Let`s move! Erasmus Project

Project Title

Let`s move!

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: Health and wellbeing; Pedagogy and didactics

Project Summary

The partnership of the ‘Let’s Move!’ project members was established in a networking seminar, TCA Education for Democratic Citizenship in Erasmus+ School Exchange (18.-21.10.2018), in Germany. The contact seminar (TCA) was aimed at school leaders and teachers planning to apply for an Erasmus+ School Exchange Partnership and looking for partner schools. Sport and physical education was a topic that drew in the partners of the project at hand, and very soon a joint interest and views were established, and thus a group was set up. The six participants of the ˋLet’s Move!’ project are Grundschule Dürrenzimmern (Germany), Volksschule Graz-Gabelsberger (Austria), ’ecole Albert Wingert (Luxembourg), Stichting voor Openbaar Voortgezet Onderwijs van Wageningen en Omstreken (The Netherlands), Perttilän koulu (Finland) and St Joan Antide School (Malta). A link from the northern part of Europe to the South of Europe crossing the continent was created. Meetings will be held in each school with group of visiting teachers and pupils.
The pupils participating this project will be of mixed ages, varying from 6 to 14 years of age. This was a point agreed upon at the early stages of planning the project. The cooperation between primary and secondary schools is an unique feature. We think that more cooperation between primary and secondary schools is needed and hope to share the experiences with other teachers. The participating schools differ from each other as well: a school located in the city, in the countryside, in the suburban area, a Montessori school, an all-day school, and a school of inter-year classes. The schools have different concepts, and the children attending these schools have a variety of different cultural, religious, social and economic backgrounds. There are also students with special needs, demands and challenges.
Contents and activities for the project were developed already at the seminar. Partnering the project there are schools that have previously been involved in a Strategic Partnership project as well as schools that haven’t. The partners who are already familiar with the bureaucracy involved in the project will be able to tutor and guide the inexperienced partners. ‘Let’s Move!’ will be managed democratically in the spirit of the project’s key theme. Germany (Grundschule Dürrenzimmern) will act as the project coordinator while the other members will have their responsibilities that have been decided on together. A group page and a project journal have been created on eTwinning platform which acts as the main communication platform throughout the project. Each school is represented by a managing teacher or teachers. They will be responsible for making sure that all necessary information is available to school staff and pupils, for keeping up the agreed schedule of the project, and for documenting the project development on eTwinning. It should be emphasized that the project is carried out by the teachers and pupils together.
The project objectives are increasing movement and pupil’s activity during the school day, promoting a healthy lifestyle, learning about different European cultures, and developing and strengthening the concept of democracy through sports, games and activities, especially. The impact of this project should be that the participants have learned about other European cultures, learned to make choices that lead to healthier life, and that these choices are part of the families lives, too. The concept of democracy should be understood and experienced by the participants through various activities and participation in democratic decision making. Movement, exercise and activity should be an integral and natural part of every pupil’s school day. Visiting different schools will be an amazing opportunity to learn and make contacts. The long term benefits are that the children will lead healthier lives in the future, they will become part-taking and active citizens, individuals with contacts around Europe, first-hand knowledge about different cultures, and active and motivated attitude towards learning.
The activities introduced in this project are those that increase daily movement, special events and happenings and the concrete products of the project. Planning school days so that movement is encouraged, choosing physical and active ways of learning, including games, activities into classes increase daily movement. ‘Green Month’, ‘The Olympic Games’, ‘Chess Tournament’, ‘Collecting Kilometres to Meet My Friends’ are happenings in which pupils learn together to achieve set goals, and learn about joint decision making and democracy in reality in creating and voting for ‘Let’s Move!’ logo and ‘Clapping Game’. A book of healthy recipes and a book of Europe will be the end products together with a survey about healthy lifestyle and exercise done in the beginning and in the end of the project. The survey will present data about the participants’ attitudes and habits.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 179507 Eur

Project Coordinator

Grundschule Dürrenzimmern & Country: DE

Project Partners

• St Joan Antide School
• Stichting voor Openbaar Voortgezet Onderwijs van Wageningen en Omstreken
• Volksschule Graz-Gabelsberger
• école Albert Wingert
• Perttilän koulu