this pub, maybe when we pay the price this bottle would cost there: "You have the bottle, I have the glasses." But every party finds an end sooner or later, but in our case, the end had to wait a little bit more longer. In our taxi sits a guy, who invite us to another party. Of course we were a little bit sceptical, but curious enough to go with him. At the end we knew another good bar, had free drinks and the chance to dance a little bit more - NOT to Manele. It was a good and surprising night for us. - Daniel
On 19th of december, Santa Claus, sooner than normal, came to Slobozia to give presents to our kids. But why did he come so soon? And how did he know about our kid's wishes? I will explain you:
At the end of november the kids wrote beautiful letters full of their wishes and colors. They used glitter, tempera colors and markers to do amazing letters to impress Santa Claus.
They did envelops too, and they wrote Santa Claus's adress on them, as you know, Santa lives on North Pole. So we put the letters in a big package and we sent it to the North Pole.
Everyone knows that Santa Claus has a lot of work on december, so to help Santa we try to collect as more toys as possible with the support of Slobozia citizens.
For this, the volunteers created a big poster to hold on different schools and high schools around the town.
We made pictures of the letters and a big list with all the wishes of our kids, so everyone can see what they wanted for Christmas. We asked for support for the project we called "A smile for Christmas" to bring presents for our kids to the schools.
To spread the project we collaborated with other young volunteers of the Direction of Social Assistance and Childhood Protection. We went with them to the schools and high schools and we talked with the students. This was a good part of the project, and the feedback was amazing: on 19 of december, with the help of Santa and Slobozia citizens, all our kids had their "smile for Christmas".
To welcome Santa Claus, the educators and the kids prepared a big party in the Direction's building. Other volunteers and workers were also there to see our kids perfomances.
Vila Cristina started with a traditional dance and a Christmas poem. Vila Marian and Vila Raluca sang and recited poems too. Even TV1 were there to record our kids and show them to all Slovozia through television.
After educator's performance volunteers sang with the kids. First older kids sang some carols like O Tannenbaumwith Miriam playing trombone. Then the smaller kids sang romanian and spanish carols with Daniel and me playing guitar and some kids playing intruments like triangle, maracas and bells.After the party all kids could enjoy their toys, games and new clothes with a big big smile!
On december we did a lot of Christmas activities, crafts, games, cooking...
-At the beginning of december we did an Advent Calendar made of penguins. And
every morning, if the kids were good last day, they could find sweets in the penguin.
-One day we cooked a Santa's face with salami and cheese, and a snowman with oreo and color chocolate:
We made crafts to decorate the Vilas, like snowflakes, Santa Claus faces, stars and little Christmas trees, and even a Chritsmas crafts competition. We learn a lot of romanian Christmas carols, and we teach the kids german, english and spanish carols too. At the end we can sing Silent Night in 4 languages!
Saint Nicholas, also called Nikolaos of Myra, was a historic Bishop of Myra in Lycia. Because of the many miracles attributed to his intercession, he is also known as Nikolaos the Wonderworker.
He had a reputation for secret gift-giving, such as putting coins in
the shoes of those who left them out for him, and thus became the model
for Santa Claus, whose modern name comes from the Dutch Sinterklaas, itself from a series of elisions and corruptions of the transliteration of "Saint Nikolaos".
Saint Nicholas primary virtue came to be seen as generosity to children—rooted
in the stories of rescuing the desperate maidens with gold for their dowries and of saving three children or schoolboys from an evil fate. Nuns in France began leaving treats on Saint Nicholas Eve,
December 5th, for the small children of poor families. St. Nicholas'
gifts were usually: apples, oranges, nuts, and
eventually sweets.
Nowadays, good
children receive treats,candies, cookies, apples and
nutswhile naughty children receive lumps of coal. In
Germany, children put a sock outside their bedroom
doors on the eve of Saint Nicholas Day, and hope to find
candy, coins and maybe a small gift in them. In
the Netherlands, children put their shoes in front of
their chimneys in hopes of finding chocolate or a small
toy in their shoe when they wake. Saint Nicholas Day children's gift-giving custom spread through the Low
Countries, Germany, Austria, France, Switzerland and England. It took
root across most of northern and central Europe, as far east as Romania.
On 6thof december we wanted to do this tradition with our kids, so we started making our own socks: each kid drew, painted and cut a Christmas sock. In the evening all the kids together sang Christmas carols in english, spanish, german and rumanian, and suddenlySaint Nicholas appeared!!!
Saint Nicholas had a golden book with the names of the good and bad kids, so he talked with the kids to remind them that there is some behaviour that they should change or keep if they are good. He fullfilled the socks with oranges,peanuts, juice, chocolates and a little toy and he gave socks to everyone.
We are so happy that Santa Nicholas came to visit us and gave us presents. It was a funny and exciting evening that we hope the kids won´t forget.
First
of december is the national day in Romania, celebrating and remembering
first of december of 1918. On this date, in Alba Iulia, the union of all provinces in Romania: Transilvania, Valaquia, Moldavia, Basarabia and Bucovina, was signed by the
"Big Assembly of Romanian people of Transilvania and Hungary".Thus territories on both sides of the Carpatians were united.
Every first of december there are military parades and masses in honor of romanian union.
Here in Slobozia addition to parades, it was a big party in Union Square (Piata Uniri) with traditional music, dances and food. Everyone had a romanian flag and a big smile.
Oh, no... sorry... it´s just revelion. In fact I was really confused for weeks if it is "rebellion" or "revelion" or something else between.
So we, Dada and me (Miriam was in Germany),
did this with our children of all houses, which was funny. Because the
children stay at home at this special day, we made this tradition
seperated in every house and following not at 12 o'clock. At 12 o'clock
we went to the city center with the big children of Vila Marian. For
Slobozia, a more or less little town, the professional firework was very
nice. Directly after this, the kids and youngsters wanted to go back to
the house... and there they celebrate a little bit (and a birthday by
the way) before they went to sleep or the computer...
We made pictures of the letters and a big list with all the wishes of our kids, so everyone can see what they wanted for Christmas. We asked for support for the project we called "A smile for Christmas" to bring presents for our kids to the schools.
