Brain gym in Szkola Podstawowa Specjalna nr 40 - Bytom, Poland

Brain Gym in Aveo o Mar school, Portugal

BRAIN GYM PORTUGAL

After mobility to Croatia and all the learning that we were given, Portugal prepared a session that took place with 6ºE class in the context of an English class.

It is a class that is characterized by having a student with a slight intellectual deficit, a student with Specific Language Difficulty (Dyslexia), several cases of hyperactivity disorder with attention deficit (Phda), therefore, with many difficulties in concentration and learning across all disciplines.

Any and all strategies that can be applied to this group, can only improve their performance.

 As a result, we can undoubtedly say that the students loved having a different class and, as you can see in some photos, some even wanted to come forward to demonstrate to others with more difficulty, how the exercises were performed.

This activity was held by teachers Marta Ferreira and Ana Regina Costa

BRAIN GYM ACTIVITY IN METIN SABANCI SCHOOL

Brain Gym is a program of physical activities that can improve the learning abilities of everyone. It consists of 26 simple movements. Movements provide rapid and effective development in concentration, memory, reading, writing, listening, physical coordination, etc. We started to practice brain gym in Metin Sabanci Special Education School for mild retardation students. We planned to do the exercises every morning to improve our children’s literacy skills and to increase their concentration. Our students completed the program by having fun.

Italian team impressions on Croatian mobility

The Italian team was impressed by the warm and exciting welcome of primary school Oton Iveković in Zagreb. 
We were thrilled by the children, the lyrics of a song in particular "My friend", touching the performance of Emma... An emotion that accompanied us until we returned to Italy. All the activities proposed and participated in were interesting and well organized. Our school system is structured and organised in a different way, but we have watched the Croatian educational organisation with interest. Many positive aspects in relation to inclusive activities; workshops designed to stimulate and enhance the skills of children with medium and severe difficulties. We appreciated the attention and constant work in relation to the health care provided for children and support for families. We noticed that the sensory classrooms were equipped with adequate instruments, in each school visited and the dedication of the school staff to all students. The activities that have been proposed to us and in which we have participated in effectively (Brain gym , Autogenic Training and Labyrinth game) have been very interesting and formative. In the workshop students (with the supervision of the teachers) guided us during the activities. We also visited the "Museum of Illusions", where the perception of each of us becomes a subjective and "different" reality from the others, a perfect metaphor for a world full of points of view, scents, sensations that arouse emotions that color our Life. We spent a week among various well-organized activities, an engaging and playful atmosphere and guest care from the Croatian team. Thank you!!!

Day(s) of Tolerance in Aver-O-Mar school, Portugal

This year’s Day of Tolerance was the beginning of a series of activities, thoughts and actions that should occur naturally in every single day of our lives. Students and teachers prepared several activities that were meant to call attention to different types of (in)tolerance through literature, handcrafts, exhibitions, actions or solidarity campaigns.

All started on the 16^th November!

First a different Christmas Pine was built, day by day, exclusively by SEN students, by associating words related to the spirit of the holiday season like Faith, Peace, Love, Health, Forgiveness, Joy, Gratitude, Wisdom, Happiness, Success, Togetherness!

The activity also provided for the development of skills related to fine motor skills, organizational power, association, serialization, aesthetic sense and vocabulary enrichment. Every day a piece was put in the tree, with guidance from teachers, therapists, operating assistants, and so the tree grew until it was displayed in a place where all school students pass and stop to read and better understand the meaning of the coming time. .

The feeling of solidarity, respect, love for others, socialization and inclusion was shared at school in the comments made on the final product.

To all sincere wishes of Faith, Peace, Love, Health, Forgiveness, Joy, Gratitude, Wisdom, Happiness, Success, Togetherness!

Then, school organized activities to promote the development of the Sustainable Development Goals created by the UN, through solidarity campaigns, which promote Poverty Eradication, namely raise funds for the distribution of Christmas hampers to the most deprived families in the school cluster, the decoration of a Sharing Tree and a Human Rights clothesline with clothes and baby items that will be distributed by the county institutions.

In addition to these activities a solidarity campaign for the NGO “Bistúri Humanitário”, with the collection of school material for seven schools of Guinea Bissau. Associated with this activity, a lecture was also held by the president of the same Association plus a pencil case workshop which products were delivered to the same Organization. Because education is not only within walls, but in people's hearts.

The 7th and 8th grade students collaborated in the creation of the “Clothes line”;  the children's own photo mural, displayed children’s rights, read and researched books which stories fomented values such as  Tolerance, Respect, Care, Affection and Equality. This work was developed in the scope of Citizenship, with collaboration of the School Library and the disciplines of Visual Education, Technological Education and ICT.

By working on this subject, students could better understand that unfortunately there are still children around the world who do not have these rights and who live in inhumane conditions.

Even though awareness of these rights has already changed the lives of many children around the world, there is still so much to do.

We must keep on fighting for Tolerance, Peace and Respect!

Peace!

Students and families created works of art that mirrored their view of Peace. The exhibition was held in school but also in the city of Póvoa de Varzim.

Tolerance: the ability or willingness to tolerate the existence of opinions or behaviours that one dislikes or disagrees with.

In 2019, Aver-O-Mar believed that our practices can be different and make the difference; this was our way to act, to raise people’s consciousness to TOLERANCE, SYMPATHY, INDULGENCY; to fight PAIN and  HARDSHIP; to HELP and FOSTER SMILES!!

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE DISABLED PERSON in Aver O Mar- 3rd DECEMBER 2019

Firm in maintaining the Commemoration of this anniversary, the Aver-o-Mar School Grouping has once again provided activities that could place each one in the role of "..and if it were with you?"

Throughout this day, moments of reflection and active practices were created, either Adapted Sport’s activities in Physical Education, and various Sensory Games figured for each of the senses.

This idea came about as a good practice observed in LTT to Croatia where students and teachers participated in Labyrinth Games that held such challenges. Therefore it is a replication of Croatian suggestions to work out senses with students.

Sensory activities were prepared so that they would create in participants a will or desire to explore different environments but also critical thinking to assess the difficulties experienced in the face of any sense failure: smells that mistake, visual drills – what do you actually see?, audio sensibility out of hidden sounds, and others.

An inclusive practice that contributes to the importance of being supportive of those who have lost, or never had the opportunity to feel, a potential for physical / mental / sensory / emotional equality.

Inclusion?! Always! And for all!