Second Erasmus + project meeting in Bjelovar, Croatia

From 7 to 11 March 2022, 1st Primary School Bjelovar hosted the second Erasmus + KA2 “Schools For Future” meeting. The school was visited by 6 teachers and 20 students from 3 partner countries - Spain, Germany, and Latvia. The purpose of the visit was to increase the environmental awareness of students and to present "green activities" that were carried out at our school.

The first day of the project meeting started in our capital with sightseeing in a very interesting way - using the “Zagreb Time Travel” application. This application, installed on tablets, led our guests to the sights where they were greeted by virtual characters and introduced to the cultural and historical significance of a particular location. The GPS system made it possible to explore the city safely. Students and their teachers answered quiz questions and took selfies as a memory of the first activity in Croatia. Upon arrival in Bjelovar, the students were warmly welcomed by their hosts, and the long-awaited meeting passed with a lot of hugs and smiles.

On the second day, students were warmly welcomed at our school by the principal Martina Supančić, and the project coordinator for our school, teacher Helena Gustović Ljubić. After the program at the school hall, the students went to the Mayor’s Office where they were warmly welcomed by the Deputy Mayor, Mr Igor Brajdić. He had words of praise for the project and welcomed our guests to Bjelovar. After the visit to the mayor’s office, students played the City Game designed by teacher Helena Gustović Ljubić and got to know our city. International teams of students solved tasks and visited the sights of Bjelovar. The group that was the first to complete all the tasks was declared the winner and awarded. After lunch in the school canteen, the 8th-grade students presented Croatia with a short presentation, and the 7th-grade students presented the activities we conducted to make our school "green" during the project. In the end, we played a Kahoot quiz about Croatia and about our project prepared by student Matija Lončarević.

On Wednesday, the participating teachers held eco-workshops for all the students. In the workshop Plastic is not so fantastic, biology teacher, Maja Puc, pointed out the harmful impact of plastic on the environment and presented how to make a bioplastic pendant. Maths teacher Jela Galunić, made a "homemade" toothpaste with the students in the workshop: Homemade, zero-waste toothpaste, and English teacher Petra Turković, during the workshop: Protection of Mine is Fine, talked to students about protected plants and animal species in Germany, Spain, Latvia and Croatia and created an interactive map with basic information on protected and endangered plants and animals. After lunch, students participated in an activity called the Biodiversity Race during which they learned about the plants and animals that surround our school.

The next day students visited the National Park - Plitvice Lakes, which delighted them with their beauty.

The last day, Friday was spent at the Excursion Site – “Na malenom brijegu” where the students were presented with the customs of the Bilogora region, taken through the Path of Amazing Creatures of Bilogora and refreshed with homemade dishes made by students themselves.

Our guests liked our school and all the places they visited during the meeting in Croatia. Satisfied, full of positive impressions and ready to work on project activities, they happily returned to their homes.