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PROJECTS AT TRŽIČ KINDERGARTEN

• ERASMUS+ PROJECT THROUGH DEMOCRACY TO LITERACY

The project lasted for 2 years – from 2015 to 2017, and still offers the website where you can find all the information and also didactic materials of the project: https://throughdemocracytoliteracy.wordpress.com/

The intelectual result of the project is a publication, accessible also on-line: https://wordpress.com/view/democracyliteracy.wordpress.com

• PROJECT STEP BY STEP
• PROJECT RECONCEPTUALIZING – REST AND MEALS
• PROJECT REGGIO EMIGLIA

Reggio Emilia is an educational philosophy focused on preschool and primary education. The beginnings reach into 1963 with the main interest being given to it after 1983. It is based on the belief that a child has enormous creative potential and energy for discovering the surrounding world. It is a modern approach to education with the aim to educate and raise children to become critical thinkers and democracy trustees. Its basis and focus are on children’s and human rights, democracy, rule of law, the plurality of knowledge and conceptual integration of science.

There are five kindergarten teachers working on the project at our kindergarten.

• PROJECT “REFLEKTIRANJE OTROKOVEGA RAZVOJA IN RAZVOJA VZGOJITELJICE”

Project has been running for four years in co-operation with Educational Foundation of Slovenia. Basic idea of the project is that systematical observation is inevitable for teacher’s and children’s progress. The project comprises a collection of children’s pictures, drawings, anecdotes and thoughts. All these materials serve as foundation for teacher’s evaluation and planning of suitable activities for children.

Goals of the project:

• connecting theory and practice
• active learning of all the parties involved (children, parents, teachers)
• noticing differences between children
• individualisation of teacher’s approach
• discovering child’s potentials
• developing child’s self-esteem

Teachers involved in the project: Mojca Lužnik, Vesna Žitnik, Olga Češka, Diana Donoša, Vanja Šumič, Ksenja Jeram, Majda Donoša, Tatjana Majeršič, Elma Beganovič, Nataša Brzin in Nataša Durjava.

Co-ordinator of the project: Mojca Lužnik.

EVERY-DAY ACTIVITIES AT THE KINDERGARTEN

Daily programme provides safe and healthy activities, which stimulate children’s potentials. Emphasis is also put on creating emotionally warm environment, so that children feel happy and loved in the kindergarten.

• Welcoming children in the morning – First daily contact of child and pre-school teacher is important. This is also a possibility for communication between parents and the pre-school teacher about events of the previous day, child’s behaviour at home, his health and others.
• Educational activities – Day in kindergarten is filled with spontaneous play and structured activities. Pre-school teachers prepare the play-room, materials and conditions with consideration of children’s needs, developmental level and their own initiative.

This enhances children’s creativity, exploration and imagination. Areas of activities in kindergarten are: movement, language, art, social sciences, science and mathematics.

Activities take place in the kindergarten or outside.

• Nutrition and food – We offer children 3 meals daily: breakfast, lunch and afternoon snack and fruit is offered between breakfast and lunch. Diet meals are also provided if necessary. All meals that our kitchen offers are healthy and provide 70 % of daily value of child’s food intake.

From the educational point of view we try to introduce habits of cultural food-consuming.

• Resting in kindergarten – Sleeping in kindergarten is not obligatory, but it is offered to all children. According to child’s needs and parents’ wishes we offer peaceful activities to those children, who do not sleep in the kindergarten (play in the nooks of the play-room, books, drawing, listening to the music …).

PRINCIPLES OF EDUCATIONAL WORK IN THE KINDERGARTEN

• Respecting children’s individuality and privacy.

• Allowing children to choose between activities according to their wishes, needs and capabilities

• Children’s active participation in decision-making and accepting responsibilities.

  Encouraging positive social and emotional experiences.

• Trusting in the active nature of children: stimulating their own strategies of understanding and expressing, which are typical of certain developmental stage.

Areas of activities in the kindergarten: movement, language, art, society, science and mathematics.

In educational practice we put emphasis on:

• child-centred approach and balance between all the activities,
• choosing adequate activities regarding stage of child’s development (based on child observation),
• offering capacities for experimenting, gaining new experience and challenges,
• the principle of democracy,
• regular planning and evaluation of educational practice.

Parents are acquainted with activities in the kindergarten through personal contact with the staff, through written communications on the notice-board and through parents’ meetings. Individual child’s development is discussed in individual meetings with parents.

COUNSELLING SERVICE AT TRŽIČ KINDERGARTEN

Counselling service consists of a full time counsellor (a social pedagogue) and regular co-operation with mobile speech therapist and teacher for children with special needs.

Main mission of counselling service is supporting and helping pre-school teachers, their assistants and parents. In that way we try to provide best conditions for children’s development. Counsellor’s work is oriented in prevention. We help adults to understand children better and to respond to their needs.

Co-operation with parents is of major importance. We are offering support and help to parents in cases of:

• problems in child’s introductory period in kindergarten
• problems in child’s integration in the kindergarten group
• problems in transition from kindergarten to school
• children with special needs
• inclusion of gifted children

Counsellor’s goal is to understand child’s developmental and emotional problems and his responses to critical situations at home and in kindergarten.
With parents’ approval counsellor contacts with other professional institutions if necessary. Councelling is based on the principle of parents’ free will, mutual agreement and confidentiality.
Meetings take place of workshops and lectures or individual meetings and counselling.
Counselling service is located at Palček unit. Appointments can be arranged via telephone number: Nataša Brzin +386 4 59 71 607 or by e-mail: natasa.brzin@vrtec-trzic.si