ESC: Long-term volunteering at Võru Kindergarden Päkapikk

Kindergarten "Punamütsike" is a municipal kindergarten in Võru. There are11 groups in kindergarten: three groups for small kids: 1,6 to 3 years and eight groups for children aged 3 to 7. There are 50 teachers and employees. The kindergarten works all year round. In one group there are children with various special needs. Kindergarten "Punamütsike" has 45 year history and besides regular state program we have nice traditions like: days with family, sport activity days, folk calendar anniversaries, visiting theatres and concerts, hikes and different study visits during the year. We are the onliest kindergarten in Võru to teach swimming as we have our own in-site pool. There are swimming lessons beginning for 3 years old kids. There are 2 music-, sport - and swimming lessons every week. Outside activities every day. Teaching activities are planned by teachers and based on the best interests of the children. Children are taught in subgroups. The play time and free play which is led by the children themselves are from huge importance. We approach each child individually and use active learning methods to ensure a successful experience. During active learning, the child learns to think, gets acquainted with different materials characteristics, finds similarities and differences, tests and makes logical oneself conclusions. When studying outdoors, the child perceives nature with all the senses, learns to notice and care for the environment. In recent years, we have become acquainted with new innovative learning methods such as project learning, discovery and outdoor learning, with children philosophizing, digital robotics, etc. All of these learning methods help the teacher get to know the child in order to find suitable activities for play and learning. Project learning paves the way for a world of children's creativity, where the teacher's task is to notice the children's interests, acquire resources and create an environment. Gathering knowledge will help make it more exciting change the digital tools in our kindergarten: desktop tablets, projectors, light boards, educational robots, handheld microscopes, etc. In kindergarten, it is possible to introduce children to the computer as a learning and tool. Thanks to digital tools, we have a variety of virtual possibilities: with the help of different apps, it is possible to move pictures, make a cartoon yourself, and so on. With the help of educational computer games, children can be interested in new topics, teach cooperation, expand vocabulary and horizons, develop fine motor skills, etc. Our kindergarten has received new robots with the support of the Education Information Technology Foundation and the Code Week program. It's nice to see how children's eyes shine when you bring robots or legos into the game. In each game, the child acquires new skills and social skills also develop when interacting with peers. Teachers use educational robots and programming as well in cooperation with parents. As part of the Code Week events, parents have been able to try their hand at programming and children have have been knowledge sharers. After lunch is a quiet time: younger kids sleep, older kids just lie in bed or play quietly. Our staff members are good friends and at times enjoy activities together such as treks, parties and organising interesting and exciting events.