Tartu International School Goes Green

This spring preschool has been talking about different professions.  Also taking a closer look at professions we don't see in everyday life, but we come daily in contact with their products or services.  That is why we decided to visit the Food and Technology Faculty of  Estonian University of Life Sciences. On a snowy Wednesday morning, our preschool group took the bus to meet Andres, a researcher of food science and technology.  We did the necessary preparations, such as changing shoes, washing our hands thoroughly, to enter the research laboratory.  At first, we got to do some practical activity- we made butter. Andres told us about the process: what we need to make it, how to make it and how and why the cream turns into butter. Everyone got a little cup to fill with cream. Then we all changed into “butter making machines” by shaking the cup until the cream turned into butter. It was not very easy, the cup needed shaking rather hard and it took time until the...

As one of the Eco-School´s topics we are focusing this academic year is health and well-being, it is also important to pay attention to mental well-being and caring atmosphere.  Therefore, our group has since January been using Persona Dolls methodology. It is an approach that helps to prevent different forms of discrimination, foster emotional literacy and support the development of tolerance and self-confidence of young children. The themes and activities can be designed according to the age, needs and current issues of a certain group of children so that the situations presented by the dolls would be relevant to children´s prior experiences and they could relate with these. It is important that unlike solving a conflict between two or three children, the situations are discussed with the whole group being included and without the direct reference to any certain occasion or child. A boy doll named Iniko has been visiting the children every other week. First meetings were f...

  As a teacher I find that it is important to believe in magic and to instill that belief into children. To be enchanted by the world around us and notice little joys everywhere, to let our imagination fly and our creativity bloom. That is why we decided to build an elf house with our 3 year old artists, or an house for anybody who decides to move in actually! We used some old boxes as the construction of the house which we painted blue, next came the important part of designing the insides. We got creative with the wallpaper and decorated one of the walls with candy wrappers (in this case the teacher being the biggest sweeth tooth). A toilet paper roll became a stove where all the future residents can cozy up to during the dark and cold winter evenings. There is plenty of fire wood to keep the fire going and warm the whole house. Future guests can take a little nap and rest their tired legs on a tree bark. There is no easy way to access the second floor where the sleeping quarters...

Every year the fish of the year is elected. Among the Eco-School´s theme biodiversity and nature , 4-year-old students practiced voting and democracy by choosing their favorite fish out of the three candidates competing. This time the candidates were: a white fish, an eel and a bream. First, we took time to get to know all of the three fish. The children had voted before but we practiced it again in different learning situations, before starting voting for our favorite one. Everyone chose their favorite fish and drew a dot/heart under its picture. In the end we counted all the dots/hearts and compared the numbers of the votes. The winner of our group was a white fish.   Now we have to wait until 2023 to find out whether our favorite one is also going to be the fish of the year 2023. You can also vote until the end of the year: https://www.facebook.com/aastakala/posts/pfbid02bubasBap58p1YvH7hCk115ra8r6MQSdS3VTojiQWVPsSpNKqfwBq53kf3nxbuMEFl        

  Our Eco Committee met for the second time this school year. The meeting agenda and minutes can be found here . On the afternoon we hosted visitors from the Eco Committee of the Tallinn European school. The 7th graders showed them around the school vicinity, introducing our Energy Track and our back yard for outdoor lessons. 9th Graders having a Physics lesson on the  specific heat capacity  outdoors as part of an Outdoor Classroom Day Later on, the Eco Committees of the two schools, T.E.S (Tallinn European School) and T.I.S (Tartu International School) met to exchange experience and ideas on the Eco-Schools activities. Thank you, Artur, for leading the meeting! And thank you T.E.S. members for your fresh ideas and lovely gifts. T.E.S & T.I.S Eco Committees meet-up Some ideas that started to resonate on the common meeting: * Having challenges (for example on how active the students can be the Energy Track, or perhaps on noticing and picking up rubbish around the scho...

How the small things can make a difference Today in Grade 6 Science lesson we talked about the little yet so important things all students and their families can do to keep the planet healthy and clean. Below you see the good ideas and examples of students. Whenever I am with my mom I walk to school because our house is very close. We use wooden straws. We also collect bottles and put them in the recycle bin. Sometimes when I see trash on the ground I throw it away in the trash bin.   Me and my family go every year 4 times in the forest and clean  the part that belongs to us. Most of the time my grandpa and my and my cousins also help. Me and my family collect bottles and every year we recycle them and then we get money back.  And we also put BIOwaste in sink food crusher. It works like that you put BIOwaste and it chops it to pieces.  And everyday I come to school on a scooter.And everyday I come to school on a scooter. I don't really do this kind of stuff like I do...

💚  On the 21. of October our Eco Committee met for the first time this schoolyear. The meeting agenda and minutes are here 💚