A trip to the North Pole!

Strange things happen in the North Pole... Almost magic things!
It's very-very cold! ΟK, we all knew that...
But up there in the north everything is different...
Day and night... The sun and the sky...

So, we boarded our Websail and travelled very far away!!
We met the Eskimoes and they told us how they build their igloos, their ice houses.

We arrived there in summertime. During a day that lasts for...6 months!
Even at night, the sun doesn't set... It never hides...

But when it DOES set, it is for good!.
The night there lasts for six months... Yet, it is not always dark...

Original post by Dimitris Alexakis

Day without cars!

If you passed by our school on Saturday morning, you would think you had visited a bicycle exhibition!

About 50 bicycles (big or small, with or without training wheels) were running around the schoolyard!


All this happened within the framework of celebrating the "Day without Cars" (22nd September).


For two hours, Mr Kostas was setting up tracks for us to show our talent in pedal and learn how to hit the brakes effectively!

Let me see who's the most skilled rider!

"Go!"...

...in between the cones!!!!

...and brake at the right time!

However, we didn't stop there! After completing the "artistry" exercises, we left our bikes to the side and got informed about the right riding behaviour when we are on a bicycle. To put it simply: to ALWAYS wear a helmet and light-coloured clothes and have our lights on when we drive at night. We left the hard work for the end! A specially equipped team with rolls, special colour and the guidance of our teacher and our headmaster painted the crossing on the east side of the school which had completely faded out! Two other teams painted signs for the pedestrians and cyclists on the pavement. So as we (especially grown-ups) don't forget that the pavements are... ...for pedestrians!    ...and bicycles! It was an awesome Saturday morning! ...much better than a drive in a car... Original post by Maria Priniotaki

Walking, learning and playing around "Platanias" river!

On the last Wednesday of March, our school went on an outing to river "Platanias".

We started out with identifying the surroundings of our school and with a basic orientation lesson on our school's roof!

"Where's the south, kids???"

Walking side by side on the pavement, we arrived at the bank of our local river, where we talked about the importance of rivers and the river deltas.

Side by side on the pavement...!

The estuary of river Platanias into the sea...

The White Mountains, covered in snow, majestic, lying to the west and Rethymno seemed to relax under their foot. 

 The wonderful beach luckily had little rubbish, which we collected in bags and then started playing!

"Come on, quick! We need to play, too!"

We had brought balls, cones and rackets. We dug in the sand, walked in the small sweeter water  pond and played tug of war. Some of our teachers had got tired and seeked rest quickly. Others, in a better physical shape, played with us!

Here is pitch number 1...

"Mandilaki" running game...

Some of us were fully "equiped!"!!!

...digging was one of our favourite activities...!

Some...immersed themselves in the sand...

...and some were buried -literally- up to their ears in the sand!

...a keepsake photo with our "spoil", the rubbish we collected!

Tug of War: 4th grades-teachers, write one!

 It turns out no cars or distances are needed to have fun!
Let us not forget, our activities matched the programme "Tourism and Environment" of the Environmental Education Centre of Archanes, in which we take part as a partner school!

Original post by Kostas Ververidis

From production to consumption! (Part I)

Yesterday, we became farmers, for a while! We wanted to come closer to nature and see how useful, tiring, but also pleasant the engagement with the primary sector (agriculture) can be!
 So, we went to an orange grove where we picked oranges, learnt a few things about citrus fruit from an organic products grower (for instance, how to differentiate between bitter and regular oranges-before getting bitter!) and, of course, we ate fresh fruit straight from the source!

• We would like to warmly thank mr Nikos Bekakos, an organic products grower, for the time he devoted to us, the invaluable information he gave the children and the questions he answered! Unfortunately, there is no photo documentation from his visit because the photographers were also having their questions answered at the time!!!

A stop for food and play before getting down to work...

And here we are in the garden!

We split in two teams and set the rules for our own safety...	...and began picking!
The fact that you can't see us...	...doesn't mean we didn't work hard!

We became climbers, too!

Boys...

...and girls!

In some cases "heavy artillery" was employed!

We picked bitter oranges, too...	...PLUS lemons!
A "small" token of our effort!!!	Can't we try an orange, now?

...or, maybe, two?

Fine, it was more than two...but we deserved it!

After eating and getting a short rest...

...we carried the production to the coach and returned to school!

...where we set our own small line of production...	...of freshly-wrung orange juice, what else?
Everyone at their post because we have over-production!	...first cups ready!

"Everybody will get one, kids!"	...the best reward for a tiring day!...

...And a video where Ms Maria with Casian suggest new ways of picking oranges, while mr Dimitris is taking a break entertaining those who are still working!

We'll meet at school on Sunday, at 10 o'clock in the morning to make orange marmelade!

(end of part A', TO BE CONTINUED...)

We are recycling our food! We are composting!

So far we had been recycling paper, plastic, aluminium and batteries in our school.

However, we can reduce our rubbish even more!!

With the help of compost...

What is composting?

It is a way of turning our food left-overs into a nice fertiliser!

We "installed" a grid in a corner of our garden.

We can put dry and fresh greens, vegetables, fruit and egg shells there. In some months we will get a nice fertiliser for our garden!

ATTENTION! 

We mustn't put oil, meat, milk, yoghurt or eggs in the compost grid!

Do you want to learn more about composting?

Then watch the following video:

Original post by Dimitris Alexakis

.

...something good for us and the environment...

Tree planting by the kids of the fourth and fifth grades (2010-2011)...
An apricot tree and an almond tree are now growing in our school's garden...
Because learning is not only dates and equations...!

"We're going to plant treeeeees!"

We dug...

...and dug...

...and dug some more...

...boys...

...and girls...

It was hard work...

...but in the end we made it...!

We settled the tree into its new home...

A little extra soil....

...A small present to Mother Nature...!

Hey! One more!