5th PROJECT 2011/2012
Finally, Cene turned up! The shepherd who lived on a mountain came to our kindergarten on an autumn day. He patiently stood with a business-like demeanor in front of the building, nearly freezing his legs to the ground. Behind his stand, he was offering chees to passer-by – delicious sheep chees from green meadows high in the mountains. He liked the children from Trnovo kindergarten very much, so he told them about a recent event: he had heard loud thunder from his mountain, followed by heavy rain and a strong storm.
The next day, he woke up to a sunny morning and realized his flock of sheep had gone missing. He searched the entire mountain without success, checking behind every bush and turning over every rock, but couldn’t find them. Rumours began to spread among the mountain people that a sleeping giant who lived on the neighbouring mountain and loved sheep milk and cheese, might have taken them. “What if the giant woke up and took your sheep without permission?”, the children asked.
If Cene wanted to find the answer, he needed to visit the giant’s mountain. But how could he reach the mountain with a river running between them? He asked the children from the kindergarten to help him solve the problem.
Research areas: Movement, craft – in relation to other curricular areas such as language, society, art and mathematics
The story about the shepherd Cene and the sheep Jagoda guided the children, educators, and parents in exploring the area of movement, which is fundamental for children’s development and growth. This time, two puppets were the central figures of the story, a new concept for both the children and the educators to adapt to. The mental challenge and creative opportunities reinforced discovery learning and the search for technical solutions in building a bridge, footbridge, streamer and a cable car, which were the basic elements of the research subject. The social-emotional areas included interpersonal relationships and non-verbal communication with the animal character, the sheep Jagoda. It was the first time the puppet represented an animal.
