Run, Jump, Learn in Secondary School – Finland

A Morning in the Forest with the 8th Graders

On the last Monday of our school year we had a nice morning with our 58 8^th graders in the forest near our school. We walked there and each class placed themselves in their own part of the forest.

First we observed the nature there and afterwards shared our thoughts to each other and talked about what we had seen or heard and how it felt to be completely silent and just enjoy the quietness and the beautiful nature. We also discussed how hard it was to concentrate on being still and quiet knowing your schoolmates were around you.

After that we divided the classes in groups of 3-4 pupils. Their task was to explore the forest and draw a map of it. While observing the surroundings and drawing the maps they also searched for a treasure that they hid in the forest. This was then marked in the map. Next the maps were switched between the groups and they tried to find the other groups treasures, and they all did!

We also worked in pairs. The pairs took each other to a place in the forest with the one partner’s eyes closed. Afterwards the one whose eyes were closed tried to find back to the place he had been taken to. I think that this was the most popular thing to do.

Of course, we also had a nice break with some packed lunch.

The last part of our time in the forest we played a post office-game in a big group with 58 pupils one class against others. The game was a success and the winners were rewarded with jam doughnuts. 😊

Playground Tour Germany

Playground Tour Wales

Playground Tour Sweden

Playground Tour Spain

Challenge cards – Wales

The pupils at Plascrug have been enjoying the challenges set by the other countries!  Here are a few photos.

Pancake Race – Wales

We took inspiration from the pancake races in Spain and Sweden today and held an Easter Games event!  Pupils from Year 1 (ages 5 and 6) took part in egg and spoon races, egg rolling, an egg toss and a hunt the egg game using cones.  They had to find and collect the eggs in their team’s colour and leave the rest.  The winners were those who collected the most!

Challenge Cards tested in Germany

The Run-Jump-Learn-Club tried some Challenge Cards and had a lot of fun working out all the challenges of our four partner schools. Here are some impressions.

Plate relay math game (Finland)

Two teams are given two different numbers. There are six different math problems for each of the numbers. These calculations are written on plates which are located face down on the floor.

First member of both teams start at the same time, they run to the play area and turn a plate of their choice, and calculate the sum/difference/multiplication/division. If that matches with their target number, they can keep the plate and return to their team and send next team member to continue. If number does not match, they leave the plate on floor face down and return to their team and next member continues. The team which has found all 6 plates matching their result, is the winner.

 

Bronze Ambassadors in Wales

Wales

Here we have the qr codes that our Bronze Ambassadors made to put in the Foundation Phase classroom to help the pupils develop their physical skills.

Sweden – A game in the snow

„The Gear“ – A game in the snow

First, we make a big circle in the snow. After that we make walkways from the circle to the centre. In the middle we made a smaller circle.

When the game starts we choose one catcher. The other children are trying to escape and run in the gear. If they want a break they can rest in the little circle in the middle were the catcher can’t take them. There they count to 10 and then they must leave again.

The annual ski slope day on Tolvmannabacken

Sweden

In February we had our annual day on the ski slope we have in town. This day all pupils from the first to the third grade can choose ice skating, go sledding or downhill skiing.

For children who never stand on ski we have ski lessons. These pupils usual are very proud in the afternoon, because they have learned so much.

Lunch is served outside and everyone loves hamburger, apple and juice. Our pupils love this day and look forward to it. There is a lot of motion and fun.

Challenge Cards

We want to encourage our pupils to learn independently inside and out of the classroom so we have created these fun challenge cards! Each card explains how to play a game or activity and every card is different. Some challenges require a group of people to play, others can be completed independently. Photographs and a ‘star rating’ help pupils to choose suitable challenges for their ability and environment. Each school created 10 challenge cards so we now have a pack of 50 fun outdoor activities to try in our schools!

Winter day in Finland

We wanted to try some things, which I learned at our LTT teacher training in Germany. Outdoor teaching was a big part of our visit and that’s why we decided to go to the forest with my pupils.

It’s winter and it has been a very cold week in Finland. The temperature has been about -25 degrees and we have lots of snow here. That’s why the outdoor activities were a little bit different to do here than in Germany.

Today the weather was really beautiful. The sun was shining and temperature was about -21 degrees. First we were playing “Pöllöhippa” “Catch the Owl” at our school yard. Kids liked to play it and they were running a lot. That was a good start, because they became warm. After that we walked together to the nearest forest.

In the forest we learned how to do “fox-walk” and “owl-eye”. Then we did the same exercise, that we also did in Germany. We walked alone like foxes around the forest and did “owl-eye” when we wanted to. It was important to be quiet. Pupils thought that the exercise was nice and relaxing. After that we were playing “hide and seek”-game together. It was really fun to run in the snow and also a little bit hard. But we loved it! And everyone was asking the same: “Can we do this again someday?”

We definitely must do lot more outdoor activities! It is nice to be out of the classroom and the forest is definitely the place where your mind can relax.

written by 5B-class

Flood – Storm – Fire (Finland)

Fire

Flood

Storm

This game is a nice moving break for any lesson. In the pictures you see our fourth graders playing.

Instructions: Music is played while pupils move around the room. When the music stops, teacher calls out one of the words and everyone tries to save oneself as fast as possible.

Actions:

• Flood: get your feet off the floor to stay dry
• Storm: grab someone so wind will not take you
• Fire: dive on the floor and lie low on the ground under the smoky air

If you want, you can also make this a competition: After a few warm-up rounds the last one to save him/herself falls out and becomes a judge. One by one everyone falls out and the last one standing gets a good round of applause.

Athletics competition (Finland)

We had our athletics competition on our school a few weeks ago. The sports you got to choose from were for example running for 60 or 600 meters, long jump, high jump and shot put. When the day started, all of us had our warm up together, and then it was time for the sports. 

Every sport we did on the day was outside except for high jump, and it was competed on the gymnasium. The day was also a tryout to the final competition between schools in Oulu, and everyone who got to first or second place in any sport has the chance to go and represent our school on the big competition between the schools in a bigger sports stadium, near the center of Oulu. 

Even though there was a chance of getting to the bigger competition, the day was not supposed to take that seriously witch was really nice, and it made the sports enjoyable. On the next week after the competition, there was a distribution of prizes on our gymnasium, and the winners got medals. 

Overall, I think that the day was successful, and it was fun! 

Veera Härkönen, 6B, Pöllönkankaan Koulu

Activity Packs (Germany)

Last year – while we were on our first Erasmus+ teacher training in Aberystwyth in Wales, we learned about Sport Wales and the „Activity Packs“ they use to help young children to increase their motion skills. We liked the idea of Activity Packs for the youngest so much that we decided to introduce them in year one here at Kleeblattschule in Germany.

Two pupils from each class will have the opportunity to take the bags home and test the possible activities for one week. Their ideas will be documented via drawings/photos which they are being asked to add to a little booklet that goes along with the bag. We are really excited to get to know all the activities and physical exercises that can be done with the contents of our Activity Packs. We will let you know about the reactions and ideas. An additional bag will be handed to the kindergarten next door.

 

Harry Potter inspired data handling! (Wales)

The children in Year 5 (ages 9 and 10) had to work in groups to try out different positions in a game of Quidditch. They created, collected and then interpreted the data. Children then worked as a team to decide which position best suited each member.

Combinations of ten, doubles and math stories (Finland)

Among the most important basic things in math are the combinations of ten and the doubles. Year 1 practised these skills this time with balls. They also learned to tell math stories. Each story included both addition and subtraction. One told the story and the other counted it by using twenty frames and red and yellow counters.

 

Movin‘ lesson breaks (Germany)

„Time to move“ – that’s what teachers at Kleeblattschule said more often than usuall. We try to activate our pupils by integrating an additional activity or TRP game in everyday lessons.That can be a welcome ritual in the morning, an active break in between two parts of a lesson or a TPR song in Science or English.

move around

circle and stretch

circle and stretch

stomp and clap

jump and shout

clap and stomp

ballance with your knee