Become Open On Knowledge, Spend Time On Reading, Youngster Erasmus Project

Project Title

Become Open On Knowledge, Spend Time On Reading, Youngster

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : School Exchange Partnerships

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Creativity and culture; Cultural heritage/European Year of Cultural Heritage; Teaching and learning of foreign languages

Project Summary

In a world of change and diversity the quality of early childhood education and care is exceptionally important. Children must be prepared for the future and adapt better to the requirements of EU. After SWOT analysis we found the fall of interest for the books and the lack of literacy competencies in modern society as the especially urgent and common problem. Meanwhile, desire and the ability to read are a prerequisite for full personal development. Since those skills develop from earliest age, it is crucial to pay special attention to kids’ reading, primarily because it positively affects both their emotional development and their language and cognitive abilities. It also increases emotional intelligence and tolerance. Today’s kids spend much much time on the internet, parents are busy with work and both don’t have time for books. Since the mission of all teachers, regardless of the country, is to educate children, we decided to join forces and try to change the habits by the implementation of the transnational project.
BOOK STORY (Become Open On Knowledge, Spend Time On Reading, Youngster) project was created as a response to this need. It is designed for 834 students in the age between 3 and 8 from six European countries: Poland, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, Romania and Spain. That provides a broad viewpoint to different kinds of cultures and cultural heritage.
The project consists of six parts, each one is a different chapter in our “book story”. Their content concerns both reading and writing in various aspects. We will use innovative methods of teaching, like CLIL and PBL, critical thinking, learning by doing and playing, and also basic ICT which is necessary in communicating and cooperating in various activities.
The main idea is the discovery of joy for reading by the little ones.We want to attract them to books, show that reading can be fun and exploratory. By different multicultural project activities we want our students to live the amazing adventure with books. Common books reading leads to change habits and to instil the reading needs, appreciates the value of reading – also as different way of spending leisure time. Through contact with the literature students will enrich their language, imagination and creativity.
The proposed activities are appropriate to the age of preschoolers, their physical and cognitive capacities. That allows to involve all pupils in all activities, regardless of their origin, socio-economic position or educational background, as well as of their abilities, gender or deficiencies. The project prepares kids for the challenges of the future. It fosters development of their social competences, media literacy, team effort and responsibility, self-confidence, initiative, curiosity and creativity and enables them the equal start at the next stage of education.
The project is innovative in the case of the kindergarteners’ and their parents’ foreign mobilities. It is a big educational and cultural challenge, difficult experience with such small kids but not impossible to achieve. For us, our students are the most important participants and recipients of the project, so we want them to live the project with their hearts and direct experience in partner countries.
Participation in the project will significantly contribute to the development of all involved institutions, also after its completion, especially in their internationalization process. Through it the linguistic and social competence and skill of all participants will increase. Teachers will meet potential partners for future KA1 or KA2 projects, improve their professional qualifications and share various methodological experiences. Using various web tools will allow both teachers and students to acquire relevant ICT competences. Students’ involvement will provide them new abilities which can be used in the next levels of education.
The project activities will be continued in the next years. The change of habits and instilling the reading needs in our students is the long-term process and it doesn’t finish in the kindergarten. It must be continued also at home with and by parents. For that it is necessary to educate constantly whole families. That’s why every year the activities carried on during the project will be repeated and improved.
The kindergarten library will be equipped with all materials collected during the project. A rich book collection with many various items for children and parents, as well as the ability to borrow books to home, will encourage the families to spend more time on reading. Also the cooperation with the local library will bring many benefits to both institution, especially in a case of the young readers’ education.
Project activities will be closely integrated into the school curriculum. Monitoring system will be developed for the quality of project implementation. ICT will be fundamental for research, communication and presentations. The results will be widely disseminated.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 154515 Eur

Project Coordinator

Publiczne Przedszkole nr 2 im. Janusza Korczaka w Radomsku & Country: PL

Project Partners

• Gradinita Learn & Play
• Public institution SG8
• PLATON SCHOOL S.A.
• CEIP MONTERO DE ESPINOSA
• Istituto Comprensivo G. Nosengo