Our project titled “ Open your minds through the games” will last for two scholastic year from Sept 2017 up to Aug 2019. It connects seven European preschools aged 3-7 from France, Turkey, Portugal,Greece, Bulgaria, Italy, Estonia enabling them to create friendship, sharing their art and cultural heritage through games. Our project focuses on developing the communication, competences of our pupils and improving their creativity and innovation skills by using the power of arts through the different educational games . The more children play together, the better they understand other childen’s points of view, demonstrate empathy and caring and develop conflict resolution skills.Through the games they develop communication skills, increase their vocabulary, strenghten their cognitive skills. The planned activities such as drawing, painting, modelling , preparing puzzles and games , searching and gathering the necessary information the pupils will be guided to take responsibilities by the teachers and will provide wonderful opportunities for learning and develop a lot of skills in vital curriculum areas : mother tongue, social sciences, foreign language ,PE, literature,Math. These kind of activities and games also will support the growth of artistic expressions and appreciation. It aims to allow the pupils to acquire knowledge on the topic of the European citizenship but also to develop the work of group, the social relations and the discovery of other cultures and this through art in the game. The core of our partnership is to exchange good practises, taking advantage of different skills that each partners brings into the project with multinational activities and to develop a more integrated curriculum, extend ICT skills and to foster reflective practices. Our project also will enhance the quality and European dimension of teacher training. The project has examined the overall requirement of 7 European preschools curriculum for the designation of project tasks and for this reason during its application all 7 curriculums will be shared to each other. This will enable them to compare their techniques and transfer best practices of preschool approaches. Also as in the project, learning to learn techniques for Intercultural Learning have been adopted, teachers using these methods will find ways to improve their "Intercultural Learning Approach" skills supporting it with "Learning to Learn" techniques for young pupils through the project teacher mobility meetings ( LTT) and they will gain maximum benefit from the partnership. we have focussed on the following objectives *to broaden pupils’ horizons ; to advance student's knowledge of the diversity and richness of cultures from different parts of Europe *to Improve artistic skills and social skills, learning to work and play in teams *to strenghten the professional development of teachers by developing innovative teaching methods and resources. *to encourage communication and cooperation between pupils and teachers in different European countries Expected Results the project staffs will be involved in the activities through website, email exchangings, creating the project materials such as puzzles, games, story book , calender 2019, E- cultural book , PPT , Puppets travel photo album etc. *Each country choose a mascot to carry the culture through the mobilities to the kids- exchange among the countries – mascot travel photo album. during the project process we will create different educational games during the mobilities. 1. show and tell game with puppet mascot : ( each mobility it brings a cultural object and ask the students to talk about it ) 2. memory / lotto game : ( the images which best will represent their country/ about country, capital,flag,mascot, ) 3. Dominos game : their famous monuments, local or national artists,paintings buildings, national symbols, artefacts, objects around them etc to combine them with the shapes….we play with cards with images which represent different kinds of lines, shapes, textures and colour. 4. Labelling word game: on pictionary (agreed words, colors ,shapes, objects..), 5. Puzzle game : about folk tale/ literature ( draw me a tale) 6. snakes and ladders board game: artefacts; objects,sculptures ,creating the pawns of sculpture 7. happy family card game: combination of all countries art and cultural heritage/ find the various flags, mascot, works of artists.etc ) accompanying with a card game called "Happy Families" The project activities such as organizing Erasmus+ Day, Puppets album , mobility meeting report, introducing the project, playing Project games for the pupils, their parents, local education representatives and staff will promote ideas about cultural differences at home and community so that they will benefit the outcomes of the project and improve their cultural awareness. We believe that our world will be a better place to live for everyone with the power of art in games.
Our project entitled "Open your mind by the game" lasted two years (2017/2019) and concerned alll children without discrimination of age, handicap or a social environment, of the seven nursery schools, of France, Turkey, Portugal, Greece, Bulgaria, Italy and Estonia. Our project based on arts through games allowed to offer to the children a very rich project in which most of the disciplinary approaches considered have been applied to the school curriculum. Thus planned activities such as drawing, painting, preparing games, research, gathering the necessary information have allowed to develop many skills in the program's vital areas : language, social sciences, foreign language, literature, mathematics. It allowed students to acquire knowledge on the theme of European citizenship but also to develop group work, social relations and the discovery of other cultures through the arts in the game. Our partnership was essentially based on the exchange of good practices, taking advantage of the different skills that each partner could bring to the project, the extension of ICT skills and the promotion of reflection practices. Our project has also strengthened the quality and European dimension of teacher education. The project examined the overall needs of 7 European pre-school education programs for the designation of project tasks. This allowed for comparing techniques and transferring best practices of preschool approaches. Teachers who have used these intercultural learning methods have found ways to improve their skills in their field, with "Learning to Learn" techniques for young students. Thanks to the mobility, meetings (LTTs), teachers have been derive the maximum benefit of the partnership. We focused on the following objectives: * broaden the horizons of students ; to advance children's knowledge of the diversity and richness of cultures in different parts of Europe * Allow the child to understand the world around him and better understand the relationship between the different elements of his environment * Improve artistic and social skills, learn to work, play as a team * Mode of expression and construction of oneself * experimenting with systems of values and rules (reciprocity, cooperation, competition, negotiation, etc.), social relations, this contributes to the feeling of belonging and allows the development of situations of assistance, of need, in order to achieve a better tolerance of failure. With the game you learn to win and lose. * strengthen the professional development of teachers by developing innovative teaching methods and resources. * encourage communication and cooperation between pupils and teachers from different European countries Results: Partners and children were involved in activities via the website, e-mail exchanges, creating games (puzzles, games, storybook, Ebook, PPT, mascots travel photo album, etc.). * Each country has chosen a mascot to bring the culture of the partner, through mobility, to children - travel photo album of the mascot During the project process, different educational games were created and a process of use: 1. show and tell the game with the mascot, each partner brought cultural objects from the country visited (discussion with the children) 2. Lotto game: we chose pictures that best represented their country, photo of the capital, the flag, the mascot 3. Game dominoes / graphics: choice of photos with graphic representation such as famous monuments, national symbols, works of art, to combine them with the forms... 4. Labeling word game: "The pencil box talked", learn words in English (colors, objects etc.), 5. Thinking game: on the folk tale (draw me a story), puzzles 6. Board game, goose game way, use of the mascot 7. 7 family card game: combination of art and cultural heritage from all countries / find different flags, mascots, artists' works, etc.) 8. Ebook regroupant tous les jeux https://www.calameo.com/books/00180991 Website http://throughgames.weebly.com/ Twinspacehttps://twinspace.etwinning.net/45782/pages/page/273779 Impacts: The project activities, the organization of Erasmus Day, the exhibitions accessible to children, their parents, local representatives, members of education have promoted ideas, cultural differences and draw profit. The results of the project acted as an agent of social and cultural integration, they support communication with others and building friendships.