Larga’s Expedition

Larga, from Largos Land, surrounded by pearly, shining waters and a mysterious coral reef, bravely set off on a journey to the mainland. Her intention was to discover how people living on land overcome different obstacles and how they live their lives. The knowledge and experience she gained would contribute to the development of harmonious and balanced everyday life in Largos. After navigating long and stormy bends, treating them like a poem, she landed in an unfamiliar place, realizing her task would not be easy. She worried about where she could land her surfboard and whether the people on land would welcome her. Fortunately, she arrived at Trnovo Kindergarten, where the children and educators had organised an autumn picnic, offering delicious treats, songs and joy. Glowing, smiling faces, bursting with curiosity, ideas, and imagination greeted her. Larga was happy to be in the right place and fearlessly embarked on her adventure.

Larga’s unique literary-didactical story guided us through four interconnected phases over the course of the year, revealing the secrets of life on land (an unknown world to the inhabitants of Largos) and the secrets of sea life (a world unknown to us). This journey resulted in the generation of new ideas and thoughts. The children embarked on a quest for new discoveries, with the overarching goal of helping Larga and the inhabitants of Largos organise and enrich their everyday lives so they would feel safe and balanced within their Anchor Dock.

Through the selection and manipulation of materials (paper, symbols and globe/ball) we creatively and innovatively explored various secrets of daily routines in a way that was understandable to children. Our focus was on creating a daily routine that would meet the developmental and individual needs of the children, providing them with a sense of security, focus, belonging, and calmness – a feeling that everything is alright.

Throughout the process of tackling the annual challenge, everyone in the kindergarten fostered the synergy of interaction to achieve our common goal. Our diverse adventures were marked by numerous obstacles, each successfully resolved through the discovery and experimentation with different materials. Larga, our pedagogical puppet with her sparkling and playful personality, inspired us to pursue our objectives and supported us in finding simple, original, inventive and practical ideas and solutions. She encouraged us to create exceptional and unique structures, promoting purposeful, aesthetic and practical constructions. Larga taught us to be open to new perspectives, ideas, people, social interactions, mutual adaptation, communication, teamwork and more.

Regular physical activity promoted healthy habits that corresponded with a harmonious, balanced life in kindergarten. This helped us understand that life can be predictable, fostering a sense of security while calming the mind and nurturing the soul, leading to feelings of happiness and self-respect. Simultaneously, it provided ample time for focused, in-depth action-research in tackling Larga’s challenge.

At the end of the year, all the adventures were summed up in the “Magical round games”. The final outcome – the “Customary of Trnovo”, created throughout the annual story by children, educators and parents, was passed to Larga, helping her return home. She took with her various experiences, unique and inventive ideas that she could use in different aspects of life, not only in her daily routine. The reflections and creations comprised in the Customary of Trnovo are useful and beneficial both for the inhabitants of Largos and for all of us in the kindergarten, representing an in-depth view of different daily situation and possible approaches to problem/challenge.