1st PROJECT 2007/2008
In a beautiful land between the snowy Alps and the azure sea, above the forests, fields and rivers, rises a mighty rocky mountain named Peca. Deep underground, within its bowels, lies a magical cave, full of the splendour of stalactites, precious stones and crystals, guarding its hidden secret for thousands of years.
Cursed into a thousand-year sleep among swords, shields, spears, halberds and chests full of treasures, King Matthias sleeps. A light ray of sun passes through and shines on him, waking him up. He steps through the open heart of Mount Peca and mounts his white horse named Lightning. With one gaze, he takes in the entire land of Slovenia, from Triglav Mountain to the plains of Prekmurje region, and wonderes where he should go to do the most of his loyal people.
Research areas: social science, civic-patriotic education, social curriculum, peace education, values education, multiculturalism, gothics, architecture, symbol-based communication – all in relation to other curricular areas: language, science, movement, art, and mathematics.
Educational project King Matthias is our first annual project launched during Slovenia’s presidency of the European Union. During this period, Ljubljana hosted European leaders and other representatives and the children could watch various political leaders, assemblies, protocols and symbols on TV every day. Simultaneously, the National Educational Institute initiated innovative projects for all school levels, focusing on civic education. Our kindergarten participated in these projects as well. Given the current events, it was logical for us to choose a research theme for our annual project that aligned with social science. With this decision, we aimed to enhance the children’s understanding of the complex and abstract socio-political events and make it more accessible to their perception.
Throughout the project, we have developed children’s self-esteem, national and cultural identity, patriotism, democratic values and respect for cultural heritage and family traditions.
